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I'm currently awaiting my interview regarding my greencard - so far my wife and I have made it through all the steps (albeit there were some delays/hiccups along the way) and this is, as far as I understand, the last step.
Regarding this interview, can anyone who's been through this process advise me on what can I expect? Additionally, when I was a teenager, I made some stupid decisions and I'm wondering if this will have any major adverse affects on my application?
Firstly, I was given a fine and some demerit points for running a red light and driving past the time of which I was allowed to be driving (given the license I was on at the time)
Secondly, I was given a trespass notice at a local store for shoplifting (a chocolate bar of all things ) - the police were not involved
Now long before I even met my wife and had intentions of moving to the US, I really regreted these stupid decisions I made as a young, dumb teenager and have had a spotless record since - these actions took place about 10 years ago. I do not intend to lie to US immigration and intend to lay it all out when they ask me but was wondering if they would deny me based on these 2 things? Keep in mind, I was not formally 'convicted' and I was a minor at the time.
Please clarify how you are getting your LPR/GC. Marriage to a US citizen? LPR, job, asylum, investor? More details make it easier to answer.
To answer your questions: Don't worry about it. Minor traffic violations (like points on your liscense and not things like vehicular manslaughter) and getting a talking-to by the store manager for shoplifting candy are not what USCIS is interested in. Don't bring them up unless directly asked about them or you may confuse your interviewer.
As for the interview: Go in prepared.
*Regarding LPR through marriage to a US citizen* Change "husband" to "wife" if appropriate.
Don't be fooled and let yourself go in unprepared. It can be an interrogation based on your race(s), gender, income, or any of those things that are supposed to be equal in the eyes of the law. Region and the disposition of the interrogator also play a part.
Usually, you need to go in with your spouse as you will both be interviewed. Expect to arrive and be seated in a waiting area together. Then your husband will be called into a separate room and questioned. After that, he'll be released back into the waiting area and you'll be called into the room and asked the same questions. You are not allowed to communicate between your separate interrogations. The whole process should take less than 2 hours if there's no line.
USCIS seems less interested in artifacts of daily life nowadays, as they seem to believe these can easily be faked. Still, take along photos, copies of joint insurance, deeds, health club memberships, anything with both your names on it. Of course bring a copy of your marriage liscense. Don't take a suitcase full of stuff, maybe a file folder and a photo album, something that fits in a satchel or backpack that you would normally carry around.
The questions can and will range from the impersonal stuff on your application forms to really questionable inquiries. A favorite is "which side of the bed does your spouse sleep on?"
In an effort to be clever and tech-savvy, USCIS has started asking really weird stuff like "who is your Internet Service Provider at your joint residence?" which neither spouse might even remember.
DO try to answer what your spouse answered, not necessarily what is true. This means, if you know your husband will say you last ate out at Denny's on Friday Night because he was drunk and won't remember going out for midnight ice-cream after hitting the bars on Saturday, don't just tell the interrogator about the ice-cream.
Actually, better advice is to answer both what is true, and what you think your husband will say. It shows that you know him well--like a married couple should. So feel free to talk at length about both dining experiences and mention that you think he won't remember one of them (just in case he does).
If you don't know or remember, say you don't know or remember. If you think your husband didn't/wouldn't know an answer to which cell phone plan you have or some other esotheric inquiry, mention that as well. I don't think you can talk TOO much about your relationship at this point.
DON'T get offended or upset and refuse to answer prying personal questons. The interrogator has supreme power over you and your husband's life together at this point, and you MUST kowtow to them. Considering how important the interview is to you, USCIS really OUGHT to have it be done by MORE THAN ONE [s]little tin-plated dictator[/s] PERSON, but they don't. Save your diatribes and complaints for after you have your husband's green card firmly in hand. Do try to remember the interrogator's name and badge number in case you feel they are abusing their position or asking inappropriate things.
I know of one case where the wife became offended during the interview and refused to answer some personal questions. Their case was subsequently dragged through years of fraud reviews, "lost" files, thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of litigation, culminating in threats from USCIS to fine and imprison the husband for something like $70,000 and up to 5 years.
They refused to bend and insisted their marriage was bonna-fide and girded themselves for a criminal trial. In the end USCIS blinked (or maybe actually opened their eyes and took a look at the reams of evidence of their marriage) and they eventually were approved, but you don't want to go through that. Trust me.
The one spot of good news is that you should be approved on the spot with a stamp in your husband's passport, a receipt, and an estimate of when your husband's GC will arrive.
If you feel things are not going well--you have a very hostile or aggressive interrogator--and/or you don't get an immediate decision, that's a bad sign. Write everything you can remember about the interview down immediately afterward as it might be important in future legal proceedings.
Thanks for the detailed reply sponger. In regards to how I'm going about trying to obtain a GC - it's through marriage to a US citizen.
My wife and I have been apart for almost a year and a half now, and from what I understand, given that I'm currently outside of the US, I'll be invited to an interview at the US consulate here in New Zealand (where I currently reside) and my wife will not be part of the interview process at all. Will this significantly change what sorts of questions are asked and how the process is run?
As your "crime" was not sex or drugs related, you should be ok on that. There will also be a medical, and you will need proof of vaccinations, have a drug test don etc.
You will beasked a lot of questions about your relationship as this is a spousal visa (I came to the US the same way in 2008). Be sure to know about her family (siblings ages and names etc) as well as her job (job title, what she earns, collegues names etc) and her background (name of home town, university she went to etc). Bring photos from through your relationship, ideally with friends and family in the photos too. Also good is proof how you communicate; phone bills, print=outs of emails and chats etc.
When you say you have been apart, do you mean not living together or not seen eachother at all? Given that it is fairly easy to travel between the USA and New Zealand, if you have not seen eachother for 1.5 years, be prepared to have a good explanation for that. If you have visited, bring plane tickets, hotel recipts etc.
My wife and I have spent the last year in seperate countries while processing for her immigration. We had the interview in early January. We were as prepared as could be. Brought a photo albumn and all our paperwork. With nerves of steel we walked in still mumbling family member birthdates etc.
They didn't even want to talk to me, and only talked with her for maybe 10 minutes. They didn't want to see anything like photo's or bills, and they already had every original document required.
They didn't even take her into a seperate room. She was 15' from my side at a window, and I even corrected her on a date as I could hear the entire conversation. 15 minutes later her passport was stamped and 2 or 3 days later she had it along with the packet at her house. We did all our own paperwork and overall it was a very good experience. Not one hiccup in the entire process.
In terms of being apart for the last 1.5 years, my wife's been back in the US while I've been in NZ going through the immigration process. The truth is that she went back early to help us settle in a little easier, and the reason I've stayed in NZ is because I won't have any legal rights in the US other than as a visitor, and that would've only allowed me to be in the US for 3 months max at a time anyway - surely they would accept this as a reasonable answer? During this time though, I have visited her a couple of times and can easily show flight tickets, photos, etc
Rance, was it a requirement that you be at the interview? Will my wife need to do the same and come back to NZ at the time when my interview is scheduled?
Yes it was a requirement as per the e-mail we recieved from the NVC. But then once we got to the Embassy the guy behind the window said he didn't need to talk to me. We were both asked to the window in the end while he explained about the packet and her upgrading her greencard from conditional in a year up the road.
I think what helps with the entire thing is that your still married after the year or more processing and yet living in the two seperate countries. Thats a tough row to hoe in itself...being apart.
That pretty much shows your not just trying to pull some marriage scam. Keep in mind Sweden may be on different terms with the US vs New Zealand...and your interview scenario may be entirely different than ours. So bring what you can for ammo! We had a photo book with pic's from the very first time we met...right up to a day or two before our interview. We had no bills with both our names or bank documents. In Alaska they only show a primary name on our bills even tho both parties are registered at a utility company. And my bank would not put her on my account unless the wife had a social security number...which she did not.
One thing we did have was a notarized affidavit from the lady that married us. A person we had known for more than a year that attested we were a legitimate couple.
I thought about bringing the many airline tickets I had kept as proof of visits...but left them at home and figured they could just check the stamps in my passport if they wanted to count my visits.
Best of luck to you and yours. We went in nervous as a wet hen...and walked out laughing at how nervous we were for nothing. The both times we've been to the US Embassy in Stockholm was a very good experience. Everyone was helpfull, polite, and easy to talk to.
Yes it was a requirement as per the e-mail we recieved from the NVC. But then once we got to the Embassy the guy behind the window said he didn't need to talk to me. We were both asked to the window in the end while he explained about the packet and her upgrading her greencard from conditional in a year up the road.
I think what helps with the entire thing is that your still married after the year or more processing and yet living in the two seperate countries. Thats a tough row to hoe in itself...being apart.
That pretty much shows your not just trying to pull some marriage scam. Keep in mind Sweden may be on different terms with the US vs New Zealand...and your interview scenario may be entirely different than ours. So bring what you can for ammo! We had a photo book with pic's from the very first time we met...right up to a day or two before our interview. We had no bills with both our names or bank documents. In Alaska they only show a primary name on our bills even tho both parties are registered at a utility company. And my bank would not put her on my account unless the wife had a social security number...which she did not.
One thing we did have was a notarized affidavit from the lady that married us. A person we had known for more than a year that attested we were a legitimate couple.
I thought about bringing the many airline tickets I had kept as proof of visits...but left them at home and figured they could just check the stamps in my passport if they wanted to count my visits.
Best of luck to you and yours. We went in nervous as a wet hen...and walked out laughing at how nervous we were for nothing. The both times we've been to the US Embassy in Stockholm was a very good experience. Everyone was helpfull, polite, and easy to talk to.
It is possible during such an interview for the immigration official to ask for proof of a joint bank account and joint USA tax returns.
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) - the police were not involved 
