samurai18

All my brothers and sisters on VJ... all my April filers buddies, i got approved on the spot during a 10 min interview. I'll be back to give out the story in a few hourrs. My wifey and I are celebrating like crazy. It's been a wild day since 6am. Praise to Allah.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I wish you all the same, i'll be back to tell you how it happened in there

Thanks for all your prayers guys!! Getting ready for interview @ 10:30 this morning. Me and wifey are now headed to the gym to have our little 30 minute run on the treadmill, always helps keep the mind sharp. I will let you guys know of the outcome once i'm back from USCIS office. Insh Allah, it'll be a good one. Once again, thanks for all the prayers and wishes. Luv y'all

Oh man... I dont understand why USCIS gets to approve my EAD a week before my interview. Whats the point if they're going to cancel the production of it once my interview's approved. That's stupid.... i was hoping to get this e-mail a month ago or even earlier... LOL

Application Type: I765 , APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION

Current Status: Card production ordered.

On June 23, 2010, we ordered production of your new card. Please allow 30 days for your card to be mailed to you. If we need something from you we will contact you. If you move before you receive the card, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283.

If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision from USCIS within the current processing time listed*, please contact USCIS Customer Service at (800) 375-5283.

*Current processing times can be found on the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov under Check My Case Status and Check Processing Times.

*** Please do not respond to this e-mail message.

Sincerely,

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

I got there 20min before my interview time and submitted my interview letter. I dressed up a bit pretending like going to job interview. I like to dress up so that way I can take this more seriously but I saw some couple just wore casual so it's totally up to you. In my opinion, it's better to pick nice outfit because first impression is always important.

After 10~15min, Nice looking lady officer called my name with a huge smile. ( wow~I was soooo glad to see her smile. There were some IO with a stone face so that her smile definitely ease my mind.) She escorted us to her office and sworn us.

She asked for my passport and right a way went over for I-485 and questioned:

- what's your birthday? ( OMG~my brain got blank couldn't remember all of sudden. #######~are you kidding me? but got back on track within a blink. Whew~maybe I was nervous.)

-what's mom and dads' names?

-Who is living with you? - I said we and 2 dogs.( she laughed and gave me a huge smile again.)

-about Yes or no question, after 3 q's then she just summarized all Y or N didn't go all the way back.

Now, she said How you met? so I answered her and she smiled at me.( thanks you ma'am. You really make me comfortable.) She wanted to see some photos. She took some time and seemed like enjoy watching them. I explained her my parents were here spent time together and visited Las vegas...etc.

Do you have any additional supporting documents? So I handed to her bank statements, utility bills, health insurance card, life insurance..then she said you have enough evidences so I'm approving you today, you're a permanent resident from today. (sweet~! Thank you ma'am.)

Whole this lasted about 10 minutes. It was quick and fast. I had such an awesome experience with her. It was way breezier than I expected. I was so surprised that I was kind of enjoying the interview.

Anyway, I'm sure that I couldn't do it without you guys so thank you so much for your support. I love you guys so much. Take a deep breath try not to be nervous. I know it's natural but once you start talking to IO, you'll be ok. I can tell you that. They are human, too. It seems like they are already decided and just to confirm that we are in good faith and still ongoing.

Rest of the fellows who are going to have an interview soon, good luck all of you. I felt like we are just like family. I wish someday we could see each other all together.

Now, I will be able to enjoy world cup without burden. Yay~~

(Tip: I made a separate additional supporting doc pkg for officer. So when she asked me I just handed it one by one. She was so happy and told me I'm so organized. That reduce ton of time for her to go and make copy. Therefore, she was happy and I was able to leave the interview quickly. So go ahead and do that. It won't hurt you.)

Wow.... this definitely eased my mind regarding the interview, my wife's been so stressed, she's been having nightmares and stuff. And guess what, i'm the beneficiary but she's more excited to see me getting the GC than I am . Our interview is a day after her birthday, so i've been telling her that'll bring us luck. Anyways.. i just can't wait for the 30th.

Congratulations to u choongchoong. Your interview was definitely a great experience, i wish the same for the rest of us here. Good luck y'all... and keep it positive!!!!

Hello All.

I'm thrilled but nervous. We did the biometrics on the 14th. The I-485 and I-765 were not touched until the 17th. I expected this as the 14th was a Friday. Today, May 29, we received the interview letter for June 30. The letter was produced on 5/24. What makes me nervous is first that it was so fast - just 10 days after the bio and only one week after the I-485 was touched.

But more importantly, the letter says "REQUEST FOR APPLICANT TO APPEAR FOR INITIAL INTERVIEW." It's the "INITIAL" that gives us pause. For those of you who have received your interview letters, do they say "Initial interview?"

This is for the I-485, not for the I-130.

Thanks.

You don't have to worry about that. "REQUEST FOR APPLICANT TO APPEAR FOR INITIAL INTERVIEW" is what everyone's letter says. I guess it is considered initial because it's your first. Anyways, i received my letter on Thursday and interview is on June 30th as well. Bonne chance !!

Congrats on your interview letter. Honestly it's pointless to expedite ead as your interview is coming up. ead takes about 20 days since approval.

You can try, but gather good evidence. You will receive your GC soon already.

I didn't receive my IL yet

Thanks for the advice Alla. You are of great help on this forum. I hope you receive your interview letter in the next few days. It should come soon . It is true that my interview is just 30 days away and EAD expedite request will take around the same time to be approved then mailed by USCIS. My congressman's office has already accepted my letter and documentation that i was able to provide. Congrats again for your EAD. Your interview's letter is on its way.

Hey guys, I just thought someone might give me an idea on this. Since my interview letter came yesterday, and i can't wait to get that EAD, I was thinking that it wouldn't hurt to request an expedite at this point. Or, should I give it another week hoping to hear from USCIS? Comments appreciated...

My interview letter finally arrived today. June 30th @ 10:30AM. Countdown begins!!! Can't wait to hear from EAD though.. just can't wait for that one, so i can renew my drivers license and start working....

I found these tips somewhere on this website and I just wanted to share them with everyone who is sweating bullets over their upcoming interview.

Worried about that scheduled marriage-based green card interview? Not sure what to expect from your examiner?

• Your burden is to prove (1) your believability (hint: being prepared is important!); and (2) genuineness of your marriage, as evidenced by children if any, joint tax returns, bills at a common living address, cross life-insurance policies, co-mingling of financial assets, wedding and other photos, and length of the relationship. USCIS relies on documents, documents, documents.

• Producing few documents may mean trouble. If you and your spouse live in different cities, you should produce airline itineraries, emails, exchanged cards, photos, and any other viable written documentation of your "commuting marriage."

• If the foreign spouse paid the American spouse to marry and be sponsored for the green card, then the green card will be denied. If there is a big age difference between spouses, expect to be grilled. If either spouse has been married multiple times, expect the same.

• According to the Field Adjudicator's Manual consulted by examining USCIS officials, the following are signs of a "sham marriage:" Large disparity of age; inability of petitioner and beneficiary to speak each other's language;vast difference in cultural and ethnic background;family and/or friends unaware of the marriage; marriage arranged by a third party; marriage contracted immediately following the beneficiary's apprehension or receipt of notification to depart the United States; discrepancies in statements on questions for which a husband and wife should have common knowledge; no cohabitation since marriage; beneficiary is a friend of the family; petitioner has filed previous petitions in behalf of aliens, especially prior alien spouses.

• If the alien spouse’s English is poor, take a translator.

• If the alien spouse has been arrested or convicted of a crime, don’t even think about attending the interview without procuring certified copies of all relevant police and court records and having them carefully examined by an experienced immigration lawyer. USCIS will require you to produce those same certified criminal records. So you might as well complete this task early!

• Men should wear slacks and collared shirts. Women should wear dresses of appropriate style and length or pant suits.

• Take all your identification documents, including the foreign spouse’s EAD and passport. Take an original and legible photocopy of all proof-of-marriage documents so you can put your hands on them quickly if asked, without fumbling.

• Leave cell phones and other electronic devices in your car.

• Early-morning appointment? Good sign. The USCIS examiner will have lots of other appointments. He will want to get you out the door. Most MBGC interviews end happily after less than 15 minutes.

• Afternoon appointment? Potentially a bad sign. The examiner may have spotted holes in your pre-filed paperwork or other defects. Could be a lengthy interview.

• Your attitude is the most important thing you will take into your interview. Preparation breeds confidence breeds optimism, enhancing your approval chances. This is not the same as plastering a smile on your face or ostentatiously holding hands.

• Listen carefully to the examiner. If you do not understand a question, ask the examiner to repeat it. Do not guess at answers. Do not volunteer information.

• At the start of the interview, you and your spouse will be sworn in. The examiner may turn on a video camera. He or she will ask you to be seated.

• Your examiner may or may not disclose his or her name. Get it! Ask politely. Have the examiner repeat the name if you did not hear it. Write it down or commit it to memory! This will be critical if your green card is denied.

• Young examiners may feel they have the most to prove. They may be overly-zealous, discourteous or even hostile. This is the exception. If it happens, shrug it off. Don’t get angry! To the contrary: Take a breath, stay calm, pause, and consider your answers even more carefully. Remember: Examiners have big caseloads and big pressure. They must make important decisions quickly. And they are often lied to.

• Expect the first minutes of your interview to be devoted to “housekeeping.” The examiner will ask for ID documents and may ask either spouse to confirm entries on the I-130, I-485 and G-325A forms. So memorize the most important info on those forms before the interview. Most critical: Date of your marriage, date of spouse’s admission into the U.S., and dates you began living together at your current and any earlier addresses.

• If the alien spouse is a Middle East male, expect tough questioning or worse.

• If you and your spouse are separated during the interview, you have a credibility problem. Typical treatment: The examiner may point to a wall calendar and ask both spouses (separately) how they spent the last seven days and where they spent the last seven nights. Either spouse may be asked to write down the other’s name and/or the name of the spouse’s parents, with correct spelling.

• If an examiner is convinced that the primary purpose of a marriage is to secure a green-card, he may accuse the U.S. spouse of “committing a crime” by filing green card paperwork for the foreign spouse. The trouble will “go away” if the spouse withdraws the I-130 petition. Or, the examiner may threaten an “ICE investigation.” Don’t give in to this bullying – and you should welcome an ICE investigation if your marriage is genuine.

• If the examiner approves the green card, the alien spouse’s passport will be stamped. Expect the green card to arrive by mail about two weeks later – unless the alien spouse remains tied up in lengthy “security checks” or USCIS lacks your correct address. The latter is your responsibility.

• If the examiner denies the green card, you will have the chance to renew the application before an immigration judge.

Good Luck to you all!!!!!

Hey icepeck!! Great info... Thanks for sharing that, it is very useful.

Finally my EAD was approved today. I had to submit a lot of stuff regarding finances and also treatment list from my medical records.

alanakaja1980, you need to call them after 30 days

Congratulations Alla ! Happy for you, i guess your expedite worked, good job. Im considering the same thing since my wifey just quit her job, because she need to be focused on her nursing program. Hope that is a sufficient reason, i'll include a few documents as proof of that. Did you do the expedite request directly through USCIS or your congressman?? Thanks for your information.

Hi!

I am an F-1 student and I've applied for AOS based on marriage to a USC. I am anxiously waiting for the biometrics appointment... I want to do it by June 11 since from June 14 till the end of the summer I will be in Seattle doing my CPT internship. My I-485 was lastly touched on 05/07/2010 (3 days after my NOA) while my I-130, I-765, and I-131 were lastly touched on 05/19/2010. I wonder if this means that they sent me the biometrics appointment letter on 05/19/2010... Also I noticed that on the I-797C of my I-485 I have an alien number when I never had one. Does anyone know if they automatically assign you one the moment you file I-485?

Im not sure if that means that your biometrics letter has been sent, but you should expect it in the mail, it'll come.

You do get assigned an Alien number as soon as USCIS receive and review your file. So, yes the A number on your I-797C is your Alien number.

Hey everyone,

Here is a glance at our little groups progress with AOS.

Wow ... that's really nice of you. You guys here are amazing... Great piece of work!!!!

Yaaaaay I just got my interview appointment letter today.(Alhamdulellah)

It will be on June 30th!!! 5 weeks in advance, obviously respect our work schedules LOL.. :)

mashallah!! Congratulations and good luck on the interview. Did you receive any update prior to receiving the interview letter in the mail?

I contacted a congressman today to expedite my EAD. Will see if it will work for me...

i didn't call USCIS as I understand that they would reject it anyway. Now I'm a little bit worry if I should ?

I really need to work in order to get health and dental insurance.

Maybe i should give this a try! How long will it take to get a response from an inquiry? I hope it works out for you Alla. Im gonna try iy out in the next couple days. As i can see, it's been working for many people on the forum. Good luck y'all...

Got finally my interview letter

Hey, it's nice to see that some of the early April filers are getting their interview letters. Can't wait to get mine in the mail. I've been following Alla's timeline closely. Hopefully we'll get ours next week. It's hard to be patiently waiting on these responses from USCIS. Oh well...

It'll come. Juste give it about a week or two, maybe three at the latest. I've heard stories where it took a little longer, just don't stress about it. You'll be fine. Good luck

As far as i know, she should be fine, because she came and attended school, even though you two met before she applied for her student visa. I don't think it makes a big difference, she's. Im pretty much in the same situation (F-1 and for 3 years and now AOS), but i met my girlfriend, here, she's now my wife. It's nice to see some people from Salt Lake on this forum, i live here too, Go Utes !! Good luck on your journey...

I've been reading your posts for the past few months, finally thought i'd join. I just wanna say that y'all are doing a great job here. Im patiently waiting for my interview letter, not patiently, but you know, there's not much we can do. LOL!

Peace n' luv.... Good luck to us all!!

I've been reading your posts for the past few months, finally thought i'd join. I just wanna say that y'all are doing a great job here. Im patiently waiting for my interview letter, not patiently, but you know, there's not much we can do. LOL!

Peace n' luv.... Good luck to us all!!