DACA to AOS - Page 340

Thank you so much! These are all great advice.

We will definitely plan on making a joint bank account before we get married and add each other to the life insurance as beneficiaries. As for the pictures, we have plenty (: also, we probably will find an apartment before we get married so that we get all situated before the wedding and the honeymoon, so we will definitely be signing under both our names.

Any other tips and advice? I think we’re going to hire an immigration attorney so that we don’t mess anything up.

I'm hiring an attorney to do my AOS too. I've been married for almost 2 years now... been putting it off, but it's time.

Come back and post to let us know how it goes for you. Good luck to us both!

Oh man, our timelines are extremely similar (and same location) except my current EAD via DACA expires in December this year! My lawyer repeatedly said that I can't renew DACA again and get the EAD renewed that way because of the temporary one that I also have via the AOS process... Starting to get concerned about my ability to work past this December. Hopefully we'll get our interview date soon too.

Good luck to you guys on the 30th!!!

Hello guys, can anyone tell me how long after doing their biometrics for AOS did you receive your work permit and then interview? Did you receive work permit within 6 months? How long after work permit was your interview scheduled?

I'm sorry to say, but your lawyer might be misleading you. I have renewed both my DACA and AOS EADs without issue. I think it's important to maintain DACA status in cause your AOS case gets logjammed

Don't listen to your lawyer and renew your DACA/EAD as soon as you can, even if you have a current EAD for your AOS. There is nothing that says you can't have both, especially since you are still out of legal status while you wait for a decision on your AOS application.

Hope you get your interview soon.

Update on my AOS:

Had the interview on Friday finally (after waiting over a year). Below is a breakdown of how it went.

1. Documents
The interview notice will list out all the documents you will need to take with you to the interview, so that is what we used as a guide.
- We took a copy of my entire application (forms I-130, I-130A, I-485, I-485 Sup-A, I-864, I-765 and all supporting evidence included).
- The original documents for all the evidence that was submitted (ex. marriage certificate, birth certificates, passports, leases, bills, mortgages, insurance, etc).
- Additional evidence of a bona fide marriage that covered the time frame from when AOS application was submitted up until the interview --> this was important because in my case it was over a year gap that I needed to fill in with more documents that proved my spouse and I were really married and living together. I took our newest joint tax returns, home insurance policy, health insurance, joint bank account that we had recently opened, and more residential bills.
- All my DACA approval letters and all my EADs (this was suggested by a lawyer that we spoke to before the interview).
- A couple of pens (the notice says to bring a blue/black pen).

2. Arrival
- Our interview time was at 9:45 AM. We arrived to the field office about 45 min early. On the notice it says not to go in until 15 min before your interview time (due to COVID, they are limiting the number of people in the building), so we waited around in the car until 9:30 AM and then headed in.
- As soon as we walked in, there is a guard that checked our notice and our IDs to make sure we were supposed to be there that day, then asked us some COVID questions (have you felt sick within the last 14 days, etc), and gave us some brief instructions, like to keep our phones on silent/turned off.
- Next we had to go through a security check where we had to place our stuff in a tray (everything you are carrying on you, like phones, wallets, purses, briefcases, etc) to get scanned, and then take our shoes and belts off and walk through a metal detector.
- After the security check, we went to check-in desk where again they looked at our notice, asked us some more COVID questions, and then gave us a number and told us where to sit and wait.

3. Interview
- We probably only waited like 5 or so minutes before the interviewing officer walked into the waiting area and called our number.
- Our IO seemed pretty friendly right off the bat, since she joked that she could make us wait longer if we wanted after I expressed my surprise at how fast we got called in. This put me at ease quite a bit because part of the nerves that I was feeling was over what kind of IO we would end up getting.
- Once we got to her office, she instructed my spouse and I on where to sit. Then she made us both stand, raise our hand, and swear an oath to tell the truth.
- After the oath she asked for our IDs, our passports, and she asked me for my most current EADs (I have one from DACA and one from the AOS application).
- The IO had my entire application in front of her (not sure if it was the one I sent in or a copy) and the passport photos that I had also sent in. She began by asking the identifying questions from the I-485. She first started with me, asked me my name, birthday, current address, parents name, then turned to my spouse and asked for name, place of birth, parents name, date of marriage to me.
- Then she drilled me with all the "General Eligibility and Inadmissibility" yes/no questions on the I-485 (you know, the ones that ask you if you are a terrorist, human trafficker, communist, etc). She asked me every single one of those questions and looked me square in the eye while she asked them. That's when I realized she meant business despite her inviting demeanor. She wrote down notes for all questions that I didn't answer no to (like for example, that I had worked in the US without authorization, that I had entered the US without inspection, my traffic citations, etc). After she finished asking me all those questions, she gave me the form so I could review her notes for each of my yes answers, and then had me sign the form (part 13 on the I-485).
- Next, we went over the I-130. It didn't really feel like an interview for this part but more of a conversation. She asked me where I worked, what we did at my company, then asked my spouse the same. We then talked about our families (mainly if we'd met each others families and how that went), how we met, previous marriages. I think that was it. Like I said, it felt very conversational but that might have been due to the fact that my spouse rambled and went into stories with each one of his answers, which you are advised not to do
- After the questions were over, she asked us if there were any additional documents we wanted to submit for the I-130 so we gave her the documents I put together to cover the 1 year gap that I mentioned above.

4. Decision
- At the end of everything, she gave us a notice that says our case will be under review. She explained that they have 120 days to make a decision before I can make an inquiry (which is what the notice says), but that she would try to reach her decision within a few days. BTW, this notice with my info (name, alien number, receipt number) was printed out before we got to her office, because she just pulled it out from the documents in front of her at the end of our interview. Makes me wonder if this was already going to be the pre-determined outcome of our interview, no matter what we said.
- She asked me if I had any questions about the review notice she had just given us and then escorted us out.
- All said and done, the interview took about 30 - 40 min.


And so, the wait continues for me. Kinda disappointed that after such a long wait for the interview, I have to wait some more for a decision, but such is life. I know a bunch of people on this thread have been told that they will be under review after the interview, and then get approved like within a day or two, so I've been checking my case status online constantly, but nada. My interview was on Friday so there was a low chance of getting an update over the weekend anyway. So, I guess I shall continue to suck it up, for as long as this shit takes.

^Thanks for posting all of that and good luck with the decision!

Holy crap that was a long interview! Mine was like 10 mins tops. Probably less. It was super quick and got approved that same day. When I had to renew my conditional Gc, I was divorced by then and it was a pretty quick process too.

Why isn't this thread stickied?