The marriage based green card interview is the final step in receiving a marriage based green card. It is a process used by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) to authenticate the marriage between the Beneficiary and the Petitioner. Questions asked by the immigration officer at the interview surround a detailed dive into the couple’s relationship, which includes their daily lives and what their plans as a couple are for the future. Although it is the final step in the marriage green card process, people find it to be the most stressful due to the weight the interview holds. With the correct counsel and preparations, the interview can be a smooth and easy process. Some ways you can prepare for the interview include, but are not limited to:

1. Refreshing your memory
2. Collecting prior submitted documents and reviewing them
3. Preparing new documents for submission
4. Making sure you know each other well

Why is it important to refresh your memory? It is important because the officer conducting your interview will almost certainly ask you questions about the documents you’ve already submitted and ask for certain details revolving your marriage. These questions can include explaining how you met, where you went on your first date, when and where you proposed, and so on.

Preparing original documents keeps your organized and prepared in case you are asked to provide those documents on the day of your interview. These documents should include your passports, birth certificates, and marriage certificate. And finally prepare new documents for your interview. Any additional documentation that can prove the authenticity of your marriage can only help you during the time of your interview. This includes photos of you together, birth certificates of any children you had together, joint bank statements, and any documents that can be used to prove you have traveled together.

The day of the interview the interviewing officer will ask a variety of questions to not only authenticate your relationship but to also confirm the details surrounding the entrance of the spouse into the United States.

Post interview there are a number of outcomes that can occur. These include approval, a request for evidence, additional review, a second interview, or a denial. Although the officer is authorized to deny the case, they usually allow the beneficiary to clear up any discrepancies before giving a final decision.

In the case that the USCIS officer suspects that the couple’s marital status is fraudulent, USCIS will require further clarification and will schedule a second interview, otherwise called a “Stokes Interview.“ Although initial interviews are done with the spouses in the same room, the Stokes Interview is conducted separately. During the Stokes interview, the officer will separately ask each party detailed questions, and will often ask the other party the same questions to test the accuracy of the answers. This interview is typically a lot longer than the initial interview and the questions are a lot more in depth.

Although the final step of the green card process seems stressful it does not have to be. It is crucial that you have an attorney prepare you for what to expect at the marriage based green card interview, whether it be an initial or a stokes interview. At the Law Offices of Inna Vernikov we have successfully guided countless clients through the interview process and have successfully helped them obtain their green cards.

For legal advice and expert assistance with preparation for the marriage based green card initial and Stokes interviews, contact Law Offices of Inna Vernikov at (212) 729-3497.