USCIS AOS Interview

Part of receiving the two-year conditional resident card requires husband and wife to attend an interview.

Adjustment of Status filed:
Once the newlywed Couple has filed the I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence, they usually get an I-797C Receipt in the mail

and then around 3 to 5 weeks later get another I-797 Notice instructing them to come in at a certain time and date for bio-metrics (electronic fingerprinting).

Waiting for Interview:
Depending where you live oftentimes plays a role in how long the next step will take?

USCIS could possibly take up to 8 months before they contact the Couple sending them another I-797 Notice of Action telling them the date the time and where to report to have an interview.

The below information was shared with us from a real couple who had an appointment to attend their USCIS interview together.

Courtesy of Paul and Sonia DiLisio of Tamarac, FL

USCIS INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE FOR THE 2 YEAR CONDITIONAL GREEN CARD

I-797C:
While waiting on your 2-year conditional green card to be approved, according to the USCIS nowadays more often than not you will receive an I-797C notice in the mail requesting that you and your spouse attend an interview at your local USCIS office.  

If you receive this notice don’t think you are being singled out or red-flagged.

Purpose of interview: This interview’s main purpose is for the immigration officer to judge and validate that your marriage is true and authentic. So in preparation read over the I-797 notice and bring everything they are requesting.

On the notice, they will request copies of all joint accounts and originals of marriage certificates and divorce decrees. 

I-864:
They also request another I-864 completed by the sponsor and the last 3 years of tax returns and W2’s. NO NEED to get the IRS certified copies of tax return because they are expensive and they take a long time to process.

Just contact the IRS or go on their website and request the last 3 years of tax transcripts. Using these transcripts are perfectly fine. Some sponsors may need to show assets or joint sponsor I-864A if applicable?

If in doubt bring everything:
Other things to bring even though the officer may not ask for all of them are phone bills, credit card bills, receipts of gifts to each other, cards and letters to each other, etc.

The I-797C notice does not tell you how far back to gather things from but you should start gathering them from the date your spouse entered the US.

Bring originals of the passport, visa, birth certificate, proof of entry form which is called the I-94 form, and photo ids of the sponsor and beneficiary.

Proof of a bonafide marriage:
Bring current job letters and pay stubs for both of you if you both are working. Again gather them back from the date your spouse entered the US. And bring any police reports if this applies to you.

I feel the 2 most important items that you will be judged upon are the proof of joint accounts and your photos of both of you together. Make sure to have plenty of these.

Joint co-mingling bills:
For joint accounts some examples are Bank Accounts, Gym or Fitness Account, health insurance accounts, etc. For the photos have them printed on at least 3″x 5″ paper then on the back of each one date it when it was taken and the location.

So have plenty of photos from different special dates starting again from when the spouse entered the US. With your wedding photos obviously being the most important.

–Proof we’re together:
Also include some photos of friends and family with both of you. In our case, the officer asked us questions about each photo and he kept some for the records.

Also, you might want to bring signed letters from any close friends and family who can vouch for both of you and also a signed letter from your wedding witness if you had one.

Being prepared is the key:
In our experience, we started preparing early and gathered everything we needed. Remember it’s better to bring as much as you can even if you are unsure if they will ask for it. Our immigration officer was very pleasant and it was a very relaxed atmosphere.

So there’s really no need to worry and stress about this interview date. Just prepare ahead of time and DO NOT miss this interview.

Be sure to know about each other:
Be prepared to show the officer that your photos and joint accounts reflect that your marriage is true and authentic. Also, be prepared to answer any personal questions the officer might ask each of you about each other.

It’s basically to see how much you both know each other. I wish you all the best of luck!

I-693 Medical form:
It was mentioned on our I-797C that we needed the I-693 Medical form? We located a USCIS appointed doctor online and scheduled an appointment.

Everyone is different in fees and the medical exam for my wife was nothing much as the doctor only looked at her DS-3025 Vaccination Documentation worksheet from the Philippines then he filled out the I-693 and handed it to us in a sealed envelope to bring to our interview.

While at our interview they never even asked for the sealed envelope and when I tried to give it to them, they said it’s not needed? So for us, we wasted $175…

Your feedback is very important to us!

If you and your wife had a different experience at your USCIS interview in connection to getting the 2-year conditional resident card then please email us your experience if any of yours was different from the above couple’s interview? We’d love to hear from you…

SAMPLE OF I-797 Notice for interview

ATTENTION!

After you have received you’re Two Year resident card:

Warning:
Do not fail at filing everything before the 2-year resident card expires. This must be done no sooner and no later than 90 days of expiration.

If you’re too busy or unsure then FilAm has a support package for Removing the Condition our one-time fee of $175. includes one child but more than one ad $75.

Be sure to accumulate and save as much of the below items as possible:

– Birth certificates
Of children born during the time of this marriage, if any; and pictures of baby if any?

– Driver’s license
Only of husband and wife front and back showing the same address lived at if the wife has a driver’s license? (If any)

– Joint filing tax return’s
IRS 1040 schedule or other for these tax years both husbands and wife’s – for the previous 3 tax years

– Joint checking and Savings Account
Statements accumulated since you received your conditional 2-year card. (As a minimal checking account)

– Car Insurance
Also if applicable show automobile insurance policies dating back to at least your receiving the 2-year conditional resident card.

– Co-mingling bills
Joint electricity bills, cable, phone, rent, lease, car, internet should provide documentation since receiving your 2-year conditional resident card.

– Lease or mortgage
Contracts showing joint occupancy and/or ownership of your communal residence; Land or home or businesses purchased jointly.

– Financial records
showing joint ownership of assets and joint responsibility for liabilities, such as joint savings and checking accounts with transaction history, complete joint Federal and State tax returns, insurance policies that show the other spouse as the beneficiary, joint utility bills, or joint installment or other loans.

– Non Wedding photos
Digitally time-stamped photos may be up to 10 of the married couple showing sporadic times right up to the deadline of filing the removal or condition.

– People who know you
Affidavits sworn to or affirmed by at least two people who have known both of you since your conditional residence was granted and have personal knowledge of your marriage and relationship.

This can be family members – co-workers – neighbors – close friends who will provide typed statements about how they know you? How they are related to you? 

» How long they knew you as a couple?
» How often they visit you?

IMPORT! 
Be sure to ask each person to type a one-page letter then include their full name / full address / phone numbers/email addresses / then have it notarized and signed to make it legitimate. The more people the better on this?

(Such persons may be required to testify before an immigration officer as to the information contained in the affidavit.) 

The original affidavit must be submitted and also contain the following information regarding the person making the affidavit: his or her full name and address; date and place of birth; relationship to you or your spouse, if any;

and full information and complete details explaining how the person acquired his or her knowledge. Affidavits must be supported by other types of evidence listed above.

– USCIS Decision
If USCIS is not convinced of this, they could request more evidence later before they would grant your spouse her – 10 YEAR – Permanent Resident Card. 

They could even ask you both to come into their office for an interview together again.