When applying for a marriage based green card you will most likely have to attend an immigration interview. The reason behind this interview is that the government is concerned about fraudulent marriages and wants to make sure that your marriage is valid. The government has gotten a lot stricter due to the fact that so many people have tried to take advantage of the green card marriage system. As a result, legitimate applicants are running into trouble with the process despite their pure intentions. Occasionally, these people are even accused of fraud.
The marriage based green card application generally includes an interview with both the U.S. citizen and the applicant. Questions will be asked in order to determine whether or not they are telling the truth about your marital status. These questions can be quite detailed and are often embarrassingly personal. Unfortunately this part of the process feels quite intrusive and that is why it beneficial to retain an immigration attorney to prepare you for the interview. With that said, the interview isn’t as bad as you probably picture it. Frequently both parties are interviewed together and tone of the meeting is relaxed. Alternatively, if fraud is suspected, each party may be questioned separately and the interview will feel much more like an interrogation.
Be prepared for the interview to take several hours. You will be asked personal questions in order to determine whether you and your spouse are actually cohabitated legitimately as husband and wife. Therefore, the questions seek to extract answers that only a true husband and wife would know about each other. Every interview is different, but you can expect the questions to be similar in tone and substance to the following:
- When was the last time you were intimate?
- What brand of birth control does your wife use?
- What does the inside of your bedroom look like?
- How and where did you both meet?
- Have you met each other’s families?
If fraud is suspected the questions will be much more intrusive and the people questioning you will be more aggressive in tone. Therefore, I would advise you to hire an attorney to assist you in preparing for the interview. Hiring a Phoenix immigration attorney prepare will not only prepare you for the interview, but he or she will also provide the necessary information to the government official to prove that your marriage is valid. Additionally, at Ariano & Reppucci, our immigration attorneys will attend the hearing with you and will protect your interests, thereby making the process less stressful.