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-   -   i485 AOS interview date is here! (https://britishexpats.com/forum/us-immigration-citizenship-visas-34/i485-aos-interview-date-here-925917/)

nudda Jun 21st 2019 10:37 pm

i485 AOS interview date is here!
 
Well, one step close to being "greened". I got my interview date for July. With that I got a letter with the following. I have highlighted the key parts.

https://i.imgur.com/YgpewZi.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...888bb20521.jpg


My questions:
  • Does the attorney need to join phyiscally or via call? Is there any benefit to having them there?
  • Government issues photo ID - I will take my UK passport, US driving license and EAD/AP combo card. Is that ok?
  • the medical exam was sent off with the i140. They will not need anything else at the interview for this, correct?
  • "Bona fide job offer" - I have been at the same company for 6 years. My role will change on 24th June though (promotion) however it will be the same field of work. What would I need to take for this requirement?
  • "Eligibility of lawful permanent resisident status" - would this just be the visa in my passport?
  • "All travel documents". I can take the blanket L1 visa papers, passport, EAD/AP card, latest i94 printed. Anything else ?
  • "Original and copy of each supporting document". I have the i140 submitted in pdf form. Can I just print this out as it will have birth certificate etc in there?
Any other pointers much appreciated..

Thanks all!!

tom169 Jun 22nd 2019 12:45 am

Re: i485 AOS interview date is here!
 
If you're using an attorney then consult with him/her.

nudda Jun 22nd 2019 1:09 am

Re: i485 AOS interview date is here!
 
I am however he is utterly useless and was chosen by my employer. I'd walk in more confident knowing I have the info I need from this community

tht Jun 22nd 2019 12:14 pm

Re: i485 AOS interview date is here!
 

Originally Posted by nudda (Post 12701248)
Well, one step close to being "greened". I got my interview date for July. With that I got a letter with the following. I have highlighted the key parts.

https://i.imgur.com/YgpewZi.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...888bb20521.jpg


My questions:
  • Does the attorney need to join phyiscally or via call? Is there any benefit to having them there?
  • Government issues photo ID - I will take my UK passport, US driving license and EAD/AP combo card. Is that ok?
  • the medical exam was sent off with the i140. They will not need anything else at the interview for this, correct?
  • "Bona fide job offer" - I have been at the same company for 6 years. My role will change on 24th June though (promotion) however it will be the same field of work. What would I need to take for this requirement?
  • "Eligibility of lawful permanent resisident status" - would this just be the visa in my passport?
  • "All travel documents". I can take the blanket L1 visa papers, passport, EAD/AP card, latest i94 printed. Anything else ?
  • "Original and copy of each supporting document". I have the i140 submitted in pdf form. Can I just print this out as it will have birth certificate etc in there?
Any other pointers much appreciated..

Thanks all!!

For context I did not have an interview for AOS back in 2011 so I can’t speak from my own experience.

They will probably only look at 1 piece of ID, but taking it all can’t hurt.

The picture you posted says “may” not “must” take a lawyer, so my guess is this is for applicants who don’t speak good english or have other issues.

For the medical the picture you posted says unless submitted in the last year, so if you already submitted one in the last year you should not need anything else.

They asked for “all travel documents” at the end of the Citizenship process as well, I feel like they just want to get any official documents they can so they are not repurposed by anyone, I assume they are just destroyed.

For the last question, my read is they want the original and a copy of any documents you have submitted copies of before. They will want to compare the original to the copy and then keep that for the file. At my Citizenship interview he actually scanned everything in from the originals rather than taking a paper copy.

The job offer is still important, while you are already employed this is a new application, you are not moving from a L to GC, the process is independent, I think the supporting letter with mine said that I was already employed and that the Firm would continue to do so. I would get a fresh letter to take and/or I would take your last few months pay stubs and most recent contract so that you can prove you are still employed in the same job as the I-140 petition. I would check with the lawyer before accepting any promotion before the interview. If you plan to go for Citizenship you also need to consider this, I have only heard about it in the context of changing jobs after receiving the GC, but have heard that it can raise questions at the time of applying for Citizenship. If you search other forums people will say to wait 6 months or a year, but there is no official policy I have seen, the lawyers take was that they could question your intent at the time of getting the GC if you moved to soon afterwards.


neill Jun 23rd 2019 12:20 am

Re: i485 AOS interview date is here!
 

Originally Posted by nudda (Post 12701248)
Well, one step close to being "greened". I got my interview date for July. With that I got a letter with the following. I have highlighted the key parts.

https://i.imgur.com/YgpewZi.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...888bb20521.jpg


My questions:
  • Does the attorney need to join phyiscally or via call? Is there any benefit to having them there?
  • Government issues photo ID - I will take my UK passport, US driving license and EAD/AP combo card. Is that ok?
  • the medical exam was sent off with the i140. They will not need anything else at the interview for this, correct?
  • "Bona fide job offer" - I have been at the same company for 6 years. My role will change on 24th June though (promotion) however it will be the same field of work. What would I need to take for this requirement?
  • "Eligibility of lawful permanent resisident status" - would this just be the visa in my passport?
  • "All travel documents". I can take the blanket L1 visa papers, passport, EAD/AP card, latest i94 printed. Anything else ?
  • "Original and copy of each supporting document". I have the i140 submitted in pdf form. Can I just print this out as it will have birth certificate etc in there?
Any other pointers much appreciated..

Thanks all!!

Your attorney does not need to be there. Don't worry about Medical records, (if they gave you a copy before sealing the envelope, maybe bring that). Just bring as much as you can, including copies of anything you submitted. In all likelihood, you won't be asked to produce much if any of it at the interview. If your lawyer has NOT submitted an I-485J (you would probably have a confirmation letter from USCIS if they did), then you will definitely need to bring that to the interview. OR If your role has changed significantly since the last I-485J, bring a new completed one with you.
Don't worry too much, you are definitely on the home straight.

tom169 Jun 23rd 2019 10:50 am

Re: i485 AOS interview date is here!
 
My advice is be very organized. Take things in a labeled binder so when asked it isn't awkward or clumsy.

nudda Jun 24th 2019 3:54 am

Re: i485 AOS interview date is here!
 
Thanks tht - " I would check with the lawyer before accepting any promotion before the interview." I dont fully understand. I am in a new position which effectively has the same duties as the last with more, and is in the same company. Its essentially a promotion within the same company doing what I have been doing before but with more oversight and managing people. Surely this cant be seen as a negative during the interview/citizenship?

Thanks Neill - Good to be reassured im on the right path. Nearly there (fingers crossed!)

Thanks tom169 - great advice. ordered myself something from Amazon

tht Jun 24th 2019 12:36 pm

Re: i485 AOS interview date is here!
 

Originally Posted by nudda (Post 12701891)
Thanks tht - " I would check with the lawyer before accepting any promotion before the interview." I dont fully understand. I am in a new position which effectively has the same duties as the last with more, and is in the same company. Its essentially a promotion within the same company doing what I have been doing before but with more oversight and managing people. Surely this cant be seen as a negative during the interview/citizenship?

Thanks Neill - Good to be reassured im on the right path. Nearly there (fingers crossed!)

Thanks tom169 - great advice. ordered myself something from Amazon

We have no idea how different it is, enough that you mentioned it here, don’t assume that because you see a job as “better” that someone else would see it like that, does the title change a lot? e.g. if you came as an L2 with specialized skills and then were promoted to a different job where you only managed people and did not use that skill they may not view it the same way as you do, or made a move to a different state etc . It sounds like things have changed anyway, Neill had pointed out a new form: I-485J maybe look in to that, my comment was related to something similar but different, moving between employers. I would have your employer confirm with their lawyer it won’t cause issues if it was me.

TexanScot Jun 24th 2019 1:14 pm

Re: i485 AOS interview date is here!
 

Originally Posted by nudda (Post 12701891)
I am in a new position which effectively has the same duties as the last with more, and is in the same company. Its essentially a promotion within the same company doing what I have been doing before but with more oversight and managing people. Surely this cant be seen as a negative during the interview/citizenship?

Actually yeah, it can be.

Promotions within the same job ladder, with substantially similar roles and responsibilities are fine e.g. going from a Widget Fiddler to a Senior Widget Fiddler is OK.

However actually changing positions - and if you're a now a manager it sounds like this might be the case - then that can mean that you are no longer in the job that you were petitioned for.

I don't know what your position is or what you were doing previously, but I'd consult with your attorney and ensure that they are happy that your new role is genuinely within the same job family and that it's not in fact a different job entirely.

tht Jun 24th 2019 1:53 pm

Re: i485 AOS interview date is here!
 

Originally Posted by TexanScot (Post 12702035)
Actually yeah, it can be.

Promotions within the same job ladder, with substantially similar roles and responsibilities are fine e.g. going from a Widget Fiddler to a Senior Widget Fiddler is OK.

However actually changing positions - and if you're a now a manager it sounds like this might be the case - then that can mean that you are no longer in the job that you were petitioned for.

I don't know what your position is or what you were doing previously, but I'd consult with your attorney and ensure that they are happy that your new role is genuinely within the same job family and that it's not in fact a different job entirely.

And remember your EMPLOYERS lawyer is not YOUR lawyer.

Most of the time your interests and goals should be aligned, but there may be instances when they are not and if your employer is paying for the lawyer their duty is to the employer and not you.

If it's with the same employer I don't think a promotion would impact Citizenship, but worth checking on the GC side because what they are doing is going through your application and matching the evidence against it. Your thinking about it like a line and saying above the line must be OK because its better, where they may be thinking more binary, does what your have showed match what was in your I-140.

More academic but this is an interesting read about dual representation:

http://ailaoh.org/wp-content/uploads...n-Dual-Rep.pdf

TexanScot Jun 24th 2019 1:57 pm

Re: i485 AOS interview date is here!
 

Originally Posted by tht (Post 12702057)
And remember your EMPLOYERS lawyer is not YOUR lawyer.
Most of the time your interests and goals should be aligned, but there may be instances when they are not and if your employer is paying for the lawyer their duty is to the employer and not you.

Absolutely right.

I should probably have said the company's attorney, but the attorney-client relationship is with the employer as you say.


If it's with the same employer I don't think a promotion would impact Citizenship, but worth checking on the GC side.
Someone who has been there can probably advise, but I don't think the job matters in the slightest when it comes to naturalization so long as you're otherwise eligible.

nudda Jun 24th 2019 2:07 pm

Re: i485 AOS interview date is here!
 

Originally Posted by tht (Post 12702022)


We have no idea how different it is, enough that you mentioned it here, don’t assume that because you see a job as “better” that someone else would see it like that, does the title change a lot? e.g. if you came as an L2 with specialized skills and then were promoted to a different job where you only managed people and did not use that skill they may not view it the same way as you do, or made a move to a different state etc . It sounds like things have changed anyway, Neill had pointed out a new form: I-485J maybe look in to that, my comment was related to something similar but different, moving between employers. I would have your employer confirm with their lawyer it won’t cause issues if it was me.

Thanks tht. Indeed you are right - I have to see it from the POV of the IO. I have reached out to my employers lawyer to see what they say.

tht Jun 24th 2019 3:13 pm

Re: i485 AOS interview date is here!
 

Originally Posted by TexanScot (Post 12702059)
Someone who has been there can probably advise, but I don't think the job matters in the slightest when it comes to naturalization so long as you're otherwise eligible.

I was asked who the employer was who had petitioned for my GC verbally at my Citizenship interview in May 2019 (I assume they see everything on your file from the visa onwards). I applied about 7 years after I became a PR, so my original employer was not even listed on my 5 years of employment history.

tht Jun 24th 2019 3:18 pm

Re: i485 AOS interview date is here!
 

Originally Posted by nudda (Post 12702066)
Thanks tht. Indeed you are right - I have to see it from the POV of the IO. I have reached out to my employers lawyer to see what they say.

If it is no issue, great. If it could be, I am sure your employer can wait to promote you a month or 2...


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