FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Archived: Processing Timelines for 1st Time GE Applications by US Citizens and LPR
Old Apr 4, 2016 | 9:31 pm
  #3053  
Kiwiphile
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: SFO OAK
Posts: 1
Thank you all for your experiences and advice (Long time lurker here). I was approved today at SFO.

Applied:3/18
Conditional Approval: 3/25
Interview: 4/4 @ SFO
Approval 4/4, about 20 minutes after interview.

Shortly after receiving conditional approval, I scheduled my interview for SFO. The soonest available was September 3. Since I'm travelling overseas in June, I rescheduled for 5/4 at PHL while travelling there (plenty of openings there starting late April). Last week I decided to try my luck with SFO in case I could get an interview earlier - spent about an hour checking availability every 10+/- minutes. Appointments started opening up for Thursday 3/31 and Friday 4/1, which I had conflict and couldn't schedule. 4/4 then opened up about 10 minutes later and I grabbed it.

The interview was straightforward. I was early and they took me for the interview as soon as I checked in. They asked about arrests and pending warrants, confirmed where I've traveled in the last five years, asked if I had traveled anywhere else (Mexico), who I have traveled with and how often I planned to travel internationally. Confirmed my email address and employer, and did fingerprints. I had a legal issue in the past, and brought paperwork with me to show the resolution. Aside from a couple follow up questions, was very straightforward. The officer gave me verbal approval although my fingerprints were taking some time to process. The approval email came through about 20 minutes later.

The officer was friendly and cracked a couple jokes. He took a call during the interview where someone asked about walk ins - he said they did take walk ins but it could be an hour to 8 hours if at all. A group of people were waiting outside the office. While in my interview, someone showed up who was 45 minutes late, and was taken in for their interview without any problem.

Last edited by Kiwiphile; Apr 4, 2016 at 9:39 pm
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