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DV 2020 AOS Only

Hi @Sm1smom

Do you know what kind of background check does FBI make for DV AOS-ers? I mean only fingerprints or the name as well?

I was reading yesterday that fingerprint checking take about 24-48 hrs in most of the cases but the name verification is about 2 weeks in the best case. At the same time I see people were approved within 24 hrs, which means only fingerprints, right? Please let me know.

Thanks!
 
Hey guys, I'd like to give you an update which may be helpful to all but especially to @Kentavar2397 and @tinks1.

My interview in Los Angeles field office ended up being today. I literally just came back home and will explain it in as much detail as possible. It was an amazing experience, and all employees I interacted with were wonderful! So, please don't stress.

First of all, the office is still open. You go through the security line first, where you take your shoes off + put electronics separately into a box. Even though the line was somewhat long, it took 5 minutes for me to get in.

After getting in, I went to the 8th floor where I showed my interview letter and waited in another line to be checked-in. There were only 2 kiosks open when I was there and 7-8 people ahead of me. It took 15-20 minutes for my turn to come. Both employees were so friendly and I overheard them speaking in other languages like Spanish, if you need. There, they took my photo and 2 fingerprints.

After that, I was escorted to a different room where I was the only person waiting. I waited for another 15 mins before my interview started. I was assigned to a wonderful officer, who was a kind gentleman.

Before we started, I presented him the additional documents i didn't submit (employment letter, paystubs, my W2 form from 2019, IRS transcript (although I didn't need it), and my updated I-20 as I applied for STEM to show I was still in F-1 status). I brought both the original and the copy version of my updated I-20 just to save him time from scanning it, and he only kept the copy.

As many others stated here, the interview was very straightforward. The officer went through the I-485 form, asked me questions such as my SSN, last entry date to US, my address, mother's and father's names, whether they live in the US or not, the last address I stayed before moving to US, the very first time I entered the US, my current occupation, if I worked anywhere before that, and some of the questions from I-485 that I already answered no, such as if I am in military. Very straightforward and general questions about yourself. Please don't stress if you don't remember any answers. For instance, I didn't remember the exact address I was living prior to moving the States, but me stating the city and explaining him that i don't recall the exact address was okay. I also didn't remember the exact date when I first came to States (sometime in June/July 2010), but that was also okay.

After the questions, he explained the changes he made (only the address change for my case) and made me sign the paper. Then, he asked whether I'd like to provide additional documents. When I didn't, he asked me to wait in the waiting room until he provided me a paper of his decision. In about another 15 minutes, he provide me a letter that says my application has been approved and my card will be mailed to me within three to four weeks!! Overall, my experience with the whole interview process was so smooth and positive. All USCIS employees I interacted were wonderful.

I must note that I was very well prepared with bringing many documents with me, but I didn't provide them all. Me giving my employment verification letter, paystubs and W2/IRS tax transcript was enough that I didn't even have to give my bank statement --and it wasn't asked. So, as long as you are well prepared based on the recommendations made by this forum, you should be fine. Just remind yourself that these officers aren't there to make the process harder for you. They just want to make sure that you are eligible for the green card and you haven't violated any regulations.

I benefitted so much from this forum, so I'd like to thank everyone for that. Even though I was working with a lawyer, there were major points that we missed and could correct thanks to the information provided here. Hope my detailed interview experience is useful to some, if not to all. I wish you all the best and sending you positive thoughts.

My timeline:
~ 1 October 2019: case was current + sent my paperwork
~ 31 October 2019: gave biometrics
~ 1 November 2019: biometrics were applied
~ mid January 2020: received my EAD card with AP (I didn't have to use it as I was on an F-1 based OPT and applied for my STEM extension in July 2020)
~ early/mid June 2020: applied for expedite request through the USCIS Tier 2 agent; was asked to provide support for evidence a week later but it wasn't helpful. My case was found still within the regular processing times
~ mid June 2020: reached out to Congressman's office to initiate a congressional inquiry (about 2 weeks later, they got a response from USCIS saying they'd assign me an interview within 30 to 60 days)
~ early/mid July 2020: Congressman's office brought my case to the Department of State (a week later, they called me to tell USCIS was planning on giving me an interview date in mid August)
~ End of July 2020: Interview letter was sent
~ 18 August 2020: interview date


I will check exact dates and update the excel sheet later today. Just wanted to update you as soon as possible as others' experiences helped me a lot. :) Good luck everyone!
 
Last edited:
americanvisa said:
Hey guys, I'd like to give you an update which may be helpful to all but especially to @Kentavar2397 and @tinks1.

My interview in Los Angeles field office ended up being today. I literally just came back home and will explain it in as much detail as possible. It was an amazing experience, and all employees I interacted with were wonderful! So, please don't stress.

First of all, the office is still open. You go through the security line first, where you take your shoes off + put electronics separately into a box. Even though the line was somewhat long, it took 5 minutes for me to get in.

After getting in, I went to the 8th floor where I showed my interview letter and waited in another line to be checked-in. There were only 2 kiosks open when I was there and 7-8 people ahead of me. It took 15-20 minutes for my turn to come. Both employees were so friendly and I overheard them speaking in other languages like Spanish, if you need. There, they took my photo and 2 fingerprints.

After that, I was escorted to a different room where I was the only person waiting. I waited for another 15 mins before my interview started. I was assigned to a wonderful officer, who was a kind gentleman.

Before we started, I presented him the additional documents i didn't submit (employment letter, paystubs, my W2 form from 2019, IRS transcript (although I didn't need it), and my updated I-20 as I applied for STEM to show I was still in F-1 status). I brought both the original and the copy version of my updated I-20 just to save him time from scanning it, and he only kept the copy.

As many others stated here, the interview was very straightforward. The officer went through the I-485 form, asked me questions such as my SSN, last entry date to US, my address, mother's and father's names, whether they live in the US or not, the last address I stayed before moving to US, the very first time I entered the US, my current occupation, if I worked anywhere before that, and some of the questions from I-485 that I already answered no, such as if I am in military. Very straightforward and general questions about yourself. Please don't stress if you don't remember any answers. For instance, I didn't remember the exact address I was living prior to moving the States, but me stating the city and explaining him that i don't recall the exact address was okay. I also didn't remember the exact date when I first came to States (sometime in June/July 2010), but that was also okay.

After the questions, he explained the changes he made (only the address change for my case) and made me sign the paper. Then, he asked whether I'd like to provide additional documents. When I didn't, he asked me to wait in the waiting room until he provided me a paper of his decision. In about another 15 minutes, he provide me a letter that says my application has been approved and my card will be mailed to me within three to four weeks!! Overall, my experience with the whole interview process was so smooth and positive. All USCIS employees I interacted were wonderful.

I must note that I was very well prepared with bringing many documents with me, but I didn't provide them all. Me giving my employment verification letter, paystubs and W2/IRS tax transcript was enough that I didn't even have to give my bank statement --and it wasn't asked. So, as long as you are well prepared based on the recommendations made by this forum, you should be fine. Just remind yourself that these officers aren't there to make the process harder for you. They just want to make sure that you are eligible for the green card and you haven't violated any regulations.

I benefitted so much from this forum, so I'd like to thank everyone for that. Even though I was working with a lawyer, there were major points that we missed and could correct thanks to the information provided here. Hope my detailed interview experience is useful to some, if not to all. I wish you all the best and sending you positive thoughts.

My timeline:
~ 1 October 2019: case was current + sent my paperwork
~ 31 October 2019: gave biometrics
~ 1 November 2019: biometrics were applied
~ mid January 2020: received my EAD card with AP (I didn't have to use it as I was on an F-1 based OPT and applied for my STEM extension in July 2020)
~ early/mid June 2020: applied for expedite request through the USCIS Tier 2 agent; was asked to provide support for evidence few weeks later but it wasn't helpful. My case was found still within the regular processing times
~ mid June 2020: reached out to Congressman's office to initiate a congressional inquiry (few weeks later, they got a response from USCIS saying they'd assign me an interview within 30 to 60 days)
~ early/mid July 2020: Congressman's office brought my case to the Department of State (a week later, they called me to tell USCIS was planning on giving me an interview date in mid August)
~ End of July 2020: Interview letter was sent
~ 18 August 2020: interview date


I will check exact dates and update the excel sheet later today. Just wanted to update you as soon as possible as others' experiences helped me a lot. :) Good luck everyone!
Click to expand...

Very happy for you! Seems like you had a great experience! Thank you for the update. That’s a big relief!
 
Kentavar2397 said:
Very happy for you! Seems like you had a great experience! Thank you for the update. That’s a big relief!
Click to expand...
thanks so much.:) I was extremely stressed with the long process and all the unknown, last minute changes. But I wanted to let you know that it all goes smoothly once you have your interview date. Officers in the LA office were nothing but great and hope your experience will be even better than mine. Looking forward for you to share good news soon!
 
Daveid said:
My status has changed from "new card being produced" to "we approved your I 485 form and saying we will mail to you an approval notice". Has anybody else experienced such status updated in their accounts?Thanks
Click to expand...
yes this is general status update. First step is we orderd new card and then it changes to case approved. Once the card is produced they will provide with another update like we mailed your card or USPS picked your card and tracking number. Mine is right now in Case approved status.
 
I also actually had my LA Field Office interview today. Unfortunately, it was a slightly different experience. Ended up waiting almost two hours for my interview. Officer asked me literally every question on my i485. Then asked me about every entry I made to the US and the dates of them. And just to be clear, there were NO red flags (except one issue which I’ll describe later) on my i485. She literally went thru the i485 and re-asked every question, one by one.

A few years ago, I used Medi-Cal - the state medical insurance, and this WAS an issue for her. She made a lot of annotations, and took all my info about it, asking many questions.
She took my IDs and made copies, and then told me that she would contact me if there were any further questions, and that a decision would be made either way by the end of the week.
so it obviously depends on your luck on who you get. And other takeaway - don’t use state health insurance regardless of what people tell you!!!
 
Sero1033 said:
Hi @Sm1smom

Do you know what kind of background check does FBI make for DV AOS-ers? I mean only fingerprints or the name as well?

I was reading yesterday that fingerprint checking take about 24-48 hrs in most of the cases but the name verification is about 2 weeks in the best case. At the same time I see people were approved within 24 hrs, which means only fingerprints, right? Please let me know.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Wrong, not only fingerprints. The background check involves everything, which is possible for some to clear within 24 to 48 hours. Some of my previous posts on this thread already described the background check in detail, you can do a search for them if you need more information.
 
austinla said:
I also actually had my LA Field Office interview today. Unfortunately, it was a slightly different experience. Ended up waiting almost two hours for my interview. Officer asked me literally every question on my i485. Then asked me about every entry I made to the US and the dates of them. And just to be clear, there were NO red flags (except one issue which I’ll describe later) on my i485. She literally went thru the i485 and re-asked every question, one by one.

A few years ago, I used Medi-Cal - the state medical insurance, and this WAS an issue for her. She made a lot of annotations, and took all my info about it, asking many questions.
She took my IDs and made copies, and then told me that she would contact me if there were any further questions, and that a decision would be made either way by the end of the week.
so it obviously depends on your luck on who you get. And other takeaway - don’t use state health insurance regardless of what people tell you!!!
Click to expand...

Medical-Cal is a federally funded Medicaid, it is just being provided under a State name - it therefore falls under one of the public charge benefits that could render one inadmissible. The IO was right in reviewing this, it is not simply a matter of it being an issue for her.
 
FYI to those who are reaching out to congressional representatives - I talked to our congressman's office and filed the online form late last week. The office staff called back today to let me know that, while they can send an inquiry, it is likely they will get a generic response given that, technically speaking, the DV cases are still within the normal processing time of this FY. The staffer kindly explained the procedural details and said that, because of that, they will not be able to request an expeditious review. She also said that she understands the frustration but wanted to reconfirm that, after using this inquiry, they may not be able to reach out to USCIS again unless there are material changes in circumstances.

I responded that, given the time left, I still would want them to reach out to USCIS. Hopefully it will trigger movement in the FO, which seems to be overly diligently following rules and waiting for the biometrics clearance before thinking of scheduling the interview.
 
austinla said:
I also actually had my LA Field Office interview today. Unfortunately, it was a slightly different experience. Ended up waiting almost two hours for my interview. Officer asked me literally every question on my i485. Then asked me about every entry I made to the US and the dates of them. And just to be clear, there were NO red flags (except one issue which I’ll describe later) on my i485. She literally went thru the i485 and re-asked every question, one by one.

A few years ago, I used Medi-Cal - the state medical insurance, and this WAS an issue for her. She made a lot of annotations, and took all my info about it, asking many questions.
She took my IDs and made copies, and then told me that she would contact me if there were any further questions, and that a decision would be made either way by the end of the week.
so it obviously depends on your luck on who you get. And other takeaway - don’t use state health insurance regardless of what people tell you!!!
Click to expand...

Hi @austinla Sorry to hear it wasn't a great experience for you. I hope you get good news at the end of the week.
I can't see your information in the spreadsheet, did you include form i944 in your package? Did the IO go through that form with you? In regards to MediCal- did you use this for 12 months or more?
Also, did you include a I-134 Affidavit of Support?
I have my interview on Thursday so organising all my paperwork now.
Thanks so much
 
americanvisa said:
Hey guys, I'd like to give you an update which may be helpful to all but especially to @Kentavar2397 and @tinks1.

My interview in Los Angeles field office ended up being today. I literally just came back home and will explain it in as much detail as possible. It was an amazing experience, and all employees I interacted with were wonderful! So, please don't stress.

First of all, the office is still open. You go through the security line first, where you take your shoes off + put electronics separately into a box. Even though the line was somewhat long, it took 5 minutes for me to get in.

After getting in, I went to the 8th floor where I showed my interview letter and waited in another line to be checked-in. There were only 2 kiosks open when I was there and 7-8 people ahead of me. It took 15-20 minutes for my turn to come. Both employees were so friendly and I overheard them speaking in other languages like Spanish, if you need. There, they took my photo and 2 fingerprints.

After that, I was escorted to a different room where I was the only person waiting. I waited for another 15 mins before my interview started. I was assigned to a wonderful officer, who was a kind gentleman.

Before we started, I presented him the additional documents i didn't submit (employment letter, paystubs, my W2 form from 2019, IRS transcript (although I didn't need it), and my updated I-20 as I applied for STEM to show I was still in F-1 status). I brought both the original and the copy version of my updated I-20 just to save him time from scanning it, and he only kept the copy.

As many others stated here, the interview was very straightforward. The officer went through the I-485 form, asked me questions such as my SSN, last entry date to US, my address, mother's and father's names, whether they live in the US or not, the last address I stayed before moving to US, the very first time I entered the US, my current occupation, if I worked anywhere before that, and some of the questions from I-485 that I already answered no, such as if I am in military. Very straightforward and general questions about yourself. Please don't stress if you don't remember any answers. For instance, I didn't remember the exact address I was living prior to moving the States, but me stating the city and explaining him that i don't recall the exact address was okay. I also didn't remember the exact date when I first came to States (sometime in June/July 2010), but that was also okay.

After the questions, he explained the changes he made (only the address change for my case) and made me sign the paper. Then, he asked whether I'd like to provide additional documents. When I didn't, he asked me to wait in the waiting room until he provided me a paper of his decision. In about another 15 minutes, he provide me a letter that says my application has been approved and my card will be mailed to me within three to four weeks!! Overall, my experience with the whole interview process was so smooth and positive. All USCIS employees I interacted were wonderful.

I must note that I was very well prepared with bringing many documents with me, but I didn't provide them all. Me giving my employment verification letter, paystubs and W2/IRS tax transcript was enough that I didn't even have to give my bank statement --and it wasn't asked. So, as long as you are well prepared based on the recommendations made by this forum, you should be fine. Just remind yourself that these officers aren't there to make the process harder for you. They just want to make sure that you are eligible for the green card and you haven't violated any regulations.

I benefitted so much from this forum, so I'd like to thank everyone for that. Even though I was working with a lawyer, there were major points that we missed and could correct thanks to the information provided here. Hope my detailed interview experience is useful to some, if not to all. I wish you all the best and sending you positive thoughts.

My timeline:
~ 1 October 2019: case was current + sent my paperwork
~ 31 October 2019: gave biometrics
~ 1 November 2019: biometrics were applied
~ mid January 2020: received my EAD card with AP (I didn't have to use it as I was on an F-1 based OPT and applied for my STEM extension in July 2020)
~ early/mid June 2020: applied for expedite request through the USCIS Tier 2 agent; was asked to provide support for evidence a week later but it wasn't helpful. My case was found still within the regular processing times
~ mid June 2020: reached out to Congressman's office to initiate a congressional inquiry (about 2 weeks later, they got a response from USCIS saying they'd assign me an interview within 30 to 60 days)
~ early/mid July 2020: Congressman's office brought my case to the Department of State (a week later, they called me to tell USCIS was planning on giving me an interview date in mid August)
~ End of July 2020: Interview letter was sent
~ 18 August 2020: interview date


I will check exact dates and update the excel sheet later today. Just wanted to update you as soon as possible as others' experiences helped me a lot. :) Good luck everyone!
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for all the information. I have my interview on Thursday so I hope mine is straightforward like yours. Did they advise you last minute of an appointment change?
 
americanvisa said:
Hey guys, I'd like to give you an update which may be helpful to all but especially to @Kentavar2397 and @tinks1.

My interview in Los Angeles field office ended up being today. I literally just came back home and will explain it in as much detail as possible. It was an amazing experience, and all employees I interacted with were wonderful! So, please don't stress.

First of all, the office is still open. You go through the security line first, where you take your shoes off + put electronics separately into a box. Even though the line was somewhat long, it took 5 minutes for me to get in.

After getting in, I went to the 8th floor where I showed my interview letter and waited in another line to be checked-in. There were only 2 kiosks open when I was there and 7-8 people ahead of me. It took 15-20 minutes for my turn to come. Both employees were so friendly and I overheard them speaking in other languages like Spanish, if you need. There, they took my photo and 2 fingerprints.

After that, I was escorted to a different room where I was the only person waiting. I waited for another 15 mins before my interview started. I was assigned to a wonderful officer, who was a kind gentleman.

Before we started, I presented him the additional documents i didn't submit (employment letter, paystubs, my W2 form from 2019, IRS transcript (although I didn't need it), and my updated I-20 as I applied for STEM to show I was still in F-1 status). I brought both the original and the copy version of my updated I-20 just to save him time from scanning it, and he only kept the copy.

As many others stated here, the interview was very straightforward. The officer went through the I-485 form, asked me questions such as my SSN, last entry date to US, my address, mother's and father's names, whether they live in the US or not, the last address I stayed before moving to US, the very first time I entered the US, my current occupation, if I worked anywhere before that, and some of the questions from I-485 that I already answered no, such as if I am in military. Very straightforward and general questions about yourself. Please don't stress if you don't remember any answers. For instance, I didn't remember the exact address I was living prior to moving the States, but me stating the city and explaining him that i don't recall the exact address was okay. I also didn't remember the exact date when I first came to States (sometime in June/July 2010), but that was also okay.

After the questions, he explained the changes he made (only the address change for my case) and made me sign the paper. Then, he asked whether I'd like to provide additional documents. When I didn't, he asked me to wait in the waiting room until he provided me a paper of his decision. In about another 15 minutes, he provide me a letter that says my application has been approved and my card will be mailed to me within three to four weeks!! Overall, my experience with the whole interview process was so smooth and positive. All USCIS employees I interacted were wonderful.

I must note that I was very well prepared with bringing many documents with me, but I didn't provide them all. Me giving my employment verification letter, paystubs and W2/IRS tax transcript was enough that I didn't even have to give my bank statement --and it wasn't asked. So, as long as you are well prepared based on the recommendations made by this forum, you should be fine. Just remind yourself that these officers aren't there to make the process harder for you. They just want to make sure that you are eligible for the green card and you haven't violated any regulations.

I benefitted so much from this forum, so I'd like to thank everyone for that. Even though I was working with a lawyer, there were major points that we missed and could correct thanks to the information provided here. Hope my detailed interview experience is useful to some, if not to all. I wish you all the best and sending you positive thoughts.

My timeline:
~ 1 October 2019: case was current + sent my paperwork
~ 31 October 2019: gave biometrics
~ 1 November 2019: biometrics were applied
~ mid January 2020: received my EAD card with AP (I didn't have to use it as I was on an F-1 based OPT and applied for my STEM extension in July 2020)
~ early/mid June 2020: applied for expedite request through the USCIS Tier 2 agent; was asked to provide support for evidence a week later but it wasn't helpful. My case was found still within the regular processing times
~ mid June 2020: reached out to Congressman's office to initiate a congressional inquiry (about 2 weeks later, they got a response from USCIS saying they'd assign me an interview within 30 to 60 days)
~ early/mid July 2020: Congressman's office brought my case to the Department of State (a week later, they called me to tell USCIS was planning on giving me an interview date in mid August)
~ End of July 2020: Interview letter was sent
~ 18 August 2020: interview date


I will check exact dates and update the excel sheet later today. Just wanted to update you as soon as possible as others' experiences helped me a lot. :) Good luck everyone!
Click to expand...

Thank you for your update.
How did the FO notified you that you interview is on August 18th instead of August 25th and when did you receive this information?
does LA and LAC field offices are open now?
 
tinks1 said:
Hi @austinla Sorry to hear it wasn't a great experience for you. I hope you get good news at the end of the week.
I can't see your information in the spreadsheet, did you include form i944 in your package? Did the IO go through that form with you? In regards to MediCal- did you use this for 12 months or more?
Also, did you include a I-134 Affidavit of Support?
I have my interview on Thursday so organising all my paperwork now.
Thanks so much[/QUOTE
tinks1 said:
Hi @austinla Sorry to hear it wasn't a great experience for you. I hope you get good news at the end of the week.
I can't see your information in the spreadsheet, did you include form i944 in your package? Did the IO go through that form with you? In regards to MediCal- did you use this for 12 months or more?
Also, did you include a I-134 Affidavit of Support?
I have my interview on Thursday so organising all my paperwork now.
Thanks so much
Click to expand...

So I submitted my i485 before the public charge rule came in, so didn’t do an i944 (not was I asked for it at all).
I used MediCal for two years, but again, ended it before the public charge rule was announced. I just had to answer “YES” to that question on the i485 tho.
I brought so much with me to the interview and she didn’t even ask to see much at all - the only things she asked for were my passport, ID cards, and birth certificate.
Click to expand...
 
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