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| Charleston SC |  Review on September 16, 2011: |
dands
Rating:  | Review Topic: Adjustment of Status
Our appointment was scheduled for 9:30, we arrived at 9:20 and checked in with security. We sat in the waiting room for a little over an hour before we were called. There were two IO's there - one woman, one man. The woman looked friendly and seemed easy-going, while the man had a red face and seemed very stressed and drill-sargeant like. I came to this conclusion b/c I could see them interact behind the glass window & I came to this assessment based on their body language eventhough I couldn't hear them talk. Anyway, at about 10:40 the male IO called our name. He seemed a little irate when he saw the time on our file and he promptly marched back to the reception area to make sure they were pulling files from the front. I guess he didn't think they should already be over an hour behind. He came back and was very business-like with us, not friendly at all. My husband and I were both leaning forward towards his desk and he told us to sit back and not to put anything on his desk. My husband has a terrible memory and since our relationship IS legit, we didn't really "rehearse" or go over anything. I took an expanding filing cabinet with us containing all our documents. The only thing he asked to see was our current lease. When he was asking my husband questions, my husband couldn't remember some of the details and when I tried to interject the IO told me I was not allowed to speak when he was asking my husband questions. It was pretty bad. We met online 7 years ago and my husband didn't even know the name of the site (it was a more obscure one) and it changed names 3 times. I think it's called Lovehappens.com now....but anyway...Things were not going well at all until the IO typed something into his computer and brought up info on my husband. He asked us if we were sued in the past year. We both said "no" and then he said that he saw something on his screen saying we had been. I then realized it was b/c we leased a condo that went into foreclosure a month after we moved in. The entire time we were there, the bank was trying to get us out and finally they went through the courts and we were served with an eviction notice. We didn't even have to go to court b/c there is a new law protecting people in this situation but this was still showing up AND it sealed the deal for us with immigration b/c the IO said it was GREAT proof that we actually were living together. After that, the IO became very friendly, helpful and stamped my passport with an IR6. He asked if I had any questions and gave me advice on getting my childrens greencards. The whole tone of the interview changed b/c before he found out that we were being sued together, things were not going well. Overall, the interview was very thorough. If you go to Charleston, SC make sure you are prepared and if you have a forgetful husband or wife be sure to refresh their memories about where, when and how you met.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #8324