Family Based Greencard

Family based Green Card Interview:

12/04/2017 - Priority Date (PD)

12/26/2018 - Interview Notice date

02/01/2019 - Interview

1. Interview was scheduled in the morning and started 5 minutes late.
2. There were two immigration officers(IO) in the room. Once was asking the questions and other was there to just observe.
3. First they asked us to raise our hands to take the oath that any thing we say would be true.
4. They asked us if our lawyer would be present. Even though our Green Card application was filed by our lawyer we didn't take our lawyer with us to the interview since I didn't think she would have been of any value to us. If you marriage is genuine I don't think you need a lawyer in the interview. But it's your choice of course.
5. They made us sign a waiver saying that we ourselves denied a lawyer.
6. The officer asked for our Identification (drivers license works good here).
7. Asked when I last entered US and asked for the Advance parole/EAD card that I used to travel along with my latest passport.
8. IO then started by asking my name, DOB, parents names, yes/no questions from I-485 (were you involved in criminal activities, denied visa, trafficking etc.). Current address, current job position and job address and took notes and compared the information in I-485 I had submitted as I answered.
9. IO asked for our original marriage certificate, birth certificates and confirmed that the copy submitted earlier were same.
10. Then asked about how we met, when we met etc.
11. Asked for documents proving that we live together. I gave copy of our house deed, utility bills, Bank and credit card statements, heath and car insurance.
12. Then asked my wife (US citizen)her- name, DOB, parents names. Current employer.
13. Asked my wife for letter from employer stating the salary, copy of latest W2.
14. Lastly asked for a set of photos of us. We had around 20 to give to them.

Overall it was a good conversation. No crazy questions like when did you have sex last, which side of the bed you sleep etc. They didn't look at our detailed photo album, text messages, emails or anything. If you marriage is genuine I don't think you have to worry about anything. Just carry all your documents and their copies.
Also, the medical exam is now valid for 2 years. IO did ask if I had taken another medical exam since my interview was one year after my PD. I said no and it was no problem.

At the end IO gave us a letter that said-

Notice of Interview Results
You have just completed your interview. USCIS is unable to complete your case at this time. Your case is being continued until a final decision can be made. Please see below for further explanation.

Reason For Continuance
Your case is being held for review. At this time, USCIS does not require any further information or documents from you. Should further information or documents be required, you will receive a notice in the mail. We may also schedule you for another interview, you will receive a notice in mail. Otherwise, a final decision will be mailed once your case is complete.

Please don't worry in case you get this letter at the end of your interview. Since for me the online status of my case changed within 5 hours same day to - my New Card is Being Produced.

Good day to all! I just have a simple question that may be someone can answer. My mom filed an I-130 for my older brother (he is married). My mom lives in VA so her petition was sent to a lockbox then to California ( where the processing time for I-130 is about 8-9 YEARS!). Now, my husband filed the same paperwork for me and we live in SC but ours was processed in Texas and only took 6 mos to get approved. My mom will eventually move down here with me to SC once she retires. Since she is the petitioner she will have to update her address with USCIS . The question is, will her petition be transferred to Texas or will it remain in California? Thanks in advance!

Also, both Cali and Tx service centers process the exact same paperworks.

(Long post alert)
Hi everyone!

First off - you guys are such a great support system and community! You helped me stay sane and not give in to my paranoia through this arduous journey! THANK YOU!!

I am an Indian citizen and applied for a marriage based AOS. My husband is a USC. We had a great lawyer help us through the entire process.

Here are my milestones:
Field Office - San Antonio, Texas
Entry into the US on B1/B2 - Jan 2018
Married - April 2018
PD - June 2018
EAD - Oct 2018
Interview notice - Dec 2018
Interview - Jan 2019

Pre Interview:
- We arrived almost 45 mins before our interview, got through security and were seated in a sparsely occupied waiting room. You are handed a coupon with a letter-number (eg. A15), the IOs come into the room and call out the code and escort you to the interview rooms. So be alert :)
- We were called 20 mins before our scheduled interview time, which was rather surprising. The IO was a really friendly but professional woman who put us at ease almost immediately. She asked if would be willing to start our interview earlier than scheduled and we were more than willing to get it over with!
During Interview:
-Once we were seated in her room, she took my picture and my fingerprints. Did the oath.
-My husband and I handed over our IDs - I gave her my passport, my DL and EAD/AP card and my husband gave his DL and passport. She entered some details on her computer and once she got confirmation handed them back to us. She also got us to sign a document that said we were fine with going ahead with our interview without our lawyer present.
-Now for the bonafide marriage related documents. She looked through our file and said she sees a joint rent agreement and a joint bank account - what else can we submit. Here is everything we handed over:
Note - have the originals wherever applicable
*About 10 photos (color prints on white paper) out of the 60 we had taken. She said the photos don't mean that much to her, she wants to see financial/home docs. But every IO is different.
Suggestion - In addition to having couple(y) pics, make sure you have pictures of spending time with each other's family and friends.
*Tickets/boarding passes from trips we took
*Credit card statement where I have an add-on card to my husband's
*Health insurance - copy of cards/plan details/screenshot of account setting page from the site, bills
*Husband's life insurance on which I am listed as a beneficiary
*Car insurance
*The vet bill for our dog with my name and our address (she thought this was hilarious that I was submitting a vet's bill, but she kept it!)
*An internet bill which had my maiden name - she said she prefers all documents have one last name, so she didn't take that one
- I did not have my birth certificate (BC) at the time of sending in my documents, I handed it over with a copy. We had misplaced my BC and it literally took us 6 months to be able to get a replacement. I explained this to her. She kept the copy.
- Over to the forms. My husband went first, he was asked: Name, Birthday, Address, Birthplace, Mother and father's name and their FULL birthdates (with year). My husband stumbled around quite a bit to get the right birth years for his parent's birthdates. It was painful to watch :-/, his current salary, job and how long he worked there and finally asked to confirm his signature.
My turn - same initial questions. I was married once before so I was asked my ex-husband's name and when we got divorced, what visa I entered on and what I did for a living (she made note of this). And the infamous Yes/No questions - we did about 10-15 of those and my answers to all of them were No.
Aaand that was it!
We didn't hear those three magical words, "You are approved" but she did hand us a paper that said we need to jointly file for a removal of conditions 90 days before expiry. I asked for a stamp on my passport as I wanted to travel back home and from what I understand, I don't think they do stamps anymore. She thanked us for being so organized and giving her all the documents that she would need and walked us to the door! The entire interview lasted about 25-30 mins.
Post-Interview:
7:30 PM that night - I received a notification that 'my case was approved'
Next day - Notification of 'New card is being produced'
Today -Notification of 'Card was mailed to you'

Like other posters have said, if you are in a bonafide marriage, you have absolutely nothing to worry about

For everyone waiting, hang in there and stay strong. You've got this!!

I am applying from outland for a F2A, married to a Green Card holder. Sent i-130 on Jan 16th. Have not received any confirmation of receipt.

Have a couple of Questions you can probably help me with:

- How long is the process to get the i130 approved?
- Is the the i130 approval the longest part of the whole process? or is it waiting for visa availability?
- Do you guys have comparative chart or something where we can add our timeline?

Cheers,

Hello everyone,

I just want to ask if some of you have had any bad experiences during the interview with the Immigration Officer, to the point that you feel the need to file a complaint. I am considering doing so because of what happened at my Adjustment of Status interview on Dec 17th 2018.

Basically, we arrived at our local USCIS office in Tucson, AZ, on time, and waited like everybody else did, until someone called my U.S. Citizen husband (I am a in same-sex marriage) and I to come in. The lady, probably in her mid or late 50s, was a little "cold" since the beginning, however, we did not think this was going affect our interview. She asked my husband about his previous addresses, and he could not provide that information in details (he just has a bad memory with many things, especially dates and names), and the officer began to make faces and to tell us that she wanted the exact address and the exact dates when he lived in those places. I helped him out, since I had filled out all of the forms and I had copies of them at hand. She spent about 30 minutes or a little more, just asking my husband (the U.S. Citizen) questions about his addresses and then his job.

Then, she started asking me questions, basically the same questions; but because I knew the answers to those questions, we did not take long. Finally, she asked us about our relationship, how we had met, where, when, etc. Mind you, my husband does not remember details like I do. So, when he was answering those questions, he was kind of vague and the officer did not seem very convienced, so, I jumped in. We showed her evidence of living in the same address (apartment lease, utility bills, pay stubs, etc), and a photo album with several pictures of us since the beginning of our relationship back in 2013. I told her that we had been dating for over 5 years, and that I had included pictures of every year. She did not seem very convienced here either.

In the end, she asked me for copies of my previous I-20's, but I only had the most recent one with me. She also asked me for paperwork on an arrest (case was closed and dismissed), and I only had the Court Disposition, which she would not accept because it was not "certified", plus she wanted a copy of the police report. Also, she wanted more evidence of our relationship. Long story short, she said that she needed some extra documention and gave us a Request For Initial Evidence (RFIE). I got the requested documents the same day, and sent them in. They were delivered on Dec 19th 2018, but since then, I have not heard back.

The point of this loooooong post, is to know how appropriate it would be for me to send a formal complaint (I called USCIS and they gave me the proper procedures for this) because of how bad our interview experience was. We think that the lady was homofobic and/or perhaps, racist (my husband is African American and I am biracial). I don't know what to do, but ever since that day, I think about the "What-if's" (What if I had had all of the papers she wanted? Would she have approved me? What if my husband had answered those first questions well? Would she still have been rude and/or condescending?) What do you all think?

I appreciate the time you put into reading this. :-)

Hi folks
Does anyone from nyc request interview waiver due Incarcerated Petitioners ?
Can an IO denied you even tho you have a boba fide marriage and all the evidence that you do? Can they put you on NTA ( removal status) and send you to se an immigration judge ?

Good afternoon,

Married to US Citizen
23/02: USCIS received the case
10/04: Received EAD
15/01: Case status changed to "interview is ready to be schedule"

As shown in timeline,any suggestions on how long is from "interview is ready to be schedule" to "it is scheduled"?

Thank you for your patience and idea.

Hello All,

Received Conditional GC: 11/2016
Jointly Filed for Removal of conditions: 09/2018
Receipt / Notice received: 10/2018
Spouse wrote to USCIS to withdraw support* end of 10/2018 (read below)

It has been almost 120 days since filing form i751 and Idid not have a biometric scheduled.
I called USCIS to follow up but still nothing as of today 01/22/2019.

It was until last week I received a letter in the mail addressed to my spouse from USCIS. I opened the letter and it was a return letter that my wife sent to USCIS trying to rescind her withdrawal.

To give context, around end of 10/2018 we had an argument (her family wanted to enforced something on us and I disagreed) and she decided to move back to her family house, Little did I know she went to the extend of calling USCIS and submitting a testimony that I was abusive to her and she wanted to put our joint filing on hold.

After 4 - 5 days, she moved back but couldn't look at me to tell me what she did. I know she regretted this but given the false accusations that I was abusive, how much could this affect me? - she's trying to do everything she can to fix the problem she caused; but I don't know where to start.

To answer a few questions the attorney I consulted with asked:

YES we are still married and living together.
No We don't have any kids.
Married is bonafide.(we have ample proof for that).

Since the letter she wrote to correct this was sent back, is there any possibility to fix this,

Better question is, how much damage can this action do or has already done to my case?

Hi,

Today I had my interview and it went smoothly. The IO did not ask for EAD or I-94, but he asked if I travel outside after my entry into the US. Also, he asked us few questions about how I met my American citizen wife. The IO told us that he will approve the case and that we will get the conditional green card and he gave us few pieces of advice to prepare for the permanent green card. Then he asked my wife about the address to confirm that he will send the green card to the current address. Finally, he concluded, I want the best for you guys and keep moving on. Until now i have no updates on my USCIS account page, so when should I expect the updates to appear?

Regards

I just finished my interview at New Orleans.
We were there about 1hr 30 min but the actual interview
Was 10 mins. The officer said we had an easy case and that he wouldn’t
Keep us long. Asked me all questions on the I-485. No personal questions
And he didn’t take any of my documents either. I insisted and he said take the approval and say thank you.
Said I was approved for a 10 yr green card.
Currently waiting for case status to change.