Preparing for the Marriage Green Card Interview
What to Know Before Your Marriage Green Card Interview
If you’re applying for a spouse’s green card, you are probably aware that part of the application process involves an in-person interview with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. If you weren’t aware of this marriage green card interview, now you are! But don’t stress it too much; given the high volume of divorces and sham marriages out there, the USCIS is simply looking to make sure that your marriage is legitimate and not just to gain citizenship. To prepare for your own impending interview, you should go through your relationship history with your spouse and look for details that show your devotion to one another.
Prior to your interview, it is helpful to review your application information as the USCIS interviewer will probably base many of their questions on that information. Below are five common questions you may be asked, though there will be others:
How did you meet?
It benefits you to give as detailed a description as possible, whether you met online, in a bar, at work, etc. The more detailed, the better so if the details are fuzzy, brush up a bit.
How long were the two of you together before you married?
If you were not together very long before marriage, your interviewer will want to know what prompted early marriage. With so many marriages leading to divorces, they want to be sure you are devoted to one another. If it was an arranged marriage, mention or emphasize that. It’s important to leave little to the interviewer’s imagination.
What was your engagement like?
Who proposed to whom? How was it done? Even if it wasn’t too extravagant, it is important for them to know how and why you made the decision to get married. The how, that is, the engagement, tells the officer how you two express yourselves to one another and work together. It paints a fuller picture of your marriage.
What do you and your spouse have in common?
This question is more than meets the eye, but don’t overthink it. The officer wants to know how well you know your spouse. Tell them what interests, hobbies, and values you share. Don’t lie about these things, even if you share a few things in common, emphasize how and why. Show the depth of the importance to you both.
When and where were you married? Tell me about a little about it.
The answer they are looking for is not complicated; they are just looking for the details of your wedding. Include the location, time of day, date, weather, the people invited, etc. in your answer. From there, you can tell them a bit more about the details of the day. From this information, they are reading into how well you remember your wedding and how important it was to you. It’s a good idea to talk about your wedding day and your favorite memories with your spouse prior to the interview, especially if some of the details are a little hazy.
A few things to be aware of:
- Pay attention to your body language, confidence, and delivery of the answers at your marriage green card interview. These questions won’t paint the entire image of your marriage, but the way you answer them gives the interviewer a clearer idea.
- Though it is stated above, it’s important to emphasize that your marriage is legitimate. Not explicitly, but in how you answer the questions; when you answer, be expressive of your love for each other. It may sound slimy, but you need to sell your marriage to the interviewer.
- It also helps your chances greatly to practice for the interview before, as you don’t want nerves getting the better of you and ruining your chances of receiving a Green Card.
- Be clear and concise at your marriage green card interview. Your officer is going to review this later so clear answers will help them do their job, and improve your chances of approval.
Road to Status™ is changing the way America processes immigration applications because the old way simply doesn’t work.
Road to Status™ provides immigration applicants with high quality, affordable immigration tools that are easy to use, secure, and accessible anywhere. Watch a short video to see how it works here. When needed, certified and vetted immigration attorneys are available to help.
Learn more at https://www.roadtostatus.com and sign up FREE for updates and critical immigration reform news and alerts.
The newsletters and articles found in this blog are offered only for general informational and educational purposes. They are not offered as and do not constitute legal advice or legal opinions.