Green Card Marriage Interview

An interview is the final stage of the green card marriage process. The fundamental objective of the interviewing authority is to evaluate the validity of the marriage. The interview questions aim to get details about the couple’s relationship, way of spending their lives together, and future plans.

If the couple adequately satisfies the interviewing officer that their marriage is genuine, the spouse gets a Green Card. The interview is crucial for green card marriage applicants. For some individuals, it is quite a stressful event. However, if you have an overview of the process, then you can prepare yourself better for the big stage.

In the United States, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) deals with the green card interview. The U.S. State Department is in charge of the green card interviews for overseas applicants.

Couples Staying Together in the United States

Once USCIS has completed the assessment of your green card application, the authorities forward your documents to the local USCIS office near your residence. You will then get an appointment from the local office notifying you that you both need to attend the interview session. The notice contains a specific date, time, and location.

Overseas Couples

After the completion of the review process by the State Department’s National Visa Center (NVC), the U.S. consulate receives your file for processing. The U.S. consulate in your spouse’s country of residence checks all the details and then gives an appointment notice. Once your spouse receives the notice, s/he must attend the interview at the mentioned date, time, and location. If you are sponsoring your spouse, you cannot attend this interview. 

Prepare Yourself

The following steps will help you prepare for a green card interview:

• Recall to your memory the important events: Have a detailed conversation with your spouse before the interview. Recall all the major events, dates, and background of the relationship.
• Organize all your documents: Keep the original documents with you. Make sure you have the original documents of all the copies that you submitted with the application.
• Documents required: Passport, marriage certificate, birth certificate of children (if you are a parent), recent photographs of the couple are the important documents. Also, you need to present bank statements, tax return documents, joint-property papers, insurance documents, a record of phone calls, and any details of vacation. Remember, the purpose of the documents is to establish the authenticity of your marriage. So, you would want to keep all the relevant documents with you.
• Stay Organized and well-prepared: Arrange all your documents in a folder, and organize all the photos on an album. Make sure all the documents are in presentable form.

The Interview Session

In the United States, a USCIS officer will interview you. If you are an overseas applicant, a consular officer in your respective country will conduct your interview. The interviewing officers are specialized in conducting marriage-related interviews for a green card.

 Right from the beginning of the interview, the officers ask questions about your marriage and relationship. The officer will discuss details regarding your spouse’s entry to the United States. They will also ask questions about the immigration history of your spouse. Therefore, your answers should comply with the statements made by your spouse in consulates and the embassy.

You must know all the details that your spouse provided to the concerned authorities.

The Interview Questions

The questions will revolve around your marriage history. Interviewers tend to ask the following questions.

Your Relationship Background

• Highlight your first meeting with each other?
• What were the locations of your dates?
• How long you knew each other before making the marriage decision?
• Discuss the details of your marriage proposal.

Your Marriage

• How was the event of your wedding?
• How many guests attended your wedding ceremony?
• What were the types of food served in your marriage?
• Did you perform any particular rituals during the marriage event?
• Did you go somewhere for your honeymoon? If yes, where?

Your Routine

• Highlight your daily routine around the house?
• What is your pattern of starting a day?
• How often do you contact your other half when you are not together?
• Who cooks the food? You or your spouse?
• Who likes to clean the house?

Your Children (If Any)

• How do your children commute to school?
• Do your children have friends?
• What food do they like?
• What is the favorite sport of your kids?

Your Habits and Preferences

• What type of dress do you wear?
• Do you or your spouse take any medicine? If so, provide details?

Important Events, Customs, or Celebrations

• When do you celebrate your birthdays?
• What is your way of celebrating?
• How do you plan your holidays?
• Which holidays are the most important for you?

Interviewers want to obtain complete information about your relationship, marriage, and plans. Additionally, they expect you to provide all the answers honestly. You might think that they are getting unnecessary details, but it is the requirement of the interview. Provide your responses confidently.

Highly Personal Questions

Some interviewers might ask highly personal questions such as what kind of marital difficulties you experienced initially? On which sides of the bed, you and your spouse sleep? if you are not comfortable answering these questions, you can simply decline. Speak your mind, officers generally respect your decision and move on to the other questions.

Outcomes of the Interview

Typically, there are five outcomes of the green card interview:

• Approval: if you succeed, the officer will let you know in person that they are approving your case.
• Request for Evidence (RFE): The officer may ask for additional documentary evidence.
• Additional Review: The interviewing officer will mention if your case requires any further review. You may have to wait for the final verdict or you may get a notification for further steps via email.
• Second Interview: The officer may call you for another interview to discuss your relationship history if they are not satisfied with the ongoing interview.
• Refusal: If you have incomplete documents or insufficient evidence, you may face rejection.

Final word

Green Card marriage interview aims to assess your marriage and relationship history. This is a detailed interview, which also includes questions about your daily routine. Provide all answers honestly and confidently.

Meta Title:

Green Card Marriage Interview.

Meta Description:

Green Card Marriage Interview. The article aims to guide green card marriage applicants about the questions they encounter in the interview.