bequibar

Well, the day was finally here.

The following is the story I wrote for Kamya, but I know many Philly couples will start getting their Interview appointments in the mail soon and I wanted to leave this on file for you guys.

Our appointment was at 10:30 am. We arrived on time, went up to the 3rd floor, gave our interview appointment to the person at the window and took a seat. We hadn't even gotten our coats off when they called us in.

I was fingerprinted and had to sign a piece of paper, front and back. Then we all went into the interviewer's office, took an oath to say the truth, and sat down. She was very kind and attentive and asked us some very normal questions (none of the tricky stuff we were expecting). She asked my husband how did we meet, she asked me where do we live, she asked my daughter her age, etc., all while she was browsing through the file she had pulled out (I'm guessing that was my AOS application file).

She noticed my daughter's file was not with mine so she asked if my daughter was supposed to have her interview today, because she only had me on file, not her. I explained she had come to the States and filed for adjustment of status a month after I did, so her file hadn't been finished processing when I got my interview notice. I had submitted an application to consolidate both AOS interviews but had heard nothing back. She typed my daughter's A# in the computer and, luckily, she had already been processed, so we were very relieved we had brought her with us as she was now able to have her AOS interview right then and there as well. The lady left for a second to retrieve my daughter's file and had her fingerprinted as well.

We had brought all kinds of documents, all kinds of proof, letters, photographs, everything, but she never asked us for anything except to see originals she already had copies of, or supporting documents for something mentioned in the file.

The only paperwork she requested from us was: my husband's insurance showing me and my daughter as beneficiaries, his pay stubs and tax forms to make sure he was still making the salary reported on the affidavit she had on file, my EAD, my I-94, my daughter's I-94, and all our passports.

She did ask me the obligated "are you a terrorist, a spy, a convicted felon, a prostitute" littany, to which I truthfuly answered no, biting my tongue trying to not laugh or joke about it.

She explained when and how to remove the conditional status for both my daughter and me and how to become citizens after that. She stamped our passports, asked if we had any questions, and said the greencard would be mailed to this address so please verify it's correct or it will get lost in the mail (we checked to verify name and address on her piece of paper), and fared us well.

We were outside hailing a cab by 11:00 am. It was very quick, very painless, very straightforward and we walked out with our passports stamped.


I wanted to thank all you guys in this forum, the help and the info one can get by searching old posts is invaluable.

But thanks Matt Udall for preventing me from becoming a binder-girl and for explaining I could've walked out of there with no stamp and that would've been normal (it made the pleasure of walking out of there with a stamp so much sweeter), and many many thanks Mr. Folinskyinla for suggesting I ask the Philly office to consolidate my daughter's file with mine. I don't know if that application had any bearings on today's events or if that was just a happy coincidence, but I'm very relieved we both adjusted status today and our USCIS processes clocks are now ticking at the same time.

Noorah101

Hooray! Congratulations, Bequibar!

Rene

bequibar

Thanks Rene!

I am SO relieeeeved!!
I can go about my normal life for the next two years without offices and forms and checks and documents.... ahhh...

OK, so: complete timeline from start to finish and now I'm changing sig lines.

K1

‘03

3/22 . I-129F sent to VSC
3/26 . NOA1
5/5 . RFE
7/16 . NOA2
7/22 . NVC
7/24 . Consulate receives & registers
8/12 . Packet 3 arrives
10/14 . Medical
10/15 . Interview - K1 issued
10/17 . POE: El Paso bridge - no EAD
10/22 . Applied for SSN
10/24 . Marriage license
11/22 . Wedding
11/25 . Medical & vaccination
11/26 . AOS
12/4 . AP granted
12/30 . K2 arrives

‘04

1/10 . AOS NOA (date 1/8)
1/13 . Fingerprint noa (date 1/5)
1/20 . Fingerprinting. Re-applied for SSN
1/26 . SSN card arrives
1/27 . EAD NOA: interview 2/9
2/9 . EAD granted
2/13 . AOS k2
3/10 . AOS NOA k2 (date 3/5)
11/5 . Medical & vaccination
11/19 . Applied to renew EAD

‘05

1/6 . AOS Interview NOA (dated 1/4) for 2/2
1/7 . Biometrics
2/2 . AOS Interview – approved, stamp on passport

inquisitive40

Congrats, that was a long trip,,, always so nice to be done with it

Patrick

bequibar

Thank you Patrick, I know you got your greencard recently too, congrats!
Yes it's nice to be done with it, isn't it?

inquisitive40

Yes, I really have not had it sink in yet, even looking at the card in your hand it is still surreal to feel that it has been approved.

Congrats again

Matthew Udall

Congratulations (And thank you for your comment). Did you stop off for a celebratory meal at one of the food vending trucks normally parked outside the Phili office? I believe one of the vendors even takes ADIT photos!

Sarah

Congrats B!
I've been to Philadelphia Callowhill myself (for Biometrics) and I have to say they were about as friendly as the immigration staff at JFK (ie, not very) so I am very glad to hear that your AOS went well and they were okay with you as I'll be having my AOS there at some point too.
Have a beer on me!
Sarah

Suess

Hi,

CONGRATULIONS.....................................

We have our interview at Philli on Tuesday. I'm glad things went so well for you. Reading your report was very reassuring.

Did they tell how long before you get your Green Card?

Sue

Rete

Congratulations and thank you for posting it to Kamya. Very much appreciated.

bequibar

Thanks Rete! Oh, no problem. I also re-submitted the k-1 interview at the consulate of Ciudad Juarez. I remember writing it for Kamya when it happened, but I looked today and they didn't have it. Hope that solved it.

Matt - lol, yes I've had many an ADIT pictures taken in those vans, but alas, no meals. We hailed a cab to go celebrate at a little mexican restaurant in south philly. Yummm...

Sarah - really? We have had the immense luck to have encountered nothing but kind people with patience and a smile at Callowhill. Honestly.
I mean sometimes the waits are outrageous, I've spent hours in there I'm never getting back, and sometimes we've seen things get ugly with someone else, but we've had luck. Always the most decent and understanding of human beings, thank goodness, because the first few times we came really unprepared, resulting in extra trips to the vans outside for everything from notarizations to ADIT photos, so, that could've been unpleasant with a harsh officer.

Suess - uhm she actually did say how long it would take. Unfortunately, we have no idea what she said.
She had a very thick accent and spoke very quickly and a bit quietly so most of our interview was laced with "excuse me?"s and "would you mind repeating the question?"s, so by the end we were mostly relieved it was a positive outcome and embarrassed to keep asking her to say that again. We figure, you know, the stamp on the passport is good for a year, so I guess I can wait anywhere between weeks and months for the card. We think she said 4 weeks, but... who knows.

We had a good interview. I was very grateful she helped us out by finding out the status on my daughter's file and interviewing her with us. She could've easily said "tough luck, wait for her turn". It was a huge relief to be done with her AOS too on the same day.

But my daughter and my husband were eavesdropping on the next-door office's interview and they said the officer was asking a child: "is this your mother?... oh yeah? how do you know?"
What kind of a question is that? How can a child answer that question, what do you mean how do I know this is my mother? "You got something to tell me, mom? Are you my mother?" Sheesh...

bequibar

Oh by the way, I don't have to do a thing about my Social Security card, do I?

I seem to remember them mentioning I'd have to... uhm... was it re-file or let them know when my status changed, I can't remember... do I have to do something at the SS office or do I really get to relax for the next 2 years?

Rete

You update your status with them and have the legend taken off your card. You do that again when and if you naturalize.

AlisonPA

Excellent news and thanks for the detail of the interview. Hopefully I will soon get my letter for my AOS too.

Rukhie

congrats!!!