Interview
Sorry to bump an "old" thread, but I did promise an update on my GC interview, and provide info on how it went.
It was a surprisingly painless experience. Our appointment was at 8:00 AM, which may have helped. The adjudicator was pleasant and friendly.
The first thing that happens when the interview starts is that you have to swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, i.e. everything you say in the interview is under oath.
The interview was basically just a check of all the paperwork that was supplied. The medical exam that I had submitted with the original filing was good (there was a national shortage of one of the required shots when I took the exam in 2002, and there was a note enclose explaining that). The adjudicator basically went over the I485 form with me first to double-check address information, make sure I wasn't a terrorist or anything (asked a few of the yes/no questions again from the 485), and then asked my wife to double-check the info she supplied on the I130. She also asked to see our original marriage certificate, and double-checked our marriage date. She also asked for a more recent tax return for my wife, and made changes on the original Affidavit of Support my wife filled out and we had submitted with the original filing to reflect the 2002 tax return.
The adjudicator did ask to see both our original birth certificates, which we had, and at the start of the interview, asked to see my passport, drivers license, work authorization card (EAD), and Social Security card, as well as my wife's passport and drivers license.
The adjudicator asked to see my visa papers - I had last entered the country on a H1-B. I unfortunately did not have the original papers, but did have the (now-expired) visa stamp in my passport, which appeared to be good enough, but I do recommend that if you have visa paperwork, take it with you.
The adjudicator never really asked us any personal questions. She got the impression that my wife and I were really a genuine married couple. She did say towards the end of the interview that if she had any doubts about us being a genuine couple, we would have been separated and asked personal questions.
Towards the end of the interview, the adjudicator granted my Permanent Resident status CR6, i.e. it was a conditional Green Card because our marriage was less that two years old (my wife and I married in December 2001). She gave us the papers to fill out to remove conditional status, which she said we would have to bring back within 90 days of the 2-year anniversary being granted the Green Card, i.e. between July and October 2005, as well as bring as much of a paper trail as possible showing evidence of living together (joint bank account info, mortgage info, utility bills, etc etc). She asked for some right there and then - we only had a checkbook with both our names on the checks, so she took a voided check, but she said some mortgage info would have also been useful. We almost took some, but I thought they're not really asking for it on the form summoning us for interview. So again, if you have mortgage info and you're going for a marriage-based green card interview, take it with you (including copies).
That was it really - the main thing is take as much paperwork with you as possible, originals and copies, that proves you're a married couple, and also as much immigration information as you have (H1s or whatever, and work permits etc).
My passport was stamped with temporary GC valid until Oct 2004, but the card itself should be here within 3-6 months, according to the adjudicator, although she did say that some people have been getting them quicker. She also took my work authorization, saying that I no longer needed it. She also asked how soon I was thinking of traveling (not soon), because it may be a few days before the system gets updated with the info. Basically she recommended not traveling out of the country for a few days!
Approximate timeline of my application process:
Original 485 filing: April 2002 (including I130, I765, I864, G325A's, I693 medical)
first EAD approval: July 25, 2002
fingerprinting: Jan/Feb 2003
EAD renewal: June 2003 (EAD valid until July 24 2004)
Interview: October 2, 2003
Cheers,
p22
