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Los Angeles CA USCIS Office Reviews
Average Rating: 1.8
/ 5
27 Review(s)
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| Los Angeles CA |  Review #15100 on September 1, 2014: |
Dragonmermaid
Rating: 
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: Adjustment of Status
FROM JULY 1ST, 2014:
VJers, I am so disappointed right now. Our interview was this morning and I have an RFE in my hand instead of a GC approval. I'm sorry - I just got so caught up in everyone's success stories that I believed mine would go as smoothly, especially because my husband and I have been together for close to 8 years.
We arrived at the Chatsworth, CA location around 10:20am (appointment was set for 10:30am). We popped our appointment letter into the drop box per office instructions and we sat down. My hubby got called to check in a few minutes later. We sat and waited... and waited... and waited. Finally, 2 hours later (12:20pm), we get called into the office. The IO wasn't unfriendly, but he was definitely all business. He proceeded to ask us for a variety of documents (originals of birth certificates, etc.). I showed him our SS cards with our new married name, as well as my bank cards and a bank document with our married last name. He asked for a joint bank account statement and it took me a while to locate it in my pile of copies from the papers we had already sent in with our petition. He pointed out that only my hubby makes purchases with the joint account. I told him I use my credit card for safety because it's safer with all the card-skimming going on. I do -however- pay for rent and other household bills with checks from the joint account.
He didn't even bother looking at my hubby's children's foreign birth certificates, which were a struggle to procure because one is from the Netherlands and the other is from Indonesia.
He looked at a variety photos and asked us some questions. I even supplied him with the invitation for the big wedding party we're having on July 19th, 2014 as well as a stack of RSVPs with fun, personal messages from our guests that we received. I pointed out that there's an official wedding website with online comments from friends. I really thought we were going to be okay.
But -NOPE- after 25 minutes, he sent us home with an RFE for MORE proof of bonafide marriage. We explained to him that now that we live at home with and take care of my parents, we don't have a formal rental lease anymore and my father's name is on our utility bill as well as on our car title because his credit got us 2.5% APR. He also wanted itineraries of our vacations together. Seriously???? What if we were like most people and have had NO money to fly anywhere and could only do road trips???
I know that it's not a big deal, but I'm so afraid that the documents we have scraped together won't be enough or they'll get lost in the pile of papers that disgruntled government officers are careless with, and I'm just sooooooooooooooooo tired of this whole process! I got really confident reading everyone's stories and believed we had this in the bag. I lost it on the way to the parking lot and have been crying ever since, not understanding how some couples -please don't anyone take offense- who have been together for short a time and barely know each other can get their GCs but someone I have loved since 2006 and been living with since Summer 2007 can't get one. I honestly think my IO was being a jerk because he wanted to go to lunch (his co-worker popped his head in to check up on him and our IO said he was "almost done" with us)!
We've put together what documents we could. We found old email itineraries (they'll have to do because I'm not sentimental with plane tickets - I travel for a living and I don't want the clutter), we found copies of our old lease from a house we rented from 2007-2011, we highlighted our car payment withdrawal from our monthly bank statement that matches the online car bill with my father's name and our home address, we already gave the IO a copy of our family car insurance that lists my husband as one of the beneficiaries and we're adding a copy of our health insurance acceptance letter that has both of our names on it. My hubby is going to take the papers to the office tomorrow morning instead of mailing them in (we have the option of either). The IO told us to have a copy of each thing we submit and have the front desk person date stamp each item so that in the slight chance they get lost, we have proof that we did bring them in.
So, I guess the moral of the story is: make sure you have tons of proof of bonafide marriage. If you're a unique couple like us who live with parents or with family and have no formal rental lease or utility bills under your name, maybe create a rental lease agreement and have the utilities transferred to your name. I thought this was going to be an interview where they ask you all kinds of personal questions to see if they can catch you in a lie. I felt like we were just filling in our application all over again, but in person.
Good luck to everyone who is still waiting. I hope someone can learn from my frustration. 
| | | Los Angeles CA | Review #14739 on July 2, 2014: |
Dragonmermaid
Rating:
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: Adjustment of Status
VJers, I am so disappointed right now. Our interview was this morning and I have an RFE in my hand instead of a GC approval. I'm sorry - I just got so caught up in everyone's success stories that I believed mine would go as smoothly, especially because my husband and I have been together for close to 8 years.
We arrived at the Chatsworth, CA location around 10:20am (appointment was set for 10:30am). We popped our appointment letter into the drop box per office instructions and we sat down. My hubby got called to check in a few minutes later. We sat and waited... and waited... and waited. Finally, 2 hours later (12:20pm), we get called into the office. The IO wasn't unfriendly, but he was definitely all business. He proceeded to ask us for a variety of documents (originals of birth certificates, etc.). I showed him our SS cards with our new married name, as well as my bank cards and a bank document with our married last name. He asked for a joint bank account statement and it took me a while to locate it in my pile of copies from the papers we had already sent in with our petition. He pointed out that only my hubby makes purchases with the joint account. I told him I use my credit card for safety because it's safer with all the card-skimming going on. I do -however- pay for rent and other household bills with checks from the joint account.
He didn't even bother looking at my hubby's children's foreign birth certificates, which were a struggle to procure because one is from the Netherlands and the other is from Indonesia.
He looked at a variety photos and asked us some questions. I even supplied him with the invitation for the big wedding party we're having on July 19th, 2014 as well as a stack of RSVPs with fun, personal messages from our guests that we received. I pointed out that there's an official wedding website with online comments from friends. I really thought we were going to be okay.
But -NOPE- after 25 minutes, he sent us home with an RFE for MORE proof of bonafide marriage. We explained to him that now that we live at home with and take care of my parents, we don't have a formal rental lease anymore and my father's name is on our utility bill as well as on our car title because his credit got us 2.5% APR. He also wanted itineraries of our vacations together. Seriously???? What if we were like most people and have had NO money to fly anywhere and could only do road trips???
I know that it's not a big deal, but I'm so afraid that the documents we have scraped together won't be enough or they'll get lost in the pile of papers that disgruntled government officers are careless with, and I'm just sooooooooooooooooo tired of this whole process! I got really confident reading everyone's stories and believed we had this in the bag. I lost it on the way to the parking lot and have been crying ever since, not understanding how some couples -please don't anyone take offense- who have been together for short a time and barely know each other can get their GCs but someone I have loved since 2006 and been living with since Summer 2007 can't get one. I honestly think my IO was being a jerk because he wanted to go to lunch (his co-worker popped his head in to check up on him and our IO said he was "almost done" with us)!
We've put together what documents we could. We found old email itineraries (they'll have to do because I'm not sentimental with plane tickets - I travel for a living and I don't want the clutter), we found copies of our old lease from a house we rented from 2007-2011, we highlighted our car payment withdrawal from our monthly bank statement that matches the online car bill with my father's name and our home address, we already gave the IO a copy of our family car insurance that lists my husband as one of the beneficiaries and we're adding a copy of our health insurance acceptance letter that has both of our names on it. My hubby is going to take the papers to the office tomorrow morning instead of mailing them in (we have the option of either). The IO told us to have a copy of each thing we submit and have the front desk person date stamp each item so that in the slight chance they get lost, we have proof that we did bring them in.
So, I guess the moral of the story is: make sure you have tons of proof of bonafide marriage. If you're a unique couple like us who live with parents or with family and have no formal rental lease or utility bills under your name, maybe create a rental lease agreement and have the utilities transferred to your name. I thought this was going to be an interview where they ask you all kinds of personal questions to see if they can catch you in a lie. I felt like we were just filling in our application all over again, but in person.
| | | Los Angeles CA | Review #12101 on June 10, 2013: |
KMH12
Rating:
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: Adjustment of Status
Your case is being held for review.
| | | Los Angeles CA | Review #9867 on June 20, 2012: |
Patrick&Chloe
Rating: 
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: Adjustment of Status
Firstly I would like to say that I was very upset with the way my interview went.
We were mailed our interview letter letting us know we had a 9:30 appointment at the Los Angeles USCIS building. Parking was impossible to find (probably due to the fact we got there particularly early). The Building was easy to find, its the same building the IRS is in so naturally there was a huge line to get it. We had got there 2 hours early (can't trust good ol' L.A traffic, so we would rather be early than super late) We decided to wait outside until a little closer to our interview time (big mistake).
We had lined up to get inside and go through security about 1 hour before our interview. The man who was directing people outside said it would be a good idea to get up there ASAP because its ALWAYS packed. So a word of advice to anyone with an interview, get there 2 hours early, line up, go through security, go to level 6 and sit down and wait. Because it will take 2 hours just to be seen regardless of what time your interview is at.
After waiting a ridiculous amount of time in a horrible looking room we were finally called for our interview. No introductions, just follow your interviewer to his office and stay standing up to swear an oath.
The interview itself was fairly painless, he asked for our proof of a bona fide marriage and for some reason instead of giving him proper documents (joint tax return, joint bank account etc) I went straight for the photos... he didn't really care about the photos all that much, he took a few he liked out of the pile, asked us where and what occasion it was in the photo. Toward the end of the interview he asked if that was all we had and I told we we had the joint tax return etc and he was like "well you should have given me that at the beginning" so, a note to everyone else. that's what they want first.
He told us there was only one thing he noticed with our packet and it was the medical side of it, we didn't file the vaccination form (I-693) because all the civil surgeon's were giving us a run around. Plus my medical expired 5 days ago... which if you ask me it's ridiculous. So the interviewer told us that as soon as you get that sorted and sent in, he will decide if we receive a green card.
As you could imagine, I was disappointed not getting good news, but the interviewer was just doing his job.
Hopefully I can get the problem sorted ASAP.
Good luck to everyone else to who has to go to this facility, I hope this review is somewhat helpful.
Chloe & Patrick
| | | Los Angeles CA | Review #9167 on February 17, 2012: |
Cali Chick
Rating:
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: Adjustment of Status
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share our interview experience last Friday at the Los Angeles office. Our Apt was at 8:45am; we got to the building right at that time and luckily there was no one in line outside so we went right through. In the waiting room there were only a few people, we were both surprised that the building was so dead, I dunno what was up that day. We gave our apt letter to a receptionist at a window and were called in by the IO about 5 minutes later.
The IO was a short, middle-aged Hispanic women, she lead us into her office and swore us in. She asked for our IDs and birth certificates. I handed her my CA driver license and US passport and my hubby gave her his EAD and Passport. The IO only briefly glanced at our IDs, but didn't inspect the passports or birth certificates. She began by asking how we met and what language we spoke to each other, then she directed a few questions at my husband like what was my school schedule and what my concentration in school was. Since my husband was nervous, his English was slow and the IO got frustrated and said she didn't have time to be patient with his responses. She asked my husband to wait in the hall a few minutes...I thought for sure she was going to make us come back with an interpreter.
When the IO and I were alone she was very professional but nice, she said they don't have as much time as they would like to interview people and she didn't think his English was good enough for the interview. Just as I thought it was over... she asked, "how do you two get along if his English is so slow?" I told her he was just really nervous and was normally a very good speaker, I told her that we mainly speak Italian and Spanish anyway. She paused and said "oh he speaks Spanish?" I confirmed that his Spanish is a lot better than his English, then she asked, since she was also a Spanish speaker, if she could continue the interview in Spanish and if that would be quicker; to which I happily said YES! Before she brought my hubby back in, she asked me again what my schedule and concentration in school were and asked about my parents and if they liked my husband, and why I didn't find an American man to marry instead (LOL!). We began to chat about my studies and travels in Europe and how beautiful Venice is, and how my family loves my husband etc... so she started to lighten up a lot, and I felt the pressure go way down!
After about 15 minutes of chatting with just me she brought my hubby back in and began interviewing him in Spanish, which made things a lot easier for him. She asked all the same questions she had asked me to confirm our answers matched, which they did, cuz we're legit. She then asked if I had anything to add to the file, I gave her printouts of our facebook page, updated bank and credit card statements , our original lease, and some pictures. She looked st our wedding pictures and vacation pictures and loved them, she complimented us on our great pictures and our relationship. Then she said, "that's all for now" which made me think she needed more time before approving us, but then she looked up and said "I'm approving you, you'll get your GC in 3 weeks, don't leave the country until you get it." We were so happy, we thanked her and shook her hand, she wished us well, and that was it!
The issue of intent or his overstay never even came up! We were so thrilled, I can't believe the whole process only took about 2 months and 2 weeks.
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