The time on your USCIS notice is the check-in time, not the interview time, and you usually have 20 to 30 minutes to check in. Arrive 15 to 20 minutes early, meet your interpreter outside and walk in together. Bring water in a plastic bottle, leave food in the car, and know your office's parking and line before you go. Below is what to expect at each office, from Mikhail's own experience at hundreds of interviews.
Contents
- Before you go: timing, meeting the interpreter, food and water
- Los Angeles Asylum Office (Tustin)
- Los Angeles Field Office (300 N. Los Angeles St.)
- San Fernando Valley Field Office (Chatsworth)
- Santa Ana Field Office
- San Bernardino Field Office
- San Diego Field Office
- San Francisco Asylum Office
- Other states: Houston, Chicago, Detroit, Seattle, Tampa
- Inside the office and the interview room
Before you go: timing, meeting the interpreter, food and water
When to arrive
Opinions differ, but the optimal time is 15 to 20 minutes before the appointment. People going for the first time usually come much earlier, just in case; in reality, 20 minutes is safe. The time on the notice is not the interview time: you usually have 20 to 30 minutes to check in, so arriving 20 minutes ahead gives you almost an hour of leeway without losing half a day.
Meet your interpreter outside
Always meet your interpreter before you walk into the office. Some security guards won't let an interpreter in without the applicant (rare, but it happens), and the interpreter also has to check in and may need to help you through it. In some offices, such as downtown Los Angeles, if you go in first and the interpreter arrives later, security may send them to the back of the line. Meet outside and walk in together.
Water, food and breaks
Water is allowed almost everywhere, but bring a plastic bottle, not a metal one. Food usually isn't allowed, though exceptions are possible for a medical condition or other circumstances. Virtually all offices let you go in and out of the building, so when parking is next to the building, leave food in the car and ask for a short break if you need a snack. Family members of asylum applicants have much more time: while the principal applicant is interviewed, or after they've been questioned first, they can go out to the car and come back.
Most offices are in office buildings with cafeterias, but some, such as the Tustin and Tampa asylum offices and the Chatsworth field office, have none. Don't count on lunch there: take food and leave it in the car. Every office has a water fountain, and some have vending machines.
Los Angeles Asylum Office (Tustin)
Address: 14101 Myford Rd, Tustin, CA 92780. Parking: a huge free lot in front of the building.
Line: one entrance; the line forms outside and usually isn't long, except for 6:15 a.m. appointments. The office opens to the public at 6:15, so by 6:00 the line is long. The smart move is to arrive around 6:30–6:35: you're still on time, because 6:15 isn't the interview time, and by then the line is almost gone.
Check-in, in two steps: at the first window you show the notice and say whether you came alone or with an attorney or interpreter, and you receive a 4-digit number. Then windows 2–4 take your fingerprints and photo. When your officer is ready, window 2 (the leftmost) calls your number, and you go up to a smaller waiting area on the second floor; from there the officer takes you to the interview room.
Food: no cafeteria. A food truck usually pulls up around 9:20 a.m., but you may not be able to catch it.
Los Angeles Field Office (300 N. Los Angeles St.)
Parking: the underground garage right across the street on Los Angeles Street, around $25.
Line: it can look frighteningly long, but every few minutes security guards walk along it, check notices and take people in groups, by the reason for their visit, to a shorter line on the other side of the entrance. Even with 50 people ahead, you'll realistically be inside in about 20 minutes. You can't go straight to the short line on the left of the main entrance: start in the long line to the right of the building, and once security checks your notice, they'll walk you over.
Inside: go straight to the end of the lobby; the elevators are on the left. Go up to the 8th or 6th floor, depending on the room on your notice. After you check in at the window, you'll either stay in the same waiting area or be sent to another one, usually around the corner. The officer comes out and calls you by your last name.
San Fernando Valley Field Office (Chatsworth)
Parking: free covered parking across from the building. Line: it forms in the first-floor hallway between the main entrance and the inner entrance to the office. This is one of the fastest-moving offices. No cafeteria.
Santa Ana Field Office
Parking: covered and uncovered paid parking right next to the building. Line: it forms outside, and security takes you in when your turn comes. After check-in you get a number made of a letter and digits, and the officer comes out and calls you by that number.
San Bernardino Field Office
Parking: free parking adjacent to the building.
San Diego Field Office
Parking: street parking is hardly available, but there are ACE parking lots on every corner, with a discount for early-bird customers. Line: it forms outside; you go through security on the first floor and take the elevator up. The waiting area is right off the elevator; after check-in, the officer calls you from there.
San Francisco Asylum Office
Parking: a paid covered garage right before the building on Hawthorne Street, around $40. Security: one of the toughest screenings in the country, as strict as an airport. The office is in an office building with two checkpoints, one on the first floor and another on the asylum office's floor. Follow the guards' instructions exactly. Unlike some offices, San Francisco prepares Form G-1256 itself, and you and the interpreter sign it in front of the officer.
Other states: Houston, Chicago, Detroit, Seattle, Tampa
- Houston, TX: a big free parking lot outside. Down the hallway a security guard asks where you're going; the security check is up the elevator, in the waiting area. Houston also prepares Form G-1256 itself.
- Chicago, IL: check in with the concierge on the first floor, who sends you around the corner behind the reception desk to the elevators. The security check is in the waiting area on your floor.
- Detroit, MI: there is no asylum office as such: two or three interview rooms partitioned from a large ballroom, which serves as the waiting area. Security is on the first floor. Officers are sent here from out of town to conduct a limited number of interviews.
- Seattle, WA: asylum interviews take place in the same office as other USCIS interviews. Security is at the first-floor entrance, and so are the interviews.
- Tampa, FL: the asylum office has no cafeteria; bring food and leave it in the car.
Inside the office and the interview room
Things that are rarely explained anywhere, from Mikhail's experience at hundreds of interviews.
If you're running late
Behind every process are people, and each office handles lateness case by case, but missing the check-in window will most likely be treated as a no-show. This is one more reason to have someone on your team, such as your attorney or interpreter: their reputation depends on arriving on time, and if they are already there, they can ask the clerk at the window for another five minutes. The clerk may simply use their discretion rather than send away an interpreter who came for nothing, and an interpreter or attorney can also ask to speak with a supervisor about an exception. There is no guarantee, but it is worth a try.
Insider tip
Asylum offices have direct phone numbers on the USCIS website. If you know you'll be late, call ahead, give your information, apologize and ask politely. It doesn't guarantee the outcome, but being honest and forthcoming can work in your favor.
Children
Children who were not born in the U.S. or naturalized must always come to the interview. At a minimum, they are asked the so-called bar questions, the security questions required of every applicant for an immigration benefit. Parents are usually allowed to answer for younger children, while teenagers usually have to answer on their own. At asylum interviews, family members are often released after 10–15 minutes and can wait outside or in the car while the principal applicant continues.
Phones
Phones are always allowed in the waiting area, and it is worth bringing yours. In the interview room the officer will ask you to turn it off or mute it; as a rule, it must be completely off. Many people fear their phone will be searched: unless a person is detained by the authorities, it isn't searched, it simply has to be off. And when the principal applicant's part is over and the officer asks for family members who are nowhere to be found, you can use your phone to call them in.
Insider tip
An officer can't accept anything from a phone as evidence. But more than once, the mere existence of a document on the phone, or proof of where it came from, such as an email from a parent abroad, has helped convince an officer that a document is genuine and its origin is verified.
Who sits where
Most offices across the country look virtually the same. The officer sits behind an L-shaped desk with a curved computer display, and the applicant, or the petitioner and beneficiary, sit directly in front. At asylum interviews the interpreter sits next to the applicant; at marriage-based interviews, somewhere behind the couple, and Mikhail positions himself right between the spouses so both can hear him. An attorney sits behind the applicants. They may sit next to their client, but it is uncommon: the interview is non-adversarial, so the attorney's role differs from court, and they usually observe from the corner.
Can I look at the interpreter?
Yes. It is perfectly fine to look at the interpreter when you speak or ask the officer something through them. This is not an interrogation but a non-adversarial setting, with looser rules than court, and nobody forbids looking at your interpreter even there. What matters is that you always address the officer and never have side conversations with the interpreter. The interpreter speaks in the first person, so the conversation is always between you and the officer, and the interpreter is your voice in the other language. Mikhail always looks at his client when listening and speaking: it helps him catch every nuance, and it gives the client the confidence of being understood perfectly in their own language, which matters a great deal on a stressful day.
The biggest mistake: saying too much
The biggest mistake is believing that the more details you give, the better you'll be understood and the better your chances. At asylum interviews the officer gives an instruction that isn't given elsewhere but is true everywhere: don't give information you think the officer wants to hear. Most questions, at the interview and, interestingly, in life, can be answered with a simple yes or no. "When" means only the date; "where", only the place. The idea that you lead the conversation is simply wrong: the officer, or the attorney in court, knows exactly what they need and what they don't. The more unsolicited information you give, the longer the interview, the more doors you open to new questions, and the greater the chance of getting lost and confusing the officer along the way. Be honest, stick to your facts and don't volunteer what wasn't asked: the interview gets shorter, and the communication clear.
Insider tip: don't listen to the English
As odd as it sounds, if you brought an interpreter, don't listen to the English, even if you think you know it well. The brain is wired so that if you understand ten words and miss the eleventh, you get stuck for a moment of micro-stress and miss words twelve through fifteen. In the end you don't know what you were asked, and because you were focused on the English, you also missed the Russian interpretation, which would have made the question perfectly clear. Ignore the English completely and trust your interpreter: that is exactly why you brought one.
Keep it simple: think about who is listening
Don't assume the officer knows English as well as a native speaker. Many officers are immigrants too, and some have strong accents. Unless you absolutely must, avoid getting too technical or descriptive, or using professional jargon. Your interpreter has to handle everything you say, however complex; the problem is the person listening at the end. "Nape" (затылок) sounds simple, but in all your years in the U.S., how often have you heard an American say it? An officer who is an immigrant may never have heard it either. The same goes for "hematoma" instead of "bruise", or "abrasion" instead of "scratched skin". The point is not only to choose words carefully but to see who is in front of you: with a native English speaker, speak freely; with an immigrant, make it simple. Your goal is to be understood, and convincingly so, by the officer, the attorney or the judge.
Don't assume the officer knows your country
You know how the government works in your country and how people there look, dress and act. What is par for the course for you isn't necessarily so for the officer, and it is up to you to make clear what you are describing. Don't assume the officer or judge would have acted, or not acted, the way you did if they were in your shoes: they're not from there, and their culture differs in every way. Explain everything and never assume they'll just get it. They won't, and they don't have to.
Correcting an answer
As soon as you can; there is no "right" time. At any point you can tell the officer that you realized an earlier answer was wrong. Expect to be asked why you got it wrong the first time, but correcting yourself first is far better than being caught and making excuses, which undermines your credibility. If you had no chance during the interview, do it at the very end, or, if your attorney is present, have them ask the question again so you can set the record straight.
If you're called for a second interview
Second interviews have become common, especially for asylum, and they are usually a good sign: an application the office meant to deny could simply be denied. The notice comes the same way as the first one. It is usually a different officer, though that is unpredictable: if you were called back, the first officer didn't ask something they were supposed to. The second interview is usually shorter and doesn't repeat the first; it clarifies specific points from your first interview, such as security questions, earlier inconsistencies, possible citizenship of another country, military service or a criminal record. If Mikhail interpreted at your first interview, he offers a generous discount for the second.
Taking a break
Asking for a break doesn't hurt your case: it has nothing to do with the merits of your application. People get tired, stressed and nervous, especially at an asylum interview, where applicants have to relive some of the most traumatic events of their lives. Officers often offer a break themselves, and you are always told you may ask for one at any time; this matters especially for people with medical conditions. A typical interview includes one or two breaks.
Insider tip: when to ask
The safest time is between the parts of the interview. An asylum interview has three parts, and so does every other interview, though at green card and citizenship interviews the transitions are less obvious to a first-timer. The best moment is right before you get to the heart of your declaration, your story. Never ask while a question is pending, asked but not yet answered: it looks suspicious, and you will likely be told to answer first. Feel the flow and sequence of the interview, and you will sense the right moment. You can also ask in advance: when you are almost done with an episode, ask the officer for a break once you finish it. The officer keeps their train of thought, and you know a break is coming.
Separate interviews for spouses
Being separated doesn't automatically mean something is wrong: Mikhail has had several interviews where a couple was separated simply because there weren't enough chairs in the room. Separation can happen at the start or later in the interview. The officer usually asks each spouse a similar set of questions and compares the answers. Each separate conversation usually takes about 20 minutes, so the interview can take twice as long.
The petitioner, the U.S. citizen or permanent resident, usually goes first. That is logical: the interview exists because the petitioner filed the petition, and the green card is its result, not its cause. So while the applicant thinks of it as their green card interview, it is essentially an interview on the petition of a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or U.S. employer, except for self-petitions and DV lottery cases. Adjustment-only interviews are rare and depend on the circumstances; your attorney can explain.
After the interview
After an asylum interview you receive a notice that the interview is over and the decision will be mailed, with instructions on reporting a change of address and other information. You never get an asylum decision right after the interview. After a green card interview of any kind, you may get a decision on the spot, but most often you receive a similar notice that nothing more is required and the decision will come by mail.
In both cases, if the officer needs more information or documents, they issue a request for evidence (RFE), and no decision is made until you respond; you may receive both papers at once. The RFE states what to submit, how and by what deadline. It is a good idea to consult an attorney on how to respond, or on what to do if the evidence isn't available.
Documents
Every document that isn't in English needs a certified English translation; without one, it has little to no evidentiary value. Primary evidence always: birth, marriage, divorce, name change, death and adoption records. Secondary documents depend on the case: military records, police and court documents or a police clearance, personal statements, affidavits, witness statements, screenshots and social media posts. For immigration court in particular, the passport is translated in its entirety, blank pages included. More on which documents must be translated.
Based on Mikhail's own experience. Office procedures can change; always follow your interview notice and the instructions of security staff. General information, not legal advice.
Mikhail Bogomolny
California-certified court interpreter (English–Russian) with 17+ years of experience in courts, immigration courts and USCIS interviews. Mikhail is not an attorney, and nothing on this site is legal advice.