Marriage Green Card Interview: What to Expect and How to Prepare

After months of waiting, the USCIS letter arrives with your interview date. For many couples it is the most nerve-racking moment of the whole marriage-based green card process. The interview has a simple purpose: to confirm that the information in your applications is true and that your marriage is real. Walking in prepared changes the experience.

What the officer is looking for

The USCIS officer reviews two things:

1. That the marriage is in good faith. In other words, that you married to build a life together and not to get an immigration benefit.
2. That the foreign spouse is eligible for a green card. How they entered the country, their immigration history, any criminal record and the other questions on the adjustment of status form.

What to bring

The appointment notice includes a list; follow it. It generally includes:

• the appointment notice and a photo ID for each of you;
• passports and immigration documents (I-94, work permit, travel permit);
• originals of birth certificates, the marriage certificate and divorce decrees from prior marriages;
• updated proof of your life together: a lease or deed in both names, joint bank accounts, insurance, tax returns, bills, photos from different dates, birth certificates of children you have together;
• certified court records for any arrest, even if the case was dismissed;
• a copy of everything you filed with USCIS.

If you aren't comfortable in English, you generally must bring your own interpreter, who must be an adult fluent in both languages. Your spouse normally can't interpret for you.

What the interview is like

You normally go in together. The officer places you under oath, checks your IDs and goes through the applications question by question, including the yes-or-no background questions. Then come questions about the relationship:

• how and when you met, the proposal and the wedding;
• where you live, who pays for what, what a normal day at home looks like;
• the names of each other's parents, siblings and children;
• where each of you works and your schedules;
• what you did for the last birthday or holiday.

If the officer has doubts, you may be interviewed separately and your answers compared.

Practical tips

• Tell the truth, always. A lie at the interview can do more damage than the fact you were trying to hide.
• If you don't remember something, say so. "I don't remember the exact date" is better than guessing. Real couples forget things too.
• Review the applications together before the appointment. If something changed (address, job, a trip, an arrest), be ready to explain and correct it.
• Answer the question that was asked, without speeches.
• Arrive early with your documents organized.

What can happen afterward

• Approval, the same day or weeks later by mail.
• A request for more evidence, with a deadline to respond.
• A second interview, if doubts about the marriage remain.
• Denial. Depending on the case, a denial can lead to proceedings in immigration court.

If you have been married less than two years on the day of approval, the green card will be conditional for two years. Before it expires you must file to remove the conditions (Form I-751).

When to talk to a lawyer before the interview

Don't go without getting advice first if the foreign spouse:

• entered without permission or overstayed a visa for a long time;
• has a prior deportation order or a case in immigration court;
• has arrests or convictions, even old ones;
• used false documents or gave incorrect information to immigration in the past;
• had an earlier marriage-based petition.

In these situations the interview carries risks that are better evaluated before, not after.

How we can help

We prepare the full case, rehearse the interview with the couple and can attend the appointment with you. Marriage-based green card from inside the U.S.: $4,000. The first 15-minute phone call is free. You can also read more about family petitions.

Frequently asked questions