When an applicant seeks to obtain a green card based on being married to a US citizen, the US Citizenship and Immigration Service ("USCIS") conducts an interview of the applicant and asks various questions related to the marriage. The purpose is to determine whether the couple is in a "sham" marriage and is engaged in immigration fraud.
The interviews generally take about 20 minutes (but can take longer) and will cover a wide-range of material. Often, if the couple is living in the US, the couple is interviewed together. But, sometimes, each spouse is interviewed separately. In broad outline, the questions will cover these topics:
- Your relationship
- What you know about each other
- Family members
- Friends
- Living, work, and financial arrangements
Below are some of the types of questions that are asked and a few sample questions. These are not THE questions that will be asked. There is no official list of questions. The USCIS interviewer has topics and will just ask questions that help to prove one way or the other whether the marriage is true or fraudulent.
Importantly, do not take this list of questions or any other list with you to the interview. Having a list is considered similar to having a "cheat sheet" for a test. You are supposed to know the information, not memorize the information. Also, it is "okay" to get some of the questions wrong because in real life, couples do not know everything about each other.
Your Relationship
With any couple, there is a history of meeting, dating, getting to know each other, and eventually, a marriage. To prove that you are in a TRUE marriage, the USCIS asks a whole set of questions related to these issues. So, the interviewer might ask: "When did you first meet?" and "Where did you first meet?" Other questions might include:
- Where did you go on your first date?
- How long did you date?
- What was your most memorable date?
- Where was the marriage proposal? Describe the marriage proposal?
- Where was the wedding? What is your anniversary date?
- Who attended the wedding? Do you have photos or videos of the wedding?
- What was the best gift you received from your spouse?
What You Know About Each Other
With any couple who have truly dated, each person learns a lot about the other. A couple that is truly married will have certain basic information about each other. Examples include:
- Where was your spouse born?
- What is your spouse's birth date? What is your spouse's middle name?
- What is your spouse's favorite color or breakfast food or flavor of ice cream, etc.?
- What is an interesting story about your spouse from when they were a child?
- Does your spouse like sports? What is his/her favorite team?
- What are your spouse's hobbies?
Family Members and Friends
Likewise, any truly married couple will know the basic information about each other's family and, at least, some information about friends. So, there will be questions like:
- How many brothers and sisters does your spouse have? What are their names?
- Are your spouse's parents still alive?
- What about nieces, nephews and other relatives?
- Who is your spouse's best friend?
Living, Work, and Financial Arrangements
If the married couple have been living together, then there will be some questions about living, work and financial arrangements. Generally couples that live together 24/7 establish routines and patterns of behavior. They generally know where each other works, who does the chores, etc. They also share a common space and, thus, should be able to answer basic questions about the living space. So, the USCIS interviewer will ask questions intended to prove or disprove that you actually live together. Sample questions might include:
- How many rooms are in the apartment/house?
- Who usually gets up first?
- What kind of car does your spouse have?
- Who typically cooks?
- What does your spouse usually eat for breakfast? for dinner?
- Do you have pets?
- Who does the laundry? Who picks up the drycleaning?
- Do you have a toaster? A blender?
- Who generally pays the bills?
- Do you have a joint checking or savings account?
As said above, these are just sample questions. Further, the interviewer will ask different types of questions depending on the circumstances. For example, if the couple has not been living together, then there will be fewer questions about living arrangements. Likely, there will be some because, in theory, a legitimate married couple has visited each other’s home. As another example, if there are children living with the couple, then there will be questions about the children.
Contact Yekrangi & Associates Today
For more information, contact the Orange County Immigration Attorneys at Yekrangi & Associates today. You are not alone and we will fight for you. Yekrangi & Associates works to meet a higher standard. Our first goal is your satisfaction. Contact us at (949) 478-4963 to schedule a consultation or complete our convenient “Get Your Consultation” form here. We are located in Irvine, California.