Hi everyone. Today, I had an interview at the Santa Ana FO. I wanted to share my experience and, at the end, I have a few questions for Mom!
My brief background: I came to the US with an L1B visa. Before it expired, I applied for asylum and have remained in the US with a pending asylum application.
Interview experience: My interview was scheduled for 1:00 pm. I arrived at 12:30 pm, checked in immediately, and waited in the waiting room. At 1:00 pm, the officer called my name. It was the same lady who interviewed
@agafon today. First, I took an oath. Then, she asked me some general questions and a few yes/no questions without looking at my I-485 form. She then asked why I applied in December, even though I filed my I-485 application in January. She seemed unfamiliar with early filing. In December, a cutoff number higher than mine for February was published, so I made the DV payments in December and filed the I-485 application in January. I kindly asked her to check the USCIS website for information on early filing, and she said she would. Then the officer began asking questions to clarify if I had ever accrued any unlawful presence in the US, which in my case, the answer is no. She also asked about my current employer and if I brought an employer verification letter. I was not expecting this question as I had brought my recent payslips from my current employer, not an employer verification letter. When I asked if she wanted to see my recent payslips, it seemed to me that she didn't understand the word 'payslip' because English was not her first/native language. She ignored my question and continued with the rest of the questions. In the end, she gave me a notice showing that “Your case is being held for review”. She did not provide a specific timeline for when I will get my decision or any updates but she mentioned that they would contact me once a decision is made or if additional documentation is needed.
Now, my question to @Sm1smom: I am extremely worried because I have a pending asylum situation, even though I never accrued any unlawful presence in the US and applied for asylum before my L1B visa expired. The last person (
@Omar70707070) who received a green card with a pending asylum situation in Santa Ana FO was in 2018. I checked the experiences of others who had interviews in Santa Ana FO in previous years; they all received a "case is under review" notice at the end of their interviews. However, they received approval within a week. Considering that
@agafon also received a "case is being held review" notice today, is there anything I should be worried about due to being in a pending asylum situation? Or is this common practice for Santa Ana FO, considering all references from previous years, and I should just patiently wait? Mom, your advice and thoughts are valuable to me! Thanks in advance!
