Getting Prepared For Your Green Card Interview
If you or your spouse/fiance are applying for a green card in the United States, you will undoubtedly participate in the green card interview. This famously strict and regimented process, is where a USCIS consular officer asks the newly-wed, or soon to be wed, couple a series of questions. This is something you will need to be prepared for in several ways, not just in the consistency of your answers but ensuring you are providing all the requested documentation. By arming yourself with knowledge and learning as much as you can about the process, you will become more comfortable with the fact that the USCIS is going to dig deep during this question and answer session.
Understanding the types of questions that will be posed during the interview is a great first step in being prepared for the green card interview. There is no formal list of questions that can be discussed, rather the general topics that are covered is the best for you to focus on. From there you and your souse can envision the specific questions that may be asked. Remember that each interview is different and focuses on your circumstances as an individual and as a couple. The types of questions that may be asked of you and your spouse/fiance may include:
1. Your favorite hobbies, how you spend your time and things that interest you 2. Things you and your spouse or fiance have planned for the future 3. The details of how you met your spouse or fiance 4. Discussing your employment history and current employment situation 5. Specific questions searching for consistent, truthful answers on your green card process 6. Pretty much about any question pertaining to your relationship, life and family
Although some of the questions that are posed at the green card interview might not seem relevant, you need to understand that the interviewer’s job is to determine whether or not your marriage is genuine, or whether it has been strictly undertaken to get a green card. The INS officer who will be asking you and your spouse or fiance these questions is doing so in order to get a feel for how honest you are, and will be paying careful attention to whether there are any discrepancies in your story.
If you or your spouse answer questions posed during the green card interview in a contradictory way, the consular officer may become concerned and may ask even more pointed questions. It is critical to answer every question as honestly and openly as possible; being deceptive can backfire in a really big way. When you apply for a green card, you are making a promise that the marriage you’ve entered it to has been done in good faith. The INS works to protect its interests – and the interests of the United States government – by weeding out situations where a marriage has been entered in to strictly for the purpose of getting a green card.
Not only do you want to ensure you are answering all questions honestly and openly, you want to be prepared with all the right documentation. Part of the green card interview questions may be focused on asking for specific documents. You should have received a request for documentation when your interview was arranged. These documents are critical to bring with you on the day of the interview. Please be sure to review this list as often as you can and certainly prior to your interview that day. Failing to provide just one of these requested documents can cause major delays in your application for a green card and may even place your chances of getting a green card in question.
Of course, each individual is different from the next, but there is a general list of the types of documents you may be requested to bring with you on your interview day. It is always a good idea to be thorough and check with your local office as well. This way you can be sure one, you understand what you need to bring and two you double check your appointment date and time. The common items requested for the green card interview are:
1. Your birth certificate 2. Your marriage certificate if applicable. 3. The green card appointment letter 4. Valid passports 5. Your application for a green card and the alien registration form DS-230 6. Legal proof of divorce 7. Two recent, passport style photographs 8. Death certificates, if applicable 9. Any and all relevant USCIS documentation
The best idea to ensure that you are completely ready for your interview is to create a checklist. On it, list all of the documents that you must bring and check them off as you compile them. Include some of the sample questions that might be asked, and practice answering them before going to your interview. Be sure to go through the checklist with your spouse or fiancee to ensure that the two of you are completely ready for the big day.
Tomas Seabey shows you what the immigration interview questions may look like and helps you know understand the steps to getting a green card.
