CAsunlover

I have been reading a lot on this website and wanted to share my AOS experience.

I have overstayed my visa for a few years, married to USC when we found out I was pregnant. All this happend while visiting under the VWP.

It has been a long ride, for me, I would not recommend the AOS under the VWP, tooo much stress. Thank god its over and now I pray for a good outcome, I have not been approved yet...

Location is Fresno, California.

We had to wait for 2 hours, the officer was behind due to some problematic cases. I could not help overhearing the case being discussed right in front of me by the lawyers that were representing the couples before us.

My paperwork is prepared by a AILA lawyer, the lawyer left yesterday for a vacation and could not represent me, the first thing the officer asked me while walking to her office, why we were not respresented? (mind you, all the other couples had their lawyer with them, truckloads of paper too!!).

We did not thought that this would be a problem and decided to go in by ourselves, we basically have nothing to hide and was prepared as one can be. Spend the whole week copying files, letters, bankstatements and so on.

I was issued a EAD 3 months ago, had not received my social yet. Because of that I was not on a lot of paperwork, no joined bankaccounts, no insurance papers, creditcards nothing...

I did had a rental agreement and a utility bill, which I copied and lots of other evidence that we are living together and that we have a family together.

Finally we were called in, sworn in and asked the following questions:

- How long have you been married?(like 5 times, different sentence)
- what is your home phone number?
- Where were you born (like 5 times, different sentence)
- Are the children both yours?
- When did you enter the USA?
- Is this your adress?
- Is this your signature ?

We had a co sponsor due to the fact that my husband has been laid off last year and because we had not steady tax returns for 3 years.

Questions asked:

- How many persons do live in the household of your co-sponsor?
- Is she sponsoring someone else, besides you?

She did not asked how we met, how many times we met before getting married, what date we got married, why I overstayed. She did not wanted to see any photos that I had brought with me. She did not wanted any other photo copys of "evidence" that I had of our marriage and the children.

The interview was short and she was very demanding in her questions. To be honest I was a bit frazzeld afterwards. She kept flipping through the file, checking all the questions with a red pen. I had the idea that she did not put the file together because some paperwork was not in the right place and she mentioned something about that.

After being very short during the interview and constantly flipping the paperwork she pulled out a paper with blue squares on it, that I had to sign and that I had to fingerprint, I do not know what kind of paper this was and she did not explained it to me, she did said that we were done, that I had to sign right here in the little box and that I had to fingerprint it.

Then, she smiled somewhat said that everything looked okay, went over the questions if I every was arrested etc etc. I did tell her that I received WIC for the children and Medical during the time hubby was not employed, she asked me then if I had received FCP????? I told her that I had never heard of it and what that was, she then said, if I did not know what that was I probably never received it and it was okay......

After answering the rest of those questions with a no she said that it all looked okay, that she could not approve me today because of the security check with the FBI. She gave me a paper that said that the outcome of the interview would be mailed to me, and explained to me that that was because she did not had the outcome of the security check.

Does that mean that my case is basically approved then????? I was to frazzeld because of her rushing through the interview, was somehow a bit dissapointed that she did not wanted to see all my other paperwork that I had gathered together....

A bit of a anti climax......oh well!

Ray

Sounds like its nearly over for you ..congrats ..
You will get your letter in the mail in a week or a year ...security checks can be very long winded ... sit back and relax for a while ...

Noorah101

Congratulations on getting the interview finished! Now you just wait for the approval letter in the mail, and if you need the I-551 stamp in your passport for travel purposes, you can make an Infopass appointment and get it. Otherwise, your green card will follow the approval letter in the mail.

Best Wishes,
Rene

djuice

I was wondering if the FBI name check is pending can you still get your passport stamped for travel purposes?
If you were out of status for more than 6 months I guess then AP is out of the question because o the 3-10year ban. In that case can you still travel with a stamped passport ?
thank yo all for your responses

Ray

No.. until your passport is stamped or you received the green card ..you are still in limboland

Noorah101

No, as long as the FBI name check is pending, your AOS is not approved, and thus you can't get an I-551 stamp. Perhaps I worded it wrong...I meant once her approval letter comes, THEN she can make an appointment to go in with her approval letter and get the I-551 stamp if she needs to travel before her green card arrives in the mail.

If you are subject to a ban, you can only travel once you have either the I-551 stamp or your green card.

Best Wishes,
Rene

CAsunlover

Thanks for explaining the process a bit more....

Do you think that the form that I had to sign and fingerprint is for my greencard?

Noorah101

Yes, indeed!

Rene

CarlM

[After being very short during the interview and constantly flipping the paperwork she pulled out a paper with blue squares on it, that I had to sign and that I had to fingerprint, I do not know what kind of paper this was and she did not explained it to me, she did said that we were done, that I had to sign right here in the little box and that I had to fingerprint it.]


This is the I-551, application for GC! Its a good thing! The fingerprint will appear on the greencard.

CAsunlover

Oh WOW!!!!! can I say wooooohoooooooooo?

Noorah101

Please feel free to Party On! LOL

Rene

CAsunlover

Maybe I should start a new thread on this particulair question...

How long in general does it take to get your FBI clearance after you had your interview?
TIA

Noorah101

Now THAT is a question no one can answer, unfortunately. There are people that have waited a matter of minutes, days, weeks...and some are still waiting many months. Do a search on the forum for "FBI checks" and you'll come up with a whole bunch of folks in the same boat.

Rene

CAsunlover

I received the letter today....I guess the officer was too busy to check her computersystem and did it later that day.....or she did not wanted me to be jumping all happy out of her office! :-)

maximus76

CONGRATS!!!
and who says that they are slow