Hi all, just came back from the hall and finally dropped off the favors, poster, cash box, final payment, etc. Wow, it's been a hectic couple of weeks! Good thing I took off of work tomorrow so I can get some much needed rest. I'll have to go to the SSA tomorrow to get the "VALID ONLY WITH WORK AUTHORIZATION" stamp taken off my SS card, and I've already passed by the DMV today to get the "TEMPORARY VISITOR STATUS" off of my DL.
Anyway, on to the details of the interview (scheduled for 2PM):
We arrived at Garden City at 1:30, went through the security check and submitted our letter at Window 1. My lawyer arrived at around 1:50, and we were called up to the 2nd floor at 2:15. At around 2:30, a nice lady called us into her office. She swore us in, then we all sat down.
She asked for her drivers license, and my passport. She took the I-94 and stapled it onto a page in our file. She asked my wife where we met, my birth date, city and country I was born, how many brothers and sisters I have, my parents names and what I do for work.
She then asked me when was the last time I entered the US, if I went to school here, and all the NO questions. That's basically it, I don't remember any other questions directed towards me.
She asked for joint paperwork, so we gave her joint bank statements, apartment lease agreements, auto and health insurance cards, statement for our engagement ring/wedding rings insurance, and cell phone bill with family plan with me as the secondary line. We also told her we are having our ceremony this Sunday, so she asked to see a sample of our invitation. She said it was very nice and our lawyer suggested for her to keep it for her file.
She then asked for photos. We had a very large bag full of albums, but my wife picked out the album with the night of our engagement, engagement photos, and our town hall marriage. She asked my wife to give her two photos of us together to keep. She asked if we are planning on having a honeymoon and my wife said we will when she gets some vacation time, because she just started her new job. I threw in there that we want to go to the Bahamas for our honeymoon.
She then said I wish I had good news for you today but your background check is still pending. She then said that it usually takes around 6 months. She then proceeded to check whether it has cleared yet, and after about a minute on the computer she says "oh I have very good news for you!". She then said that the background check has cleared.
She congratulated us and then told us that she will hang on to the passport and send it downstairs to get stamped. We then proceeded downstairs, waited about 15 minutes, and someone from Window 2 called me up and gave me my passport, with the stamp, and handed me a sheet with instructions on how to remove the 2 year condition. She also briefly explained the procedure, and then she wished me well.
The whole process took about 2 hours, and the interview lasted about 10-15 minutes. It was definitely a breeze, and nothing to stress about. During the entire time I was calm, looked the officer in the eye, and felt very confident since I was well prepared.
My advice to you all: Be well prepared, and you will NOT be nervous at all. I think my wife was more nervous than I was!
To my fellow January filers: I wish you all good luck, and I hope your outcome will be as good as Canuck's and myself.
