Seattle Transfer and interview
Hi,
This reply lists everything that we went through upon being transferred from NSC to the local office in Seattle. I thought that it might be helpful to you all.
Our 485 application was made in late October 2001, shortly after we married. Fingerprints taken in March 2002 and then nothing until an RFE was issued in February 2003. We responded and this was followed by transfer letter that arrived in mid-April. We were to attend local INS office in Seattle for interview in mid-May. The interview was because of our recent marriage before the adjustment stage.
In our case, the letter requesting that we attend the interview was received about 6 weeks before the actual date. This was slightly faster than normal, according to our lawyer.
We gathered copies of wedding pics, tax returns, joint accounts, bank letter, car insurance etc. My employer (a large software company in the Redmond area) offered to supply a lawyer to attend with us. The lawyer attended with us and made the whole thing easy and quick.
We arrived at mid-May 2003, 7.30AM at the Seattle office. My interview was for 8AM and my wife's for 8.30AM. Note: parking is difficult - arrive early!. Outside the INS office there was a long line of people. If you are scheduled for interview you do not need to join the queue. There are two doors at the office, one for the long line of people, and another door on the right for other business. Go to this other door and give the guards the interview notice. You pass through a search, and metal detector, and then into the waiting area. You give the interview notice to a INS person (or leave it in a tray) as you enter the room.
We met our laywer in the room and he explained the process. He seemed to know many of the INS people there. He spoke to the INS people and arranged for both of us to be interviewed at the same time, instead of seperately. After about 90 minutes, we were called in to see the INS officer. She swore us in, and asked to see our proof documents (which she returned to us), she asked the list of standard questions and began filling in the forms for the green card. Then she took a single finger print and asked us to sign the green card signature form. Our laywer asked if she could get the 'visa' number now (I'm not sure what this meant). She left the office and returned after about 10 minutes with two forms, aparently approval notices, and said "That's it - you are now permanent residents - Congratulations!". She stamped our passports with the I-551 and told us that it was actually lucky for us to have been transferred to local INS because since we'd been approved at a local office, the green cards would arrive much faster than from NSC- she said that the fastest case she knew about 5 days, but 20 days was more usual. She was exactly right - 20 days later our green cards arrived in the post!