Don't Believe Cancellation Emails! AOS success!
Jul 18th 2006, 5:22 am
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 41
Don't Believe Cancellation Emails! AOS success!
Hi All!
First off, we HAD our AOS interview this morning. We received a cancellation email a few weeks ago, but never received a paper copy, so we ignored it!
We arrived at the USCIS office in Orlando around 9:05 for a 9:30 appointment. Security was friendly and we knew better than to attempt to bring any electronic devices. They took our appt. letter and had us wait with the others. Around 9:45 we were called back by a really nice gentleman. Up until this point, we weren't sure if we even HAD an interview. We were both nervous ....
So we sat in his office and were sworn in. He thumbs through our file and says, "I need to begin with the unpleasant things first". Uh oh!
He says to me, (the USC), "Did you know there was a warrant out for your arrest?" At first I thought he was kidding but then I figured out that he wasn't. The adjudicator said that I had come very close to being arrested when I had walked through the door! I almost burst into tears and vehemently denied the charges. Long story short, there was someone who used my name (different middle initial) but my old address and phone number when they got stopped in Georgia for not wearing a seat belt. They were a no-show at court so a warrant was issued. Turns out the "suspect" was 4 inches taller and was thinner than I am (never know when being short and stout will come in handy!) and so eventually we moved on (after the adjudicator called the county office in GA) to the actually interview.
He took both of our passports and driver's licenses and held on to them for the duration of the interview.
He asked us basic questions.
Questions he asked me:
1. Where was your husband born?
2. What is his birthday?
3. What are his parents' names?
4. What is your husband's occupation?
Questions he asked my husband:
1. When is your wife's birthday?
2. Today are you married, single, or divorced?
Then he asked him several legal questions regarding his intentions in the states. The whole, "are you a terrorist, polygamist, or a member of the communist party?" The only question that Matthias stumbled on involved "genocide" and that is only because he wasn't sure what "genocide" was but he figured it was bad, so he said no!
The documents he wanted copies of:
1. The tax transcripts and W-2s for last year. (He actually asked, who made all this money?)
2. All of our proof of relationship: Our deed to our house, our car insurance, medical insurance, car registration, pet registration for our cat, and assorted bills.
He actually looked at our pictures! I actually think he was disappointed that there were only 20 or so in the album. I didn't put more in because I thought that they wouldn't look at them anyway! He did comment on the fact that our cat is named "Goose" and that she looked a little fat in the picture!
After those documents, he wanted all of Matthias' EADs as his Advanced Parole. I asked him if he wanted copies of the Advance Parole and he joked and said, "We just loaned them to you, now I get them back!"
I didn't realize it at the time, but he was confiscating that information because we were approved. Remember, I still wasn't even sure if we were going to have an interview TODAY, so all of the sudden here we were being approved.
The adjudicator took Matthias' passport out of his office and returned a few minutes later with the wonderful LPR stamp in it! He reviewed the information in it with us and then congratulated us! I told him that we were going to have a "greencard party" to celebrate and he laughed at us.
We walked out (skipping) at 10:15! Glad to be done for 10 years and the card should arrive in 4-8 weeks.
All in all, minus the arrest warrant issue, we had a great experience and are happy to be done. Yipee!
Here is our timeline:
Filed for AOS from a K-3 on 3/5/05
Interview and approval 7/18/06!
Not bad considering they quoted us 3 years when we filed!
Thanks for all your help!
Niki and Matthias
First off, we HAD our AOS interview this morning. We received a cancellation email a few weeks ago, but never received a paper copy, so we ignored it!
We arrived at the USCIS office in Orlando around 9:05 for a 9:30 appointment. Security was friendly and we knew better than to attempt to bring any electronic devices. They took our appt. letter and had us wait with the others. Around 9:45 we were called back by a really nice gentleman. Up until this point, we weren't sure if we even HAD an interview. We were both nervous ....
So we sat in his office and were sworn in. He thumbs through our file and says, "I need to begin with the unpleasant things first". Uh oh!
He says to me, (the USC), "Did you know there was a warrant out for your arrest?" At first I thought he was kidding but then I figured out that he wasn't. The adjudicator said that I had come very close to being arrested when I had walked through the door! I almost burst into tears and vehemently denied the charges. Long story short, there was someone who used my name (different middle initial) but my old address and phone number when they got stopped in Georgia for not wearing a seat belt. They were a no-show at court so a warrant was issued. Turns out the "suspect" was 4 inches taller and was thinner than I am (never know when being short and stout will come in handy!) and so eventually we moved on (after the adjudicator called the county office in GA) to the actually interview.
He took both of our passports and driver's licenses and held on to them for the duration of the interview.
He asked us basic questions.
Questions he asked me:
1. Where was your husband born?
2. What is his birthday?
3. What are his parents' names?
4. What is your husband's occupation?
Questions he asked my husband:
1. When is your wife's birthday?
2. Today are you married, single, or divorced?
Then he asked him several legal questions regarding his intentions in the states. The whole, "are you a terrorist, polygamist, or a member of the communist party?" The only question that Matthias stumbled on involved "genocide" and that is only because he wasn't sure what "genocide" was but he figured it was bad, so he said no!
The documents he wanted copies of:
1. The tax transcripts and W-2s for last year. (He actually asked, who made all this money?)
2. All of our proof of relationship: Our deed to our house, our car insurance, medical insurance, car registration, pet registration for our cat, and assorted bills.
He actually looked at our pictures! I actually think he was disappointed that there were only 20 or so in the album. I didn't put more in because I thought that they wouldn't look at them anyway! He did comment on the fact that our cat is named "Goose" and that she looked a little fat in the picture!
After those documents, he wanted all of Matthias' EADs as his Advanced Parole. I asked him if he wanted copies of the Advance Parole and he joked and said, "We just loaned them to you, now I get them back!"
I didn't realize it at the time, but he was confiscating that information because we were approved. Remember, I still wasn't even sure if we were going to have an interview TODAY, so all of the sudden here we were being approved.
The adjudicator took Matthias' passport out of his office and returned a few minutes later with the wonderful LPR stamp in it! He reviewed the information in it with us and then congratulated us! I told him that we were going to have a "greencard party" to celebrate and he laughed at us.
We walked out (skipping) at 10:15! Glad to be done for 10 years and the card should arrive in 4-8 weeks.
All in all, minus the arrest warrant issue, we had a great experience and are happy to be done. Yipee!
Here is our timeline:
Filed for AOS from a K-3 on 3/5/05
Interview and approval 7/18/06!
Not bad considering they quoted us 3 years when we filed!
Thanks for all your help!
Niki and Matthias
Jul 18th 2006, 5:27 am
#2
MODERATOR
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Posts: 58,687
Re: Don't Believe Cancellation Emails! AOS success!
Wow, after a scary beginning, congratulations on a wonderful ending! 
And thanks for sharing the tidbit about "go to your interview anyway, even if cancelled". That's very helpful.
Best Wishes,
Rene
And thanks for sharing the tidbit about "go to your interview anyway, even if cancelled". That's very helpful.
Best Wishes,
Rene
Jul 20th 2006, 6:52 am
#3
strangely floppy..
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ohio - originally London
Posts: 1,719
Re: Don't Believe Cancellation Emails! AOS success!
From an Arrest Warrant to an 551 stamp in the space of half an hour - now thats one of those memorable days right there!
Your story about turning up and not knowing if you have an interview reminds me of my AOS. I made an appointment to go see why such a delay and where was my interview letter, and was told by the lady behind the window that my interview was in 20 mins time. The forgot to put my apartment number on the letter so it never arrived!!!! Quick call to wifey who works on the same street as immigration, and 45 mins later i was out with approval. Talk about my morning getting better!
Your story about turning up and not knowing if you have an interview reminds me of my AOS. I made an appointment to go see why such a delay and where was my interview letter, and was told by the lady behind the window that my interview was in 20 mins time. The forgot to put my apartment number on the letter so it never arrived!!!! Quick call to wifey who works on the same street as immigration, and 45 mins later i was out with approval. Talk about my morning getting better!
Last edited by CarlM; Jul 20th 2006 at 6:54 am.
