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Hi everyone!
We just got home from our interview at the Brooklyn field office. Here's what happened. My husband is a USC and I'm from the U.K.
We arrived at 12:30pm for a 1pm appointment in the Brooklyn field office, so the 8th floor of the big NYC federal building. We arrived with our attorney and gave our interview notice in at the desk. We sat in the waiting room, which had about 30 people in it.
Our number was called at around 2:30 p.m., so we had an hour and a half wait. Not so bad. Our officer was very nice and the opposite of aggressive. He seemed young and quite new, and was extremely thorough. He explained the interview process, then my husband and I raised our right hands and swore to tell the truth. Our lawyer then handed over our updated evidence. Our previous lawyer (long story) filed a pretty thin packet, so this new evidence was really to make up for that. It included three signed affidavits from friends and family, photos, leases, bank statements, married jointly filed taxes, life/health/rental insurance, evidence of joint travel, Costco and Amazon memberships. We have been dating since 2012 and have photos from that far back, so the officer commented on how we've known each other for a long time. I also gave him original copies of our birth certificates, passports, marriage certificate, drivers licenses, and my new medical exam. The officer went through all of this evidence at his desk, in front of us.
Then came the questions. I'd say my husband and I were asked an equal number of questions.
I was asked:
He then asked a TON of security questions, which is no surprise. Am I a prostitute/communist/planning to overthrow the U.S. government? Are my parents drug traffickers? He asked maybe 20-30 of these questions. After this, he made copies of a couple of documents and it was all over.
TIPS: My birth certificate was different than the one I initially filed, so make sure those line up. Today I brought the longer one from the U.K., but I'd filed with a shorter version. The officer also needed copies of the parole stamps in my passport (using Advanced Parole), so that's something to include if you have them.
The entire interview took about 40 minutes. The number of questions and meticulousness of the officer was likely because he was young, according to our lawyer. Fair play, he just wants to make sure everything is done by the book. I am relieved and tired, but will be truly happy once the green card is in my hands. Fingers crossed the wait isn't too long!
Please ask questions if you have them. Wishing everyone the best of luck!
P.S.
I filed a renewal for my EAD/AP combo card on July 30, 2018. We haven't heard anything about that for 8 months now. I filed a service request in February 2019, but still nothing. So, maybe that will come, but who knows! If nothing happens in the next two months with either the green card or the combo card, I will have to stop working.
We just got home from our interview at the Brooklyn field office. Here's what happened. My husband is a USC and I'm from the U.K.
We arrived at 12:30pm for a 1pm appointment in the Brooklyn field office, so the 8th floor of the big NYC federal building. We arrived with our attorney and gave our interview notice in at the desk. We sat in the waiting room, which had about 30 people in it.
Our number was called at around 2:30 p.m., so we had an hour and a half wait. Not so bad. Our officer was very nice and the opposite of aggressive. He seemed young and quite new, and was extremely thorough. He explained the interview process, then my husband and I raised our right hands and swore to tell the truth. Our lawyer then handed over our updated evidence. Our previous lawyer (long story) filed a pretty thin packet, so this new evidence was really to make up for that. It included three signed affidavits from friends and family, photos, leases, bank statements, married jointly filed taxes, life/health/rental insurance, evidence of joint travel, Costco and Amazon memberships. We have been dating since 2012 and have photos from that far back, so the officer commented on how we've known each other for a long time. I also gave him original copies of our birth certificates, passports, marriage certificate, drivers licenses, and my new medical exam. The officer went through all of this evidence at his desk, in front of us.
Then came the questions. I'd say my husband and I were asked an equal number of questions.
I was asked:
- How and when we met
- If my husband is currently working and, if so, where
- His previous employers
- To describe our neighborhood (what kind of businesses are our the streets nearby)
- Where we live now and where we previously lived together
- How many people attended our second wedding reception in my hometown in the U.K.
- Where I work
- What subway lines are near our apartment
- When we were married and what the wedding was like (he spoke about our wedding, plus both receptions. Our first was in the U.S.)
- Each others' full names and birthdays
- Each others' parent's names
- The names of our sisters
He then asked a TON of security questions, which is no surprise. Am I a prostitute/communist/planning to overthrow the U.S. government? Are my parents drug traffickers? He asked maybe 20-30 of these questions. After this, he made copies of a couple of documents and it was all over.
TIPS: My birth certificate was different than the one I initially filed, so make sure those line up. Today I brought the longer one from the U.K., but I'd filed with a shorter version. The officer also needed copies of the parole stamps in my passport (using Advanced Parole), so that's something to include if you have them.
The entire interview took about 40 minutes. The number of questions and meticulousness of the officer was likely because he was young, according to our lawyer. Fair play, he just wants to make sure everything is done by the book. I am relieved and tired, but will be truly happy once the green card is in my hands. Fingers crossed the wait isn't too long!
Please ask questions if you have them. Wishing everyone the best of luck!
P.S.
I filed a renewal for my EAD/AP combo card on July 30, 2018. We haven't heard anything about that for 8 months now. I filed a service request in February 2019, but still nothing. So, maybe that will come, but who knows! If nothing happens in the next two months with either the green card or the combo card, I will have to stop working.
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