Ben Jones

I have been laid off today, and my AOS interview is this Friday. What should I
do? Finding a co-sponsor is not an option: my family disapproves of my marriage
(we are not from the same ethnic group). I will have no trouble finding a new
job, but I can't do it in 2 days. Our tax returns show that we are easily above
the minimum income for the last 3 years. My wife does not work. We have already
postponed the interview once because of a vacation. Should we do so again? 2 days
seems short notice.

Thanks for any ideas:

Ben

jeffreyhy

Ben,

You should keep your mouth shut and go through the interview. Then you 'pound the pavement' to get a new job because you still need money to live.

I was laid off 1 week before my wife's AOS interview last October. But I had an updated I-864 and supporting documents all ready to go, including an employment letter from only a few weeks before the layoff. We submitted the material and she got her approval.

Regards, JEff

Andy Platt

It's happened before to people and not been an issue if you have good work history.
If they are being really picky they may make you wait until you have found another
job to compete the adjustment of status processing.

Andy.

--
I'm not really here - it's just your warped imagination. "Ben Jones"
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > I have been laid off today, and my AOS interview is this Friday. What should I
    > do? Finding a co-sponsor is not an option: my family disapproves of my marriage
    > (we are not from the same ethnic group). I will have no trouble finding a new
    > job, but I can't do it in 2 days. Our tax returns show that we are easily above
    > the minimum income for the last 3 years. My wife does not work. We have already
    > postponed the interview once because of a vacation. Should we do so again? 2 days
    > seems short notice.
    >
    > Thanks for any ideas:
    >
    > Ben

Luanne

Hi Ben,

A similiar thing happened to us but it was 2 weeks before the K-1 interview that my
USC fiance was laid off.

We went to the interview with the original notarized I-134 and when it came time to
hand it over to them I did so and explained that my fiance was recently laid off.
They were understanding. They asked him what his job prospects were and he told
them that he's looking etc. We didn't have co-sponsors either. We were approved
with no problems.

I know that they're probably more touchy with the I-864 than with the I-134 but I
just wanted to tell you about our similiar situation in the hopes that it'll help.

Good Luck,

Luanne

Ben Jones wrote:

    >I have been laid off today, and my AOS interview is this Friday. What should I
    >do? Finding a co-sponsor is not an option: my family disapproves of my marriage
    >(we are not from the same ethnic group). I will have no trouble finding a new
    >job, but I can't do it in 2 days. Our tax returns show that we are easily above
    >the minimum income for the last 3 years. My wife does not work. We have already
    >postponed the interview once because of a vacation. Should we do so again? 2 days
    >seems short notice.
    >
    >Thanks for any ideas:
    >
    >Ben

Simon Jessey

<We have already postponed the interview once because of a vacation. Should we do
so again?>

Whatever you do, don't bullshit them about it. Be honest with them. If your work
history is okay then they'll probably give you the all clear.

Simon Jessey

See my timeline and get K1 / AOS info at my website:- http://jessey.net/visa

Mrtravel

jeffreyhy wrote:
    >
    > Ben,
    >
    > You should keep your mouth shut and go through the interview. Then you 'pound the
    > pavement' to get a new job because you still need money to live.

WRONG... You are presenting them with a letter from an employer that is no longer
valid. This would be a mistake.

    >
    > I was laid off 1 week before my wife's AOS interview last October. But I had an
    > updated I-864 and supporting documents all ready to go, including an employment
    > letter from only a few weeks before the layoff. We submitted the material and she
    > got her approval.

That, in my mind, could be possible fraud. The requirement is for a letter from your
CURRENT employer. This is not something to lie about.

Des

Ben,

just take all the paperwork you have (even the old letters from your employer, just
to prove the employment existed), and go to the interview.

Don't postpone it again. Tell INS the truth about getting laid off, and also your
idea of how quickly you will find a job. Given that you have only been laid off for
two days, I think they will be understanding of your situation. I assume you may also
be getting severance pay, which could get you through the time you need to search...
and if you mention that to INS, they may be even more willing to approve your AOS.

- Des

Paul

mrtravel <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
    > jeffreyhy wrote:
    > >
    > > Ben,
    > >
    > > You should keep your mouth shut and go through the interview. Then you 'pound the
    > > pavement' to get a new job because you still need money to live.
    >
    > WRONG... You are presenting them with a letter from an employer that is no longer
    > valid. This would be a mistake.
    >
    > >
    > > I was laid off 1 week before my wife's AOS interview last October. But I had an
    > > updated I-864 and supporting documents all ready to go, including an employment
    > > letter from only a few weeks before the layoff. We submitted the material and she
    > > got her approval.
    >
    > That, in my mind, could be possible fraud. The requirement is for a letter from
    > your CURRENT employer. This is not something to lie about.

I agree that you should not be deceitful. But at our interview, the subject of my
employment never came up. The officer never asked for my employment letter or I-864,
just a copy of our most recent tax return.

So if you are asked about your employment, by all means be straightforward and
honest. But if it worries you that much, if the officer doesn't raise the issue, I
see no reason why you need to bring it up.

Best of luck in your interview and in finding a new job.

Andy Platt

"Paul" <[email protected]> wrote:

    > I agree that you should not be deceitful. But at our interview, the subject of my
    > employment never came up. The officer never asked for my employment letter or
    > I-864, just a copy of our most recent tax return.

So long as you don't have to give a new I-864 that's OK but obviously as soon as you
sign a new I-864 you are declaring that the information is valid whether or not the
question about employment explicitly comes up. At our interview (which as you know
was also at Arlington) I had to practically push our updated I-864 on the
interviewer. I wouldn't have cared if she didn't want it but since my wife had gone
out of her way to get it notarized I felt they could damn well take it!

Andy.

--
I'm not really here - it's just your warped imagination.

Ben Jones

"Andy Platt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
    > It's happened before to people and not been an issue if you have good work history.
    > If they are being really picky they may make you wait until you have found another
    > job to compete the adjustment of status processing.
    >
    > Andy.

I am confused about the "new" I-864. No one asked me to bring such a thing -- just a
letter of employment and taxes. Should I fill out a new I-864, even though I haven't
been asked to?

(I filled out the original I-864 with my original AOS filing.)

Thanks for all comments so far,

Ben

Andy Platt

Usually INS offices want updated I-864s because things have changed. But you don't
have to volunteer it and if they don't ask about it that's OK. But I still wouldn't
give them an employment letter from a company I was no longer working for.

Andy.

--
I'm not really here - it's just your warped imagination. "Ben Jones"
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > "Andy Platt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
    > > It's happened before to people and not been an issue if you have good
work
    > > history. If they are being really picky they may make you wait until you have
    > > found another job to compete the adjustment of status processing.
    > >
    > > Andy.
    >
    > I am confused about the "new" I-864. No one asked me to bring such a thing -- just
    > a letter of employment and taxes. Should I fill out a new I-864, even though I
    > haven't been asked to?
    >
    > (I filled out the original I-864 with my original AOS filing.)
    >
    > Thanks for all comments so far,
    >
    > Ben