I know someone who got his USCIS interview notice in 2 weeks , took me 40 days though
Mandamus Action - Arlington Virginia
- Thread starter Abhatti
- Start date
Johannita226
Active Member
Have a month to be ready
Congrats! The interview is in one month, plenty of time to prepare. Hope everything is going smoothly. Good luck!
Interview Conducted
Entered 8:30 AM (check in etc)
Interview Started 9:00 AM
Ended 11:00 AM
Super smooth ..... 3 Phases
1. Any corrections in original asylum application (if needed, otherwise AO will check go point by point with you and you gotta say no change)
2. Discussion / Questions on your Asylum Claim
3. Security related Questionnaire (Standard Practice)
In the end, they hand you over a paper saying " we will mail you decision" or " Come back and pick your decision"
I got " Mail you Decision"
2 Hours later, i got automated email from USCIS updating portal from " Interview Scheduled" to " Decision Pending"
Entered 8:30 AM (check in etc)
Interview Started 9:00 AM
Ended 11:00 AM
Super smooth ..... 3 Phases
1. Any corrections in original asylum application (if needed, otherwise AO will check go point by point with you and you gotta say no change)
2. Discussion / Questions on your Asylum Claim
3. Security related Questionnaire (Standard Practice)
In the end, they hand you over a paper saying " we will mail you decision" or " Come back and pick your decision"
I got " Mail you Decision"
2 Hours later, i got automated email from USCIS updating portal from " Interview Scheduled" to " Decision Pending"
Johannita226
Active Member
Everything will be alright 120 days starting today
Now relax. Everything will be fine. I remember your interview was scheduled for May 30 ，did it happen a day early?
Did you use an interpreter, and do you have any derivatives? 2 hours doesn’t sound long. That’s good！
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You will be fine by God's grace, this will be one of the l
You will be fine by God's grace, welcome to the longest weekend of your life, relax, watch a movie , after 7 yrs and my mandamus, it took 5 days to get my approval, every day felt like another year!Everything will be alright 120 days starting today
My Bad, it was May
No Interpreter , I had 3 derivatives (spouse and kids) , AO met them in the end and made them part of security related questions
In the end AO said she hasn't made her decision yet because my attorney is supposed to furnish his closing arguments, she asked him whether he will do at the spot (means verbal) or in written (means later)
Attorney chose to do it in written, so he will submit written closing arguments on Monday by mail , so i am expecting next whole week to take them for that part only ( considering mail receiving, processing etc.)
After that, lets see how soon they make decision
My Bad, it was May 29th.
No Interpreter , I had 3 derivatives (spouse and kids) , AO met them in the end and made them part of security related questions
In the end AO said she hasn't made her decision yet because my attorney is supposed to furnish his closing arguments, she asked him whether he will do at the spot (means verbal) or in written (means later)
Attorney chose to do it in written, so he will submit written closing arguments on Monday by mail , so i am expecting next whole week to take them for that part only ( considering mail receiving, processing etc.)
After that, lets see how soon they make decision
One important thing during check-in
Please carry "VALID and UN-EXPIRED" IDs
For example, you are supposed to carry original passports with you, which are mostly and and usually expired, but USCIS is supposed to accept them because you are supposed to renew them since you have fear from your country
Our passports were expired and they were not accepting our check-ins
Therefore, we presented them our Valid US Driving licenses on top of our expired passports
This was not the case before (my attorney said) but looks like its a new thing considering anti-immigrant actions these days
Please carry "VALID and UN-EXPIRED" IDs
For example, you are supposed to carry original passports with you, which are mostly and and usually expired, but USCIS is supposed to accept them because you are supposed to renew them since you have fear from your country
Our passports were expired and they were not accepting our check-ins
Therefore, we presented them our Valid US Driving licenses on top of our expired passports
This was not the case before (my attorney said) but looks like its a new thing considering anti-immigrant actions these days
Oh, I didn’t know that was part of an attorney’s job at the end of the interview. Thanks for explaining.
Do you think anything has changed in interviews since the anti-immigration stuff started, like the AO’s attitude or anything? Two hours feels pretty short, and that seems like a good sign.
This is optional, like if you do not have an attorney then no need for closing arguments
But having an attorney has its uses, they are provided with this chance to furnish their closing arguments
For interview, i was super stressed but it turned out to be smooth. AO was very nice and actually did set the tone with calm and actually told me not to worry, this is just a conversation and she wants to understand my story, That's it
Pro-tip: Be specific and answer to the questions asked only, in very brief and concise manner. Do NOT respond with a lengthy response, because it frustrates AO since they have to type every word we speak!
Imagine if we start with sentences after sentences in very speedy way? Just because we want to say our side of store, thinking we dont to miss anything? No, this is wrong
They already have idea of our claim, they just want to connect dots between our written claim vs oral in person interview.
If the gap is huge and it is not making sense, then anyone will challenge us back because what we wrote vs what we say is not checking out, right ?
But having an attorney has its uses, they are provided with this chance to furnish their closing arguments
For interview, i was super stressed but it turned out to be smooth. AO was very nice and actually did set the tone with calm and actually told me not to worry, this is just a conversation and she wants to understand my story, That's it
Pro-tip: Be specific and answer to the questions asked only, in very brief and concise manner. Do NOT respond with a lengthy response, because it frustrates AO since they have to type every word we speak!
Imagine if we start with sentences after sentences in very speedy way? Just because we want to say our side of store, thinking we dont to miss anything? No, this is wrong
They already have idea of our claim, they just want to connect dots between our written claim vs oral in person interview.
If the gap is huge and it is not making sense, then anyone will challenge us back because what we wrote vs what we say is not checking out, right ?
Thank you so much for the tips. I’m confident you’ll get the approval very soon. Let’s wait for the good news!
Not yet .... been 10 days now
But then my attorney was supposed to submit his closing remarks , originally by mail, then he decided to hand deliver them since he visits almost every day for different clients ( i do not have confirmation yet since he is very poor on communication with me, so i am assuming he already has)
Today marked 30 days since my interview, still waiting for decision
I also know someone who had interview 3 months ago and still waiting (the difference is, he recently got in US and got his interview instantly due to LIFO process and mine is mandamus action , been here for 5 years now)
Hang in there. I hope you receive your approval soon!
