cbn

Recently received separate AOS interview time and date notifications for my wife and her 13 year old daughter, with her daughter's on 4/24 and hers 5/14. I don't recall reading much here or elsewhere about kids being interviewed and I thought perhaps it was a mistake that they got separated somehow. So, I stopped by the USCIS office here, which is very small, and inquired. The officer said, not surprisingly, that he had to do them as they were sent to him. He had my step-daughters file but hadn't received my wife's. I could see the file and it had almost nothing in it. He was accommodating enough that he rearranged the appointment to Saturday so she would not have to miss school. That was good. However, I feel a little nervous about the whole thing! I'm not sure what to expect. He indicated a release form had to be signed before interviewing any child to protect him. On the language side, my step-daughter has progressed quite well in school. She is mainstreamed, out of ESL, and a gets straight A's with relentless study habits. But her speech and listening skill are still developing. If she is very nervous I notice her translating skills slow down. Anyway, if there is anyone who has had experience with a child interview, thanks in advance for your input.

AOS for K1-K2 has been pending for some time now. My question is whether when approved does a child's status change to allow for a SSI#?

If a Chinese Passport needs to be renewed here in the US. Is it accurate that you must appear in person at the State's respectively assigned Embassy? ......which appears to be Washington DC for my State of Idaho. It is difficult for me to imagine they make people travel such long distances to do this!

Arriving in May-07, we took a couple of months for adjustment. Lili was set on working in Aug. She interviewed a couple of times for some mid level business jobs but soon found she needed to enhance her skills more. We live in a small town, so the job market is somewhat limited. Worked one day in a Chinese restaurant, but that did not last long. She has a degree from China and taught English there. After some summer ESL classes at the local Community College, we decided it would be best for her to take 3 classes at the college: English 101 Writing, Intro to Computing, and Sociology. This has been plenty to keep her busy. In all it has been a very good choice to speed up her language and social skills. The small college atmosphere has been perfect for her. Writing has pushed the limit of her language skills;learning computer terminology, which does not always translate so easily, is dramatically enhancing her computer skills; and Sociology has given her a whole new way of looking at the world she had not been exposed to. We are in the process of getting transcripts transferred so she can continue further her education at a University and eventually a more satisfying job/career.

I wanted to ditto the good things that have been stated here about Mr. Yang and his apartments. It was the perfect place for our 21 day stay, if I counted right. I had to leave earlier, and for a few of the remaining nights she was able to share the room to help moderate the cost. Mr. Yang and staff were always instantly responsive and helpful. She had to stay over a week past me, and just having someone there to talk to about ongoing issues adds invaluable support to a very trying and unpredictable process. Mr. Yang, if you are listening, you have my eternal thanks!