Marriage-based AOS interview at Washington Field Office (Fairfax, VA)

[historian]

Hi all,

I wanted to post an update if it may help others. I apologize in advance for any typos-- I'm already tipsy celebrating my incoming green card. After 17 years in the US, and even one failed employment-based process (due to lawyer negligence).


So, we were asked to enter 15 mins before our scheduled time. There were seats 6 feet apart. We got called only 5 mins after our appointment. The officer seemed nice and courteous. Since we initially submitted our application in July 2019, we had a baby, so a few months ago I sent additional evidence including baby's birth certificate, more pics, more travel, and jointly filed taxes. I was surprised and frankly impressed (I suppose due to low expectations) that this huge bureaucracy had received and appended our additional documents to our application. So the officer had everything and had taken the time to review all the docs.

She started by asking us for our interview letter, IDs, and passports. After she verified our identities, she asked us to take an oath that we'll be telling the truth. After that, she immediately dove into questions about us: how we met, how soon our relationship became serious, if there was a proposal, how and when we got married.

She directly asked for some documents and evidence, which was nice. First she asked to verify our new address because we had moved since submitting the application. She took DMV records showing address change and a proof of purchase of the place where we live (purchased by my husband shortly before we met.)

She asked for our financial documents (we only had a shared bank account and jointly filed taxes; we explained we met when we were older and independent, so we don't have all of our financials intertwined).

Then she asked for our pics; we had about 60 printed with info on the back. She went through each one (looking at front and back) and asking some questions, and for some we volunteered info without her asking. She asked who the people were at our weddings and my husband answered. Surprisingly, she decided to keep all of them.

Oh, I forgot to mention that after she asked how we met, I said we met online and offered a printout of our initial messages on a dating app, which she was happy about, took, but didn't look at them.

After that she asked for employment documents. We each provided a letter from our respective employer and pay stubs. I think that was most of it in terms of evidence of a legit marriage.

She did ask to see the originals of both of our birth certificates, plus that of our daughter.

Then she went through my I-485 application, marking things that had changed since the original application (such as having a kid and our address). She did ask about the organizations I was involved in, a bit about what I did in grad school, and asked about previous non-immigrant visas I'd had (I listed my entire immigration history). Then at the end we went through many of the yes/no questions. I'm not sure we went through all of them, but at least 20 or 30.

By that point, things were winding down. I did offer a few more things but she said she had more than enough evidence (and specifically mentioned that the baby part was convincing). My husband and I joked that a baby indeed makes things very real.
Then she proceeded to tell us that she'll approve me, pending one last criminal investigation. Said things would likely be over by the end of the day and I should expect the card in the mail soon. She told me about the removal of conditions in two years and sent us off on our way.

Overall, she was nice and approachable and we even joked about a few things.

Hopefully this is helpful to those still waiting and I wish everyone luck on this long and arduous journey! I honestly couldn't even believe when we got the letter and it's still sinking in.

Best wishes!

[manolo]

Hi historian,

Thank you for the detailed account of your interview - super helpful for those of us whose interview is coming up.

Quick question: You mention financial documents, pictures, and employment letters. Had you already submitted these documents with your initial application and then brought copies of them to the interview or were those new documents you hadn’t submitted initially?

I submitted financial documents and proof of employment with the I-864 and I-944, and photos with the I-130. I’m now wondering if I need to print out all the photos, tax returns, etc. again.

[historian]

Hi historian,

Thank you for the detailed account of your interview - super helpful for those of us whose interview is coming up.

Quick question: You mention financial documents, pictures, and employment letters. Had you already submitted these documents with your initial application and then brought copies of them to the interview or were those new documents you hadn’t submitted initially?

I submitted financial documents and proof of employment with the I-864 and I-944, and photos with the I-130. I’m now wondering if I need to print out all the photos, tax returns, etc. again.

Glad it's helpful! I wanted to write it out because a few helpful detailed accounts on here and on Youtube helped me prepare and have a good idea of what to expect, which decreased my anxiety.

Financial docs-- we had submitted evidence of our shared bank account at the initial application, but now submitted updated docs that show activity and a different balance. Also, earlier this summer I sent in our taxes for 2019 (so they must've had it in the file), but the officer took another copy of these as well.

Employment docs-- originally my husband had submitted a few pay stubs and three years worth of taxes to prove he can support me. I (the immigrant) had only submitted a letter from my employer stating my starting date and salary and that they intend to keep me employed. Now, as per the invitation letter we received, I asked my husband to get a similar letter from his employer and print two months worth of pay stubs. For myself, I literally asked my boss to sign the same letter but with a current date, and also printed two months of pays stubs.

Pics-- between our initial submission and the additional evidence sent it, they already probably had 80-90% of these pics. But I printed everything again and added a few more, which the officer took.

Overall, better to be overprepared than underprepared. I also brought along a copy of the entire package we had submitted so if they asked for anything, I would've had a copy of it.

Good luck!

[hopeful_pro]

Congrats! Did your case status eventually change? I interviewed three weeks ago and was given a letter in which the IO checked the box saying my case is recommended for approval. Yet the online status has shown "Interview Was Completed And My Case Must Be Reviewed" ever since.

[historian]

Congrats! Did your case status eventually change? I interviewed three weeks ago and was given a letter in which the IO checked the box saying my case is recommended for approval. Yet the online status has shown "Interview Was Completed And My Case Must Be Reviewed" ever since.

I checked the I485 online status (not through the account, but through the USCIS case status search), 4-5 hours after the interview and it said "New card is being produced." I130 status still says "Case was received."

But I've read cases where status doesn't update immediately and people get an approval letter in the mail several weeks after the interview. It may depend on the field office whether the issue immediate approvals or make people wait for some reason.

Good luck!