USA, Canada /
My wife's US permenant residence card interview [15]
This is a continuation of the thread I started in the Jobs Offered section regarding needing a translator on May 17.
We aced the interview. We didn't even have separate interviews. Our translator, a fellow Chicago White Sox fan originally from Krakow, was fantastic. We had never met prior to today, and I was only vaguely familiar with her from a White Sox message board. I contacted her out of the blue, and she was more than happy to translate for us. Here is a recap of the 30 minute interview.
We had an 8AM appointment, so we met at 7AM near the Immigration center on Congress. We got acquainted, and arrived at 7:45AM. Pola, our translator, had never worked an interview before, and instead of going over questions etc., we just shot the breeze. She put my wife at ease. At 8:15AM, officer Hamilton called us in. He is a very nice black gentleman. He swore Pola in, and then Jola ( my wife ) and myself. I was grateful to have Pola along, as my wife was unsure of herself, and Pola explained everything, so my wife had no unanswered questions. Officer Hamilton gathered our identification, and asked for a copy of the marriage liscence. He asked some general questions to verify identities, and verified my employment. I'm a beer man, so it we had some humor concerning beer drinking. During this time, my wife was pinting out imperfections of my face to Pola, while I was paying attention to Officer Hamilton. After reviewing our license, he asked for documentation of our marriage. We have been together almost four years. We had some pictures, some with dates, some without. Jola pointed out my mom, and info about her. I was filling out the G-385, ( which I had but could not find ), I was otherwise extremely well-organized. I also showed Officer Hamilton my Dish Network bills, which indicate that I pay for Polish TV. I handed over our insurance records, including all of our doctor visits. I also showed him that Jola is listed as the beneficiary on my life insurance policy. Between our chemistry, the documents, etc., it was enough. He gathered up our ID's, except for Jola's work permit ID. He said he was keeping that. At that time I knew her application was approved. In two weeks or so, my wife will recieve her permanant residence card. In three years we have to file one more form. We did not have separate interviews.
My recomendations are simple.
Love the person you are with.
Take pictures
If you can, get and use insurance ( easier said than done )
If you spouse isn't fluent, use a translator. especially if you are like me, and you lack patience at times.
Bring plenty of correspondence, going back as far as possible.
Do not attempt marriage fraud. These officers handle 35-40 cases per week. It's a waste of everyone's time and effort. I would imagine a dedicated officer can spot a fraud a mile away. Of course, I pray I never do this again, and pehaps Officer Hamilton is the exception and not the rule. It was not confrontational.
Another advantage of a translator is that they can lighten the mood.
That's all I have. A huge thank you to Pola, and to everyone on this board for suggestions, or just offering good luck.
