Tips for the Immigration Marriage Interview
July 8, 2022
The path to a green card can be overwhelming. After years of stress and mounts of paperwork, the marriage-based green card interview – also known as the immigration marriage interview – is the last step on your path to U.S. citizenship. It is also one of the most intimidating and anxiety-inducing parts of the marriage green card process.
That is why it is a good idea to know what to expect at the immigration marriage interview and how you can prepare yourself accordingly so that you and your spouse can be more confident when being interviewed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or National Visa Center.
The immigration attorney at the Savage law provides legal guidance to clients and helps them prepare for the immigration marriage interview in Providence, Rhode Island, and Boston, Massachusetts, and surrounding areas.
What to Expect at the Immigration Marriage Interview
Depending on whether a married individual seeking a green card lives in the U.S. or abroad, the marriage-based green card interview can be scheduled by USCIS or the National Visa Center. The primary goal of the immigration marriage interview is to determine if the couple’s marriage is authentic. Thus, the interviewing officer will ask a number of questions to evaluate the authenticity of the marriage and ensure that it is not based on fraud.
USCIS takes marriage-based green card interviews very seriously, which is why it is so critical to prepare for them beforehand. Some of the questions that you might expect at the interview include:
Where and when did you and your wife/husband meet?
What were you and your spouse wearing at the wedding?
How long did you date before getting married?
Where was your wedding held?
What is your spouse’s favorite color?
Where do you and your spouse go grocery shopping?
What time do you and your spouse wake up?
These are just some of the questions that you might be asked during the marriage-based green card interview. The questions that interviewing officers ask vary greatly from one interview to another, which is why it is practically impossible to prepare your answers to every question beforehand. However, as long as your marriage is authentic, you should not be worried about answering those questions correctly.
Tips for Success at the Interview
There are certain things you can do to increase your chances of success at the immigration marriage interview. Below are some of the tips to follow:
Arrive on time. There is nothing worse than coming late to the interview. It is a good idea to arrive at least 15-30 minutes before the scheduled interview. If you fail to arrive on time, you risk getting your application denied.
Speak with your spouse. Sit down with your wife or husband and try to discuss everything that you remember from the day you met. Ask each other questions that are relevant to your wedding, dating, family, work, and everyday life. If there are some things you do not know or do not remember, do not be afraid to ask your spouse.
Bring as much evidence as you can. Preparing for the immigration marriage interview has a lot to do with gathering documents and evidence to prove that your marriage is authentic. Your attorney can help you understand which documents would be best to bring to the interview with you.
Be honest all the time. The worst thing you can do during the interview is lie to the interviewing officer. USCIS agents are trained to detect fraud and lies during marriage-based green card interviews, which is why many applications are denied. It is critical to be 100% honest when providing answers.
Bring an interpreter if you need one. If you or your spouse is not sufficiently fluent in English, it may be necessary to bring an interpreter to the interview to ensure that you/your spouse can understand the questions in order to overcome the language barrier and provide correct answers.
These are some of the things you can do to prepare for the marriage-based green card interview. You must contact an immigration attorney who can assess your specific situation and help you understand what you can do to increase your chances of obtaining a green card in your unique case.
Legal Guidance You Can Trust
Immigration marriage interviews may seem intimidating. However, you do not have to prepare for the interview on your own. A skilled immigration attorney can help boost your confidence by preparing you for everything you should expect at the interview. Get the legal guidance you can trust by contacting the Savage law. She proudly serves clients in the surrounding areas of Providence, Rhode Island, and Boston, Massachusetts.