RaptureSongbird

Yesterday completed our path through immigration and citizenship.  Interview was scheduled for 1:00pm, called in at 1:20pm, finished at 1:35pm.  The interviewer was straight and to the point, started by first completing the civics questions and stopped after the 6th (for anyone curious questions were:  What does the constitution do?, What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is known for?,  When was the constitution written?, Name one American Indian tribe in the United States., Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?, and There were 13 original states.  Name three.), then some of the yes/no questions, updates to employment and travel history, then the reading portion (What month is Columbus Day?), then the written portion (Washington D.C. is the capital), then a quick wrap up and done.  Was told to come back at 2:45pm for a Same Day Oath Ceremony, which didn't take place until about 3:15, Certificate of Naturalization received and process now complete.

Same here.  Applied for N400 end of March 2021, received 10 year Green Card April 2021 (no interview), and yesterday I-751 updated to "Your Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, was transferred to another USCIS office" and today there is an update that says "Case was Transferred And A New Office Has Jurisdiction.  I'm really leaning towards the explanation above that the N400 is in final review at our local offices and they requested the I-751s be sent to have as a part of the final prep/interview.

Update today!  Case updated to New Card is Being Produced.

It seems to vary from office to office if they tell you or not; I also feel like I've seen cases through the same field office where some have been told and some have not.  When we did AOS through Chicago we were not told one way or the other and had to wait about 4 weeks for our online status to update to approved.  I think this was likely because our original K-1 application had not made it to the Chicago Field Office before our AOS interview so that needed to arrive to be further reviewed before final approval.  Unfortunately, the only thing to do now is try to relax as the waiting game continues.  I'm certainly not looking forward to joining it all again when we apply for ROC In March 2020  🙂

No problem, happy to help!  The only way I remembered it was because I had to think of it like flight times that are based on local time zone 🙂

The time listed is based on the time zone of the facility you are assigned.  We had the opposite of you, live in Central had to go to Eastern, and we arrived at 10 AM local time.

As long as you had all of the required immunizations and they were marked as completed or waived during your medical exam, you don't need to have another medical or complete the I-693.  My partner was missing a few immunizations so after his arrival, we got those done and had a Civil Surgeon complete the I-693 for us.  The medical is valid for 1 year for a K1 so as long as you start the AOS process within that time, you should be fine.  There have been a few discussions here, and a few different experiences, with that 1 year timeframe.  Sometimes AOS will take a long time to complete and you may be required to do another medical exam which they would inform you about either at the interview or via an RFE.  However, the instructions state that the medical is valid as long as AOS is started within the year timeframe and some people have not had to do a medical again even if AOS goes beyond the year mark.  Good luck!

I know it's hard to process not getting an approval the day of the interview but I wouldn't worry about it too much.  When we had our interview last year in Chicago we were not approved on the spot, didn't even receive any paperwork from the interviewer, and had no other further updates until 3 weeks later when our account status finally changed to Card Being Produced.  So, I understand your worry but, at this point, it's just going to be another round of waiting until Card Being Produced.  In our case the delay was because our interviewer didn't receive any of our K-1 documentation before our interview so she had to request that paperwork along with making some corrections on our case (initial case reviewer stated we needed an I-130 completed but it was not needed since it was a K-1).  So, you may have received the held for review for this reason or, like you stated, they complete the interviews throughout the day and do final approvals later in the day.  Unfortunately the best advice I can give is just to wait and keep checking for updates.

I'm not. People lie through their teeth all the time. It happens every day, at every corner of every US Embassy and Consulate across the world. People lie like crazy to get a visa. That's why I have a lot of respect for the COs, the front line officers, who are actually conducting interviews everyday, gets lied to their face and they KNOW it, and still act with courtesy and respect. I probably will not last very long as a CO interviewing people for a visa. By about the second or third applicant, I probably will start slapping people in their faces.

Thanks!  I just got some more questions that the CO asked my fiancé:
 
"How big is his apartment?  How many rooms does it have?  How many restrooms?  Is the apartment in a nice neighborhood?  What are his neighbors like?"
 
My fiancé has not been to the USA yet and made this clear to the CO but he still wanted the answer to these questions and more.  Such an odd interview!
 
Thank you, I'm happy too!!!  

The short version:  Visa APPROVED!!!
 
The long version:  My fiance had some trouble reaching the embassy today but made it just in time.  He had no problem getting checked in and was waiting for his number to be called.  They called his number after about 10 minutes and he went to the first window where they asked for his paperwork and then tried to say that they couldn't find the DS160.  He sent me a message (yay technology!) and I told him to show them the confirmation page.  By the time he pulled it out, they had somehow found the DS160 and then handed him the CD with the chest X-Ray on it...this should have been my first sign that things were going to go a little wonky for him.
 
He went and sat back down and waited for his number to be called again.  He ended up waiting about 45 minutes when his number was called for the second window and interview.  This is where things started to go off script.  At first the CO started going through the standard questions for London (When did you meet?  How many times have you met?  What does he do for a living?) and then the interview jumped the shark.  The CO started asking questions about why my parents divorced, why my fiance's parents separated, what year the city I live in was founded, how many computers do I work on in a day, exactly how many people work at my company, etc. etc.  My fiance said that these questions were totally random and all over the place in no particular order, nothing like we've seen mentioned for London, and didn't seem like the typical interview that was been described in other London reviews.  My fiance held his ground, answered when he could, said he didn't know when he didn't know, and kept trying to focus the CO on us and our relationship very politely.  The CO then asked how we stay in touch and my fiance said Skype, Viber, and others, and then the CO asked to see his cell phone and read through the last several days of our conversations.  I think this was the turning point in the interview back to normal because the CO saw how we joked around, what we talked about, and even laughed at some of the things we had said to each other back and forth.  After a few more questions with the interview going on for about 20 minutes at this point, the CO said "okay, well, I am going to go ahead and approve you and you should have your passport back in about 2 weeks".  My fiance then thanked him, left the embassy, immediately called me and we kept having ####### moments about all the questions he was asked.  There were more that I can't even remember right now that I was like "really, he asked that?!?" and when I speak more with my fiance later I'll see if he can jog my memory on those.
 
Of course I had to wait for my fiance to recount the whole interview and after he kept telling me more and more I finally stopped him and said "So, are you approved?!?" and he said yes and then kept going on about the CO and all the random questions.
 
I realize that this is definitely not the typical interview situation, probably because my fiance is not a UK citizen but has the right to live and work there as a citizen of another EU country, but I wanted to let everyone know who still has their interview coming up to be prepared for anything.  Be polite but hold your ground and focus on the two of you and your story, not what year a city was founded

That is adorable!I hope you guys have the best time ever. My first time in London (and Europe altogether) was last January and I loved the city. Not sure if it was just seeing my fiance for the first time after six months or just because it was my first European city, but I had such a good time in that city. I hope you and your partner have a blast!
 
I'll need to do some research on this CR-1 visa the only one I'm truly familiar with is K1 and the I-129F so any details or tips would be greatly appreciated. I'll do some research on this, you guys have been so lovely and nice I cannot thank you all. What a great community.  

Thank you so much for sharing this experience.  My husband and I also have a large age gap, we have talked a bit about questions he might be asked, and I think what happened in your case is that they were asking outlandish detailed questions to see if the beneficiary would try to answer everything, even impossible questions, to see if they were lying.  The IO was most likely trying to see if your husband would slip up and try to give a made-up answer to every question asked, as someone in a fraudulent relationship might try to do thinking a fake answer is better than saying "I don't know."  Your husband was right to tell the truth and say he didn't know because it is a true relationship.  This is great advice and something I will pass on to my husband as he prepares for his interview in a few months.  Thanks again!

Great, now you have me paranoid that my husband is a deep cover spy.  LOL  J/K
 
Having now had some time between what happened during that interview and now, I can't believe we're already approaching the 2 year mark from that it seems like yesterday, I think part of the questioning was because of the age difference, part of the questioning was because my husband is from an Eastern European country that is not currently on the Visa Waiver Program, and part of it was because my husband can sometimes come across as confrontational/arrogant when speaking even though that's not how he is at all (more of a language/accent issue).  I can see both sides of the interview for sure, and if I was a CO I would probably press a little harder on our case, so I've learned to understand the government's perspective as well.  Our AOS interview went WAY more smoothly, just the one question about our age difference and every other question was pretty standard, so it has me less nervous about ROC and a potential interview for that, just because I feel like the more evidence we provide USCIS and the more time they spend talking with us, they can see the validity of our relationship.
 
I wanted to share our experience with the OP as an idea of where the questions can go and the importance of trying to remain calm and answering the questions to the best of your ability.  Again, I think our interview ended up being a rare .05% oddity that happens in the system, and maybe the CO was just having a day/in a strange mood/wanted to test the waters, and the OP and his fiance will have a standard interview.  Just remember to breathe, remain calm, and talk about your relationship and everything will go fine.

The short version:  Visa APPROVED!!!
 
The long version:  My fiance had some trouble reaching the embassy today but made it just in time.  He had no problem getting checked in and was waiting for his number to be called.  They called his number after about 10 minutes and he went to the first window where they asked for his paperwork and then tried to say that they couldn't find the DS160.  He sent me a message (yay technology!) and I told him to show them the confirmation page.  By the time he pulled it out, they had somehow found the DS160 and then handed him the CD with the chest X-Ray on it...this should have been my first sign that things were going to go a little wonky for him.
 
He went and sat back down and waited for his number to be called again.  He ended up waiting about 45 minutes when his number was called for the second window and interview.  This is where things started to go off script.  At first the CO started going through the standard questions for London (When did you meet?  How many times have you met?  What does he do for a living?) and then the interview jumped the shark.  The CO started asking questions about why my parents divorced, why my fiance's parents separated, what year the city I live in was founded, how many computers do I work on in a day, exactly how many people work at my company, etc. etc.  My fiance said that these questions were totally random and all over the place in no particular order, nothing like we've seen mentioned for London, and didn't seem like the typical interview that was been described in other London reviews.  My fiance held his ground, answered when he could, said he didn't know when he didn't know, and kept trying to focus the CO on us and our relationship very politely.  The CO then asked how we stay in touch and my fiance said Skype, Viber, and others, and then the CO asked to see his cell phone and read through the last several days of our conversations.  I think this was the turning point in the interview back to normal because the CO saw how we joked around, what we talked about, and even laughed at some of the things we had said to each other back and forth.  After a few more questions with the interview going on for about 20 minutes at this point, the CO said "okay, well, I am going to go ahead and approve you and you should have your passport back in about 2 weeks".  My fiance then thanked him, left the embassy, immediately called me and we kept having ####### moments about all the questions he was asked.  There were more that I can't even remember right now that I was like "really, he asked that?!?" and when I speak more with my fiance later I'll see if he can jog my memory on those.
 
Of course I had to wait for my fiance to recount the whole interview and after he kept telling me more and more I finally stopped him and said "So, are you approved?!?" and he said yes and then kept going on about the CO and all the random questions.
 
I realize that this is definitely not the typical interview situation, probably because my fiance is not a UK citizen but has the right to live and work there as a citizen of another EU country, but I wanted to let everyone know who still has their interview coming up to be prepared for anything.  Be polite but hold your ground and focus on the two of you and your story, not what year a city was founded

Yeah my fiance, now husband, at the time was pretty shaken up after the interview and said he was nervous about getting something wrong, getting denied, and then disappointing me.  I would suggest being as prepared as you can be for the interview, know the basics like the back of your hand, and for any other items that may come up be prepared with a nice way of saying "I don't know".  That's what my fiance did and it worked out for us.  I can see how some things he asked couples discuss (why your parents divorced) but some of the questions seemed there just to throw him off base (what year was the city I live in founded - I don't even know the answer to that one!).  Any additional proof that can be brought will be helpful, if you two communicate using any cell phone messaging service, and cell phones are allowed in the embassy, be prepared with those, and maybe do some practice questions together on topics you might not have covered ("favorites" come to mind like favorite country to visit, favorite restaurant, etc.).  Again, an "I don't know" is better than a wrong answer but, with some things there is no way a CO is going to know the right answer (your favorite restaurant) and I think they might ask these questions to see how you respond/what you come up with, not for accuracy.
 
When you get ready for AOS, be prepared to be asked about your age difference as well.  When we had our AOS interview it was the last question the interviewer asked us "I noticed that there is an age difference between the two of you, how does that work out in your relationship and with your families?" was the one that our interviewer used.  The key is all about remaining calm, speaking your truth, and showing your love.

I don't know if it's the case but it may be what my fiance experienced in London in 2017.  We have a 15 year age difference and here's what I wrote about it after the interview happened:
 
 
 

Yeah my fiance, now husband, at the time was pretty shaken up after the interview and said he was nervous about getting something wrong, getting denied, and then disappointing me.  I would suggest being as prepared as you can be for the interview, know the basics like the back of your hand, and for any other items that may come up be prepared with a nice way of saying "I don't know".  That's what my fiance did and it worked out for us.  I can see how some things he asked couples discuss (why your parents divorced) but some of the questions seemed there just to throw him off base (what year was the city I live in founded - I don't even know the answer to that one!).  Any additional proof that can be brought will be helpful, if you two communicate using any cell phone messaging service, and cell phones are allowed in the embassy, be prepared with those, and maybe do some practice questions together on topics you might not have covered ("favorites" come to mind like favorite country to visit, favorite restaurant, etc.).  Again, an "I don't know" is better than a wrong answer but, with some things there is no way a CO is going to know the right answer (your favorite restaurant) and I think they might ask these questions to see how you respond/what you come up with, not for accuracy.
 
When you get ready for AOS, be prepared to be asked about your age difference as well.  When we had our AOS interview it was the last question the interviewer asked us "I noticed that there is an age difference between the two of you, how does that work out in your relationship and with your families?" was the one that our interviewer used.  The key is all about remaining calm, speaking your truth, and showing your love.

I don't know if it's the case but it may be what my fiance experienced in London in 2017.  We have a 15 year age difference and here's what I wrote about it after the interview happened:
 
 
 

You're going through London so I wouldn't be too concerned with lots of evidence.  However, be prepared and ready to answer anything because things can sometimes go a bit odd with the COs.  You can read about my fiance's experience in 2017 here and in our case (having additional evidence on hand on his cell phone) helped to get us approval I believe:
 
 

So after my interview was cancelled last week I've been waiting for a new one to be scheduled. Received a new interview notice today and it's now been scheduled for the 15th November. Hopefully this time it happens and it gets approved. 

I keep refreshing this page every day hoping to see you finally post approved.  I'm so sorry that you are going through this and it is causing problems in your relationship.  I really hope that they get everything resolved for you very soon.  Sending you all the positive vibes I can spare!

After 168 days I got my first update on my travel and work permit. It says my name has been updated. Did a little digging and it seems that it's good news and the next update should be that the card is being issued. I've been so relaxed throughout this part of the process and not bothered checking the app everyday, I think it's done my sanity wonders compared to what I was like during the K1 lol. Anyways that was my little update 😊

I just received the mail for my I485 interview and it is scheduled for 15 Aug.
For those who already did the interview is it really stating as initial interview?
And I’m kinda worried about the documents to prove our relationship, we only have the one for insurance and telecom bill and a lot of pictures.
 
 

USCIS status checker was updated to say an interview was scheduled on 7/6/18
I received "We are still reviewing your case and there are no updates at this time. We will notify you when your case status changes.  We last took action on your case on June 25, 2018.""  
It is confusing that I received that generic email about "no new updates and we are still processing your application".  Even more confusing is that DHS site says nothing about an interview and have not even received EAD/AP!
I guess if you receive an "no new updates and we are still processing your application" then check if there are any new updates to your application.
Looks like the February filers are receiving there interviews about now.
Good luck to those still waiting for their interview.