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Update August 2018
Hi all,
Just got approved today. This thread has been very helpful and encouraging during my application process. So here's my return of favor and hope it can help others.
Overview: I live in the New England area and it took me 9.5 months from package submission to getting approved (passed the interview).
11/14/2017 submitted all forms (I485, I864EZ, I130, I131, I130A) and documents
11/25/2017 received a notice of receipt in the mail
12/18/2017 received a notice for ASC appointment (fingerprints, biometrics, etc.)
1/20/2018 went to the ASC appointment
2/6/2018 received EAD card with work authorization and Advance Parole (valid for a year)
7/20/2018 received a notice for initial interview scheduled for 08/27/2018
8/27/2018 went to the interview and got approved on the same day
Tips:
1) Hire a lawyer: It's a great idea to hire a lawyer to review your package before submission. We (two educated persons with master's degrees) didn't expect it to happen but we made multiple mistakes in filling out the forms. These forms aren't exactly clear in the statements and only a lawyer familiar with these affairs can help you. It's not that expensive, we paid $150 for a document review. We didn't hire anyone to prep for the interview since we trust the power of telling the truth and doing our own research.
2) Stay out of trouble. If you have violated any law or regulation, you will have to present record, proof, explanation, etc. Some friends of mine went through that hassle. So keep your record clean. A lawyer said you are obligated to tell the officer even if your record was expunged.
3) Interview: Stick to the truth. The officers are very good at what they do. One time she asked me "When did you flight in to the U.S. last time, was it September 2017?" I was surprised and immediately say "no, we came back June 2018". Later I realized that it might be a trap. Glad I remembered and didn't go along with it. But if you had made up your story, you might have fallen for the question.
4) Say so if you are not sure or don't remember. Two things I wasn't sure about our history. First one, "when and where did you go on your second date?" I wasn't sure which one she was referring to since it was almost two years ago. I said I wasn't sure but I give her the description of a date around that point in time. It turned out that my husband gave her the same date because he didn't remember either. Second one, she asked me how I moved from my place to my husband's place at the time. I said we borrowed a friend's van but my husband said we rented a van. Truth is we looked at the friend's van but decided to rent a van instead. I forgot the second part of the story
5) Format of interview( kind of surprising for us): The officer first asked my husband to go with her into an office and bring all our documents. They talked for 25 minutes then she asked me to go in to the same room and answer her questions while my husband sits behind me. It turned out that we were asked the same questions. She wrote down my husband's answer and compared it to mine. my part went on for another 30 minutes. In general it went well, but my husband had trouble finding the documents she asked for since it was me who had sorted these documents in order. So I advice both interviewees to get familiar with your documents. The officer also made copies of our additional documents (more photos from the past year, my new passport, my EAD card, visa, joint account statements, utility bills, contract on a house, etc.). In the end, she said she was gonna do a background check of me on the same day and if I passed that, she would approve my application. Towards the end of the day, my case status showed that "card has been ordered and will be delivered to me"
6) Documents: we prepared four full envelopes of documents (originals and copies). Since the notice of interview wasn't super clear, we thought we should just bring everything. It turned out that the officer had the original forms we have submitted so we didn't have to bring the copies. But she asked for almost all of the supporting documents we had brought. She also asked for the originals of all our passports as well as travel, immigration and birth documents.
Good luck to everyone!
Hi all,
Just got approved today. This thread has been very helpful and encouraging during my application process. So here's my return of favor and hope it can help others.
Overview: I live in the New England area and it took me 9.5 months from package submission to getting approved (passed the interview).
11/14/2017 submitted all forms (I485, I864EZ, I130, I131, I130A) and documents
11/25/2017 received a notice of receipt in the mail
12/18/2017 received a notice for ASC appointment (fingerprints, biometrics, etc.)
1/20/2018 went to the ASC appointment
2/6/2018 received EAD card with work authorization and Advance Parole (valid for a year)
7/20/2018 received a notice for initial interview scheduled for 08/27/2018
8/27/2018 went to the interview and got approved on the same day
Tips:
1) Hire a lawyer: It's a great idea to hire a lawyer to review your package before submission. We (two educated persons with master's degrees) didn't expect it to happen but we made multiple mistakes in filling out the forms. These forms aren't exactly clear in the statements and only a lawyer familiar with these affairs can help you. It's not that expensive, we paid $150 for a document review. We didn't hire anyone to prep for the interview since we trust the power of telling the truth and doing our own research.
2) Stay out of trouble. If you have violated any law or regulation, you will have to present record, proof, explanation, etc. Some friends of mine went through that hassle. So keep your record clean. A lawyer said you are obligated to tell the officer even if your record was expunged.
3) Interview: Stick to the truth. The officers are very good at what they do. One time she asked me "When did you flight in to the U.S. last time, was it September 2017?" I was surprised and immediately say "no, we came back June 2018". Later I realized that it might be a trap. Glad I remembered and didn't go along with it. But if you had made up your story, you might have fallen for the question.
4) Say so if you are not sure or don't remember. Two things I wasn't sure about our history. First one, "when and where did you go on your second date?" I wasn't sure which one she was referring to since it was almost two years ago. I said I wasn't sure but I give her the description of a date around that point in time. It turned out that my husband gave her the same date because he didn't remember either. Second one, she asked me how I moved from my place to my husband's place at the time. I said we borrowed a friend's van but my husband said we rented a van. Truth is we looked at the friend's van but decided to rent a van instead. I forgot the second part of the story
5) Format of interview( kind of surprising for us): The officer first asked my husband to go with her into an office and bring all our documents. They talked for 25 minutes then she asked me to go in to the same room and answer her questions while my husband sits behind me. It turned out that we were asked the same questions. She wrote down my husband's answer and compared it to mine. my part went on for another 30 minutes. In general it went well, but my husband had trouble finding the documents she asked for since it was me who had sorted these documents in order. So I advice both interviewees to get familiar with your documents. The officer also made copies of our additional documents (more photos from the past year, my new passport, my EAD card, visa, joint account statements, utility bills, contract on a house, etc.). In the end, she said she was gonna do a background check of me on the same day and if I passed that, she would approve my application. Towards the end of the day, my case status showed that "card has been ordered and will be delivered to me"
6) Documents: we prepared four full envelopes of documents (originals and copies). Since the notice of interview wasn't super clear, we thought we should just bring everything. It turned out that the officer had the original forms we have submitted so we didn't have to bring the copies. But she asked for almost all of the supporting documents we had brought. She also asked for the originals of all our passports as well as travel, immigration and birth documents.
Good luck to everyone!
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