Passed our AOS interview too.....

[yave20b]

My wife and I passed our AOS interview. We brought in a professional interpreter for our interview even though my wife can speak very good English. Its a good thing. My wife's fingerprints had not cleared so the IO did a form declaring she has not been a criminal before so he could proceed with the interview and asked her to answer "yes" or "no" to a list of questions. Too many difficult words for my wife to understand so the IO had to use our translator for that part. That was the total extent of my wife's questioning. I got the brunt of questioning:

 

1. How old are you and how old is your wife?

2. Have you been married before?

3. When did you get divorced?

4. Where is your ex-wife from?

5. How long were you married to your ex-wife?

6. Why did you two get divorced?

7. How did you come to know your present wife?

8. Are you planning on having any children?

9. Are you and your wife using any birth control measures now?

 

I'm guessing I got a grilling on these issues because my first wife came from Japan 25 years ago on a K1 visa and we were married for 6 years before we got divorced. My ex-wife stayed here in the US afterwards. We had a daughter together. He was very professional but often very stern looking during my questioning. After my grilling he asked for two pieces of evidence showing we were in fact living together which I gave him. He then declared he could see no reason why AOS of status should not be granted but would have to wait for the results of the FBI fingerprint check before officially approving. He told us it might be 60 days before that FBI fingerprint check came back. He thanked all of us and escorted us out of the offices. The whole thing took about 25 minutes. Man am I glad that thing is over so my wife and I can start to enjoy our life together.

Edited August 26, 2005 by yave20b (see edit history)

[Mick]

Congrats on passing the interview, although it does sound like quite a grilling.

 

It is interesting that the interviewer asked all those kind of questions, especially the one about birth control. Seems kind of personal if you ask me.

 

Anyway, congrats and best wishes; good to have another hurdle behind you.

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

Yes, Congratulations....

 

Those questions were indeed "out of bounds." It flat P's me off to see such treatment as they are not part of legal protocol. There must be something one can do to stop such abuse....

[Guest Gene]

congratulations

 

The questions do sound a bit personel, but if you look at it from the sense of what we are doing, show proof that the relationship is real, I think those questions are more appropriate than " Are you planning to try and overthrow the US Government?"

Edited August 26, 2005 by Gene (see edit history)

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

congratulations

 

The questions do sound a bit personel, but if you look at it from the sense of what we are doing, show proof that the relationship is real, I think those questions are more appropriate than " Are you planning to try and overthrow the US Government?"   

150165[/snapback]

It's very important to remember that during the interview process there are documented reasons for acceptance and documented reasons for denial. There is VERY LITTLE latitude for a questioner to deviate from these.

 

While being interviewed it's important to maintain an agreeable personna. Most of the questions you've outlined here appear to be an attempt to validate information on other documentation. However, asking if you are using Birth Control is out of bounds. So is asking whether one plans to have children.

 

Because there is a great deal of emotion involved, and also a great deal of time has elapsed before getting to an interview, many are willing to answer whatever questions are postulated. Please understand that I am NOT insinuating that one be a REBEL or otherwise show disrepect to the questioner. To the contray, being civil is important even in disagreement.

 

It's perfectly acceptable to ask, "Why do you ask?" or Can you explain to me what you are trying to establish by asking me that question?" Or....."Will I be denied this application if I answer Yes?"

 

Understanding your rights before entering is critical. The USCIS clearly states the requirements for acceptance and denial. Now, but, one can never minimize the affect of what happens when you encounter a vigilante questioner on a personal quest. This was therefore the reason for my previous post.....

[frank1538]

Congratulations to you for 1) passing the AOS and 2) not reaching across the desk and choking the IO. This reminds me of a post I made in response to someone asking what types of questions might be asked. Maybe it'll add to the glow that you should be feeling from passing.

 

VO: How long have you been waiting to get the visa?

More than one year.

VO: Good answer. If you had answered less than one year, I would have denied the visa.

 

VO: Is your spouse/fiance(e) a terrorist?

No, be he/she is a terror when she/he gets really mad.

 

VO: Are you in love?

Yes.

VO: What's love got to do with it?

 

VO: Are you a member of the communist party?

Answer 1: No, but I voted for George McGovern and Al Gore.

VO: Close enough.

Answer 2: No. I didn't even know communists partied. Can I get invited to the party?

VO: Not if I grant the visa. Your choice. Well??

Wait a minute, I'm thinking.

 

VO: Do you speak English?

No, I speak American.

 

VO: Does your fiance(e)/spouse speak Chinese?

Yes, but he/she uses a dialect that you couldn't even begin to understand. Think of it as Mao meets Madonna.

 

VO: Do you plan on working when you get to the US?

You've got to be kidding. I been out of work for more than a year waiting for this visa. You think I wanna go back now?

 

VO: Do you and your fiance(e)/spouse have sexual relations?

I really haven't asked them. but I guess they could be sexual if they had to.

 

VO: What will be the first thing you intend to do when you get to the US?

Face the consulate and do what robhon did to the restaurant owner [old timers might remember the post].

VO: And what was that?

Oh, you know, used American Sign Language to illustrate a bird.

 

VO: Speaking of birds, which bird is America's symbol?

The construction crane

VO: Good answer.

[yave20b]

congratulations

 

The questions do sound a bit personel, but if you look at it from the sense of what we are doing, show proof that the relationship is real, I think those questions are more appropriate than " Are you planning to try and overthrow the US Government?"   

150165[/snapback]

It's very important to remember that during the interview process there are documented reasons for acceptance and documented reasons for denial. There is VERY LITTLE latitude for a questioner to deviate from these.

 

While being interviewed it's important to maintain an agreeable personna. Most of the questions you've outlined here appear to be an attempt to validate information on other documentation. However, asking if you are using Birth Control is out of bounds. So is asking whether one plans to have children.

 

Because there is a great deal of emotion involved, and also a great deal of time has elapsed before getting to an interview, many are willing to answer whatever questions are postulated. Please understand that I am NOT insinuating that one be a REBEL or otherwise show disrepect to the questioner. To the contray, being civil is important even in disagreement.

 

It's perfectly acceptable to ask, "Why do you ask?" or Can you explain to me what you are trying to establish by asking me that question?" Or....."Will I be denied this application if I answer Yes?"

 

Understanding your rights before entering is critical. The USCIS clearly states the requirements for acceptance and denial. Now, but, one can never minimize the affect of what happens when you encounter a vigilante questioner on a personal quest. This was therefore the reason for my previous post.....

150170[/snapback]

I could understand why he asked about my ex-wife and my former marriage to her because I'm sure they are thinking "if he couldn't stay married to the girl from Japan why should we believe he can stay married to the girl from China?" And I could tell he had the entire nearly 3 inch thick file on us made up of all the stuff I've supplied to them over the past nearly 15 months so I know he was verifying some things in that stuff. I was a bit surprised I got grilled so much on this one subject area though. And yeh I was a bit taken about the birth control question although my wife says she knows a Chinese girl who already went through this AOS interview with her American husband here and they were asked how many times per week they have sex. So we kinda of expecting something along those lines but still it seems very personal and unrelated. For the life of me I still don't understand why the birth control thing was so important but I really did not want to prolong the interview any longer by asking as I was quite ill that morning and had only slept 4 hours the night before. I just wanted to get it over with and go home to bed.

Edited August 26, 2005 by yave20b (see edit history)

[tonado]

Good job. Congrats. How much did it cost for the professional interpreter?

[Mick]

congratulations

 

The questions do sound a bit personel, but if you look at it from the sense of what we are doing, show proof that the relationship is real, I think those questions are more appropriate than " Are you planning to try and overthrow the US Government?"   

150165[/snapback]

It's very important to remember that during the interview process there are documented reasons for acceptance and documented reasons for denial. There is VERY LITTLE latitude for a questioner to deviate from these.

 

While being interviewed it's important to maintain an agreeable personna. Most of the questions you've outlined here appear to be an attempt to validate information on other documentation. However, asking if you are using Birth Control is out of bounds. So is asking whether one plans to have children.

 

Because there is a great deal of emotion involved, and also a great deal of time has elapsed before getting to an interview, many are willing to answer whatever questions are postulated. Please understand that I am NOT insinuating that one be a REBEL or otherwise show disrepect to the questioner. To the contray, being civil is important even in disagreement.

 

It's perfectly acceptable to ask, "Why do you ask?" or Can you explain to me what you are trying to establish by asking me that question?" Or....."Will I be denied this application if I answer Yes?"

 

Understanding your rights before entering is critical. The USCIS clearly states the requirements for acceptance and denial. Now, but, one can never minimize the affect of what happens when you encounter a vigilante questioner on a personal quest. This was therefore the reason for my previous post.....

150170[/snapback]

I could understand why he asked about my ex-wife and my former marriage to her because I'm sure they are thinking "if he couldn't stay married to the girl from Japan why should we believe he can stay married to the girl from China?" And I could tell he had the entire nearly 3 inch thick file on us made up of all the stuff I've supplied to them over the past nearly 15 months so I know he was verifying some things in that stuff. I was a bit surprised I got grilled so much on this one subject area though. And yeh I was a bit taken about the birth control question although my wife says she knows a Chinese girl who already went through this AOS interview with her American husband here and they were asked how many times per week they have sex. So we kinda of expecting something along those lines but still it seems very personal and unrelated. For the life of me I still don't understand why the birth control thing was so important but I really did not want to prolong the interview any longer by asking as I was quite ill that morning and had only slept 4 hours the night before. I just wanted to get it over with and go home to bed.

150183[/snapback]

You mean they actually asked someone how many times a week they had sex?

 

That is beyond belief! No way is that pertinent to whether or not a visa should be granted. Good grief!

[yave20b]

Yep, during their AOS interview they actually asked my wife's Chinese friend and her American husband how many times per week they have sex. Our professional interpreter charged us $60 per hour. We paid her for 2 hours even though all but 25 minutes of that was just sitting waiting for us to be called for our turn to be interviewed. However, I really believe spending $120 for a professional interpreter was very well worth it. It made my wife feel very comfortable about the interview process and the IO actually thanked our interpreter for helping us and him afterwards. Unless your wife is absolutely fluent in English I really highly recommend hiring one for your interview.

Edited August 26, 2005 by yave20b (see edit history)

[mari]

Yep, during their AOS interview they actually asked my wife's Chinese friend and her American husband how many times per week they have sex.  Our professional interpreter charged us $60 per hour.  We paid her for 2 hours even though all but 25 minutes of that was just sitting waiting for us to be called for our turn to be interviewed. However, I really believe spending $120 for a professional interpreter was very well worth it. It made my wife feel very comfortable about the interview process and the IO actually thanked our interpreter for helping us and him afterwards.  Unless your wife is absolutely fluent in English I really highly recommend hiring one for your interview.

150232[/snapback]

How many times a week or how many times a day???? That would be my answer........p*****s me off their ways.

[warpedbored]

This isn't the first time I have heard of them asking offensive questions. I recall one member who told they asked his wife if she had ever been a prostitute. We were prepared for that but our IO never asked her any such questions. She asked the standard questions like "have you voted in an election, are you a member of the communist party, etc.

Edited August 27, 2005 by warpedbored (see edit history)

[tonymasiello]

Wow, that was a fast turnaround! What office did you have the interview at and what kind of timeline did you have in AOS process? We'll be happy if we can get an interview in less than a year at the Boston office, and some other offices are even slower than that.

[yave20b]

Wow, that was a fast turnaround! What office did you have the interview at and what kind of timeline did you have in AOS process? We'll be happy if we can get an interview in less than a year at the Boston office, and some other offices are even slower than that.

151137[/snapback]

Sorry for the late reply. We are in the South Texas district. Our AOS interview took only 75 days from the date we sent in our I-485 application.

[tonyuab]

cool. Congras!! our interview date is scheduled on Nov.1. We are working on the list of needed document now (very long list..).