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2009-01-13 David and Rong's interview


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Here is the story of our i485 green card adventures for Rong's green card interview.

 

Appointment letter said 10:00AM

 

I go to Google Maps and interesting enough it had never heard of "Central Green Blvd" so I walk out to our car for our GPS.

I am very glad Garmin knows how to get where we are going today.

 

After exiting the tollway, we turn right on to Central Green Blvd and literally the first thing you see is a old, ugly, single-wide trailer.

I point to it and said, "Our tax dollars hard at work."

Rong said, "That's not where we are going?"

I said, "No, it's that white building at the end of this street that is the super secret USCIS/DoHS interview building."

She smiles.

 

 

 

We walked in the door at 9:50 AM.

It looks like a airport security entrance and the guard asks for our interview letter. After we prove we have a reason for being here he tells us to put everything on the x-ray belt

 

including our coats and empty our pockets into the small dishes.

 

We pass through there to a big open room with 100 picnic chairs, a glass window and a door with a 5 digit numberpad security door. I hand the interview appointment letter to the

 

customer service lady behind the glass window and she hands Rong a 'person info sheet' for her to put her name, A# today's date and signature.

 

The good news is they put in a new TV up on the wall so we can be entertained while we wait in the room full of people.

 

...and wait

 

...and wait the room is emptying

 

...and wait

 

...and at 11:10 AM there is only 3 couple left.

 

The security door opens by a 50-something white man asking for Rong Who. Most of the interviewers were majority hispanic or black.

 

We are taken through the maze of offices to his office that was 8 feet across and 15 feet deep but made even smaller with file cabinets filled with paperwork on 3 walls plus a very

 

government looking desk.

 

He confirms our identity by checking both our passports.

He starts flipping through the file that only has her A# on the tab as the only identifier. This thing would make "War and Peace" look like a easy read.

 

He said, "I can't find your I-130. I see all your Guangzhou paperwork which is void now by being over a year old."

 

Nerviousness....

 

He asks, "When did you get married?"

Rong responds, "October 27, 2007."

I respond, Within 30 days of her entering the country on her I-129F Visa."

I showed him the original marriage license we filed with the government.

He nods, initials the copy of the marriage license they have in their file, and continues flipping through this bullet stopping thickness of paperwork.

 

He says, "Ah, I found it" after flipping 90% of the way through the stack.

He hands us a paper that we must sign saying what we say will be a 'official statement' to a sworn employee of the DoHS.

 

I sign it and then she signs it.

He then says, "You must be put under oath. Please stand and raise your right hand like me."

 

We stand and raise our right hand like he did.

He says, "Do you swear that the testimony you give here today is without deception and is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"

 

He looks at me.

I swear that what I say here today is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."

 

He looks at Rong.

She smiles.

"Me too."

 

He smiled and says "Ok."

I smile and think "glad he didn't make her repeat that entire speech"

 

We all sit.

He says, "I only have 3 questions to ask you now."

He returns to surfing through the paperwork for a couple minutes without talking to us.

 

Rong looks at me. I look back and shrug.

 

He finally speaks, He says, "I have to ask because we have so much marriage fraud these days." "Do you still live at the same address?"

I say, "Yes." Rong says, "Yes, We live at..." and she says our address perfectly correct.

 

He asked his second question, "What is the longest you two have been apart and why?"

 

I answered and gave the explaination, "I am in the IT Industry. Aug 2008 I flew to Dallas for a Microsoft training event. That was the same weekend IKE happened so my flight home was cancelled until IAH re-opened. I did call her every morning and night to make sure she was safe."

He just put down the number of days without the reason.

 

He asked his third question, "Do you have additional proof of your marriage."

I said, "Yes. We have joint banks accounts with xxxx and xxxx. April 2008 we bought a new car together. Both of our names on the car title."

Rong said, "We made copies so you can keep them."

I hand him the papers.

 

He then proceeds to ask many more questions past the 3 he said he was going to ask. :o

"Did either of you have previous marriages?"

"Do you have any children?"

"Do you have any children?" (He asked both of us)

 

He asked Rong went down the list of various yes/no questions like ever been arrested by a police man, seen a immigration judge, entered the country illegally or any other illegal activity?

She answered "no" to each question.

 

Then he said, "Oh I see you tested positive for TB."

I said, Yes sir. She is clean. She was first tested at the US government approved hospital in Guangzhou."

Rong then said, "After I entered the USA, I had two more complete physical with X-rays performed that show no TB infection."

Rong said, "I am not sick. I am healthy. Chinese children receive TB vaccinations at young ages. I have had two more TB exams given to me by US doctors and also the all the US required vaccinations shots."

 

He checked through the Guangzhou paperwork and then back to the current paperwork. He see something that he gives his blessing to, saying "That's fine." He turns to Rong to ask her questions.

 

He has the folds the papers back. I can see he is looking at the bio info sheet but its blocked from Rong's view.

He asks her her mother's first and maiden name, father's name and make check marks with the red pen on the I-485 application.

 

He asked for our passports. It opens my passport, verifies the info page for me. He quickly flips through the rest of the pages.

 

He picks up Rong's passport, verifies her info page, and take out the I-94 form from where it was stapled. He says, "I will keep this," and hands our passports back.

 

He asks, "May I have your EAD card?" "Are you currently working?" Rong says, "Yes." He replies, "well you won't need this anymore."

 

 

 

"I am recommending this case be approved."

 

 

Your green card should be mailed to you in 3 weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way out I stopped at the sign for a picture of my happy wife her with a happy smile.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii75/kingdavidburgess/2009%20Spring/DoHS.jpg

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Good news!

 

The address on the sign is actually the address of the parking lot. The building faces Air Center Blvd.

 

Did you actually file an I-130?

 

Yes.

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I talked with David right after I had posted this - their original I-485 was rejected. He said the Guangzhou paperwork had expired, and he had to start over. The details and time aren't quite clear to me.

 

Anyway, they filed a new I-485 with an I-130 so it would be based on that, and not the I-129F. A little more expensive, but it seems to have been faster and less painful than anything else they could have done.

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