Hi everyone,
I would like to thank you for your support and help while I underwent the process. I am happy to share with everyone that my AOS was approved today at Washington, DC district office.
Our interview was at 2PM. I spent the entire night compiling supporting documents (or evidences, whichever you perfer to call them), I gathered all the application documents (I-765, I-485, I-130, G-28... etc), I put those in a logical order, like a storybook. I started off with a thank you letter to the examiner for their time and service to our country.
Below is a snipplet of my index page of my "book" of supporting documents to the examer, I made the book look like it's a business plan presentation:
Letters to Service Center Director [one from my wife and I, the other one is my lawyer's letter]
Exhibit 1 - I-130 (Petition; my wife is going to petition for me, including her US birth certificate and her US passport, showing that she is USC)
Exhibit 2 - I-864 (My wife's financial addidavit; my wife proving that she has enough financial backings to sponsor me and she is above the poverty guideline, though I make more money than her)
Exhibit 3 - I-485 (My AOS app; I request AOS)
Exhibit 4 - I-765 (My EAD app; requesting to work while case pending)
Exhibit 5 - G-325A (My wife's biographics)
Exhibit 6 - G-325A (My biographics, including my passport, birth certificate/household registration, prior EAD app from F-1)
Exhibit 7 - I-693 (My medical exam)
Exhibit 8 - G-28 (Let USCIS knows that I have a lawyer representing me)
Exhibit 9 - Marriage Certificate (Proving that we are married)
Exhibit 10 - Court Disposition of my traffic violation (Be open about my traffic infraction)
Exhibit 11 - Joint 2005 Tax Return Forms; federal and state (Proof of joint life)
Exhibit 12 - Joint Apartment Lease (prove that we are indeed living together)
Exhibit 13 - Joint Vehicle lease and vehicle registration (proof of joint life)
Exhibit 14 - Joint Auto Insurance (proof of joint life)
Exhibit 15 - My wife's Employment Verification and Pay Stubs
Exhibit 16 - My employment verification, pay stub and my life insurance/401k/profit sharing beneficiaries (showing that in the event of my death, she gets the insurance payout)
Exhibit 17 - Joint Check Account (We have our bank write a letter stating the account type, amount, open date. If you have Citibank, this document is called the "Consolate Letter")
Exhibit 18 - Recent Bill from our mobile phone family share plan (we "family share" our minutes!)
Exhibit 19 - County Recreational Softball Team Roaster (we play softball together)
Exhibit 20 - Gym membership agreements (we go to the same gym)
Exhibit 21 - E-ticket confirmation from our trip in January 2006 (we vacation together with my family [parents])
Exhibit 22 - Hotel Reservation Print-out from our trip in May 2006 (we take trips with my extended family [parents + grandparents])
Exhibit 23 - Thank You Card from my friend's wedding (my best friend acknowledges our marriage, it's not fake)
Exhibit 24 - Photos (We take tons of photos when we go on trips! This is one of the most important part of the proof besides the joint tax return)
Exhibit 25 - Received notifications from USCIS
I think the examiner was very impressed with the compiled documents. I had it bound at FedEx Kinkos with a clear cover, and I had one photo of us on the cover page along with the title ["Supporting Documents"; nothing fancy or crazy] and "authors".
So here is the experience....
We got to Washington DC DO at around 1:30, we sat around waiting for our 2PM time, and around 1:45, our names were called. We were ushered into one of the offices, she asked if we want to wait for our lawyer since it's not 2PM yet. We declined, we said we can go ahead without him. My wife and I have nothing to hide, we know everything we need to answer any questions; the questions are just about our life. So we went ahead without our lawyer, and the examiner asked us to swear, we did that. She asked to see some ID's, my previous passports, my previous I-20's (I got tons, well more like 4, from 1996 [one from high school, three from college, same school, original before 9/11-event, SEVIS change after 9/11-event and OPT I-20). She collected all the I-20's, reviewed my old passports and current passport, and my F-1 EAD and my AOS EAD.
After she made sure we are properly identified, the examiner went through the laundry list of things from the applications we submitted, such as address, name, social security number, phone number, birthplace... just about the entire G-325A (biographics). Then she asked all the questions at the last portion of I-485, have you been convicted, blah blah blah blah blah....
When she asked me, "Have you been arrested, charged.... blah blah blah" I said, "A traffic infration. Speeding." She said, "That doesn't matter really, but thanks for letting me know."
My point is "BE HONEST". The last thing you need is to have them say, "well, according to the FBI name check, your record indicated....." Then you are toasted. I know a lot of people say traffic violations don't matter, but let's face it, we want to be with our love ones and be here, so don't risk anything.
Then she asked me to see my household registration (there was not a birth certificate system in Taiwan when I was born, but we have the household registration to show grandparents, parents, siblings, etc), she asked about my biological mother, whom deceased of cancer when I was 3, and my stepmother.
Then she asked me for our 2005 Joint Tax Return, I showed Exhibit 11.
She asked to see proof of joint life, I showed Exhibit 12 (apartment lease), Exhibit 13 (vehicle lease) and Exhibit 17 (joint checking account), and I was going to show her more, but she asked to see pictures, so I flipped to Exhibit 24.
She was very pleased with the way we organized the documents. Then she said, "I am going to approve you and stamp your passport." My wife and I were in shock because she didn't ask for more evidences and such. She returned us our ID's, SSN Card. She took away ALL my I-20's and EAD's. She asked me for my passport, so she could go stamp it.
She left the office, returned a couple minutes later with a bright red stamp on my passport. She explained to us of conditional permanent residency, advised us to remember to file for removal of conditions 90 days before the GC runs out. She said, "If you wish, you can apply for citizenship 3 years from today; it's better than 5 years. Congradulations."
We left with the biggest smiles on our faces.
So do you need a lawyer for the interview? Not necessarily.
Should you get a lawyer? Probably, if you want to be able to sleep at night without worrying about your case.
Here is probably a major difference between my case and most people's - I have been in the US studying since 8th grade in high school (1996; aka. Pre-9/11). I studied all the way to college, and after I got my undergrad degree, I started working in a ("large", 135,000+ people worldwide) consulting company; so in total, I have been in the US for 10 years, from teenager to adult. So that might convince the examiner that I "fit in". Another thing is, my wife is a government contractor. We have solid proof of employment and well reputable "companies" (Uncle Sam and a Fortune 500 Company). And we dressed to impress, both of us were in suit.
I know it's a trying time for the people that have been waiting, I been there, and I lost many nights of sleep, and I hope to offer my own experience to allow people to get familiar with the interview. If you are in a good faith marriage, there is no reason to fear. If you don't know or don't remember, just simply say you don't; let's just say a lot of men don't remember their wife's cellphone numbers (that's what speed dial is for). Show pictures of both of you, both of your families (parents, grandparents, cousins, uncles, aunts).
Key Points:
1. Dress to impress
2. Well organize your support documents
3. Be upfront and honest
4. Relax and treat this interview like introducing you and your wife to a complete stranger.
5. Remember your examiner's name, they usually have signs to show the examiner's name before you walk into the office, refer to him or her by Mr. or Ms. [their last name] instead of "officer"; "a person's name is the most sweet, beautiful sound to him or her." - Dale Carnegie.
6. Take it easy
Good luck!
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by sarrebal
