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This article will give you a realistic overview of what to expect to be asked from USCIS when seeking a marriage-based green card. Marriage-based green card interview questions will fall into one of two buckets, personal questions, and financial questions.
United States immigration law favors family immigration. If a permanent resident or citizen has an overseas spouse, it is a well-known policy preference for the United States to try and bring that spouse over. However, because it is so well-known that U.S. immigration has this preference, many people try to skip the line by fraudulently entering into a marriage with a citizen or green card holder, entering the country, and then leaving them.
Key Takeaways
As a result, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (or USCIS) has made it customary to interview prospective couples seeking to bring one partner to the United States on a marriage-based green card. It is generally not possible for your marriage-based green card interview to be waived. USCIS will want to have a firsthand look at your marriage in order to determine whether your partnership is authentic or not.
Do You Know Things About Your Spouse?
The first category of interview questions for a marriage-based green card can roughly be summarized as “do you know basic things about the person you married?” This is the broadest and most commonly asked category of questions you will see during a USCIS interview. These questions give the interviewer the ability to assess the authenticity of your marriage. This category includes questions pertaining to how you and your spouse got married, including:
- How did the two of you meet?
- When did you meet in person for the first time?
- How long were you dating/courting each other before you decided to get married?
- When was your wedding?
- Where was your wedding?
- Did you go on a honeymoon after your wedding? If so, where?
- What does your spouse do for a living?
- Who does your spouse work for?
A subcategory of these questions deals with basic details about your relationship:
- When did you two move in together?
- Do you two have a shared bank account or other shared financial assets?
- Do you two have any shared/joint property together?
- What hobbies/activities do you two enjoy doing together?
- Do you have any pets?
- Do you visit each other’s parents often?
- List your mutual friends.
- Have you had the chance to meet with your partner’s extended family?
- What is your home life like?
- Tell me about an argument you two have had.
- How do the two of you resolve arguments?
Sometimes, questions will be phrased to the two of you; sometimes, they will be directed at one partner or another. Oftentimes, the USCIS asks one partner questions about the other. For instance:
- Tell me about your partner’s daily routine.
- When does he/she wake up?
- Does your partner like his/her coffee with cream/sugar?
- What are the names of your partner’s parents?
Sometimes this is done in the same room as the other partner, other times the USCIS will separate the two spouses briefly for individual one-on-one interviews.
The interviewer can get a bit more personal sometimes and ask for details regarding your long-term plans as a couple. These questions include:
- Do you plan on having kids? (if so how many?)
- Do you plan on moving somewhere else in the future?
- Have you two ever lived separately?
How Do You Plan On Supporting Each Other?
A second category of questions deals with the financial relationship between you and your partner. These questions are a bit more substantial and serve to give the USCIS a look into the potential financial health of your living situation in the United States. The answers to these questions will likely require documentative support. Examples include:
- Who pays the rent/mortgage?
- Do you file joint tax returns together?
- Do you list each other as beneficiaries of your insurance policies?
- Do you share a phone plan together?
Feel free to bring whatever sources you need to fully and completely answer these questions.
How Long Is The Interview?
USCIS could ask a small subset of these questions, or it could ask next to all of them, depending on their level of scrutiny with respect to the marriage. Because of this, USCIS could keep you anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Remember, USCIS could spend some time interviewing both of you, or it could take one of you aside to give a separate interview.
If the USCIS thinks that your marriage is fraudulent and wishes to deny your marriage-based green card, under United States law, they will need to give you a second interview opportunity to prove the authenticity of your marriage. This is known as a Stokes Interview (or a marriage fraud interview) and may be equally as long as the initial green card interview. To keep it short, you and your partner will have at least two chances to prove to USCIS that your marriage is authentic.
How To Prepare For Marriage-Based Green Card Interview?
The first thing to do to prepare for a marriage-based green card interview is to gather all the relevant supporting material you need to showcase the authenticity of your marriage. The marriage certificate, your joint tax returns, and information regarding the mortgage/rental unit you share can all be important to giving USCIS the indication that your marriage is genuine. The night before the interview, sit down with your partner and go over the list of potential questions USCIS may ask you. Remember to not try and sound too rehearsed, as this may give off the impression that you are being inauthentic. Instead, be sure you and your partner understand the general gist of the questions you may be asked and be prepared to give honest, truthful answers.
If you and your spouse are thinking about immigrating to the United States and are concerned about your marriage-based green card interview, the experienced attorneys at O’Flaherty Law may be able to help you. To schedule a consultation, call us at 630-324-6666.
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