I came to US on F-1 in 1999 and after three years of dating my gf, I married her. She is a USC and today was our AOS interview. To be honest, the wait for interview was much more stressful than the interview itself.
We arrived around 90 minutes early so spent some time at the McDonalds. 45 minutes before the interview we went in the building. Our interview was called about 20 minutes late. A female officer guided us to her office.
She swore us in and asked for our IDs and passports. Then she asked my wife about when, where and how we met. She asked how long we dated before getting married? When did we actually get married?
Then she asked for proof of shared life, which she filed away. We presented her with:
1. Last year tax returns (MFJ)
2. Health and Car Insurance
3. Utility Bills
4. Bank Statement
5. W2/1099
6. Articles of Incorporation (self employed)
7. Photocopies of degrees
8. Voided Check
9. Photocopy of Car/Boat titles
Then she asked if we had any other proof. We showed some family photos. She asked the standard questions (have you ever ....?).
She asked how many people are living with you. If either of us previous marriage/children.
She then stamped our application as approved. She took my I-94 and said its no longer needed. She also took all my employment authorization cards and told me to get a new Social Security Card. She said if my GC doesn't come in six months I should "be alarmed" and make an INFOPASS appointment.
That was it. We thanked her. Overall a very painless interview.
In total we took over 450 pages of documents (photocopied). We were prepared to hand over much more than we actually gave her.
Our tip to those waiting:
1. Make plenty of photocopies of just about everything you can get hold of to prove you are married and have a shared life.
2. Don't get too stressed waiting for the interview. All they want to do is ensure you are together. They are not trying to trick you.
3. If you can wait after marrying a USC for two years, please do so you won't have a conditional GC.
She did stamp my passport with a temporary GC. I read somewhere that they do not stamp anylonger but that was not the case with us.
Thanks to everyone who has shared their input as it really helped us in preparation.
Good Luck!
We arrived around 90 minutes early so spent some time at the McDonalds. 45 minutes before the interview we went in the building. Our interview was called about 20 minutes late. A female officer guided us to her office.
She swore us in and asked for our IDs and passports. Then she asked my wife about when, where and how we met. She asked how long we dated before getting married? When did we actually get married?
Then she asked for proof of shared life, which she filed away. We presented her with:
1. Last year tax returns (MFJ)
2. Health and Car Insurance
3. Utility Bills
4. Bank Statement
5. W2/1099
6. Articles of Incorporation (self employed)
7. Photocopies of degrees
8. Voided Check
9. Photocopy of Car/Boat titles
Then she asked if we had any other proof. We showed some family photos. She asked the standard questions (have you ever ....?).
She asked how many people are living with you. If either of us previous marriage/children.
She then stamped our application as approved. She took my I-94 and said its no longer needed. She also took all my employment authorization cards and told me to get a new Social Security Card. She said if my GC doesn't come in six months I should "be alarmed" and make an INFOPASS appointment.
That was it. We thanked her. Overall a very painless interview.
In total we took over 450 pages of documents (photocopied). We were prepared to hand over much more than we actually gave her.
Our tip to those waiting:
1. Make plenty of photocopies of just about everything you can get hold of to prove you are married and have a shared life.
2. Don't get too stressed waiting for the interview. All they want to do is ensure you are together. They are not trying to trick you.
3. If you can wait after marrying a USC for two years, please do so you won't have a conditional GC.
She did stamp my passport with a temporary GC. I read somewhere that they do not stamp anylonger but that was not the case with us.
Thanks to everyone who has shared their input as it really helped us in preparation.
Good Luck!
