All,
Interview over!! Good and not so good. Another file on me. Decision could not be made
Now, this is timeline and events of the interview.
DO - Atlanta
I started by dealing with the address issue by going to the local DMV and had the address changed (hated to do that). DMV opened at 7:30 a.m (USC interview: 8:25 a.m) and they were done by 7:50. I raced to the USCIS building (stupidly risking a ticket) and made it on time. Suprisingly, there weren't a lot of people. A short line @ security
1. Security asked for DL and Interview letter (standard process it appears)
2. Directed to a specific floor to basically show my arrival by giving my interview letter.
3. Letter gets stamped (8:25 on the dot....not planned I promise)
4. Directed to another floor and letter stamped again,then told to sit and wait for IO.
5. IO calls me 15 minutes later. These folks up to this point were professional but not warm.
6. IO has nice office, and IO was maybe a degree warmer than everyone else.
7. Asks me 2 stand and swears me in.
8. Immediatly tells me that no matter what happens, the decision would not be made today because there is another file on me. DISASTER! I inquire and IO tells me that no info is there to give. Very, very troubling. Not sure what this means. Tells me not to worry (I guess IO realizes that I still have questions to answer).
9. Asks for DL (thank God I made address change) and GC and interview letter.
10. Goes over N400 application line by line (very important to know what you filled on your application. Easy to be non-chalant about it, but make sure you know every line. Any discrepancy and routine process changes to search and destroy. Anyway, mine had no issues.
11. Asks for passport. Hands DL back to me, takes GC and passport to make copies.
12. Comes back and asks me 10 questions (not multiple choice). It was not given to me. IO asks and I answered. I fumbled on one but close enough to give it to me. I was grateful but still concerned about this other file thingie!! Damn...excuse my French...!!
13. Tells me I have passed but that decision cannot be made.
14. I did not come with passport pictures (did not know I was supposed to) so IO tells me to get them and bring them back later but will go ahead and submit the file (rather thin file.....not sure if that's good or bad...maybe that's why there is another one....jokes!!)
15. There is a little chit chat about what i do and how IO got to be in this position.
16. IO walks me out and expresses pleasure in meeting me and I express the same. I previously asked if there was anything I could do to find out about this other file thingie, but IO tells me flatly NO!!
17. I leave....
18. IO calls me on the phone to tell me about location for passport photo.
19. I go and take picture and take back (had to join an excrutiatingly long line to get back into building.....and another long wait before IO comes out........finito!!
Analysis.....make sure paperwork is clean (cleaner than mine...adresses and all), have originals of everything, study the test questions (goes without saying), be dressed appropriately....nothing loud...be as conservative as possible.
Be pleasant and be of good humor (not necessarily jokes)....basically be pleasant even if they are not. Be truthful....much easier to remember.
I thank all who have been helpful and I hope my day helps.
BTW, Boatmod, the addresses did fall in the same DO service area, but I was just concerned that it would result in questions like why did you not change it? Did you notify USCIS? Those and similar questions.....thanks anyway, you are helping a lot of folks be calm....goes a long way.
