Tips for the Green Card Interview Process

Before being approved for a U.S. green card (lawful permanent residence), many—but not all—applicants must attend an in-person interview. Where exactly that interview will be held depends on where you are applying from, as follows:

• People coming from overseas (doing "consular processing") will ordinarily be interviewed at a U.S. embassy or consulate in their country of residence (though they can request their country of nationality instead).
• People applying in the United States (through the process known as "adjustment of status") will go to a district office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Regardless of where the interview will be held, however, the following tips will help you to pass and receive approval for a U.S. immigrant visa and/or green card.

Review Your Immigration Application Beforehand

An inevitable part of your conversation with the U.S. government officer will be the material in your written application. Review all the forms, whether you prepared them or someone else did.

If, for example, your U.S. petitioner (sponsor) submitted an I-864 Affidavit of Support on your behalf, which showed financial capacity to support you along with all members of their household, you don't want to be claiming at the interview that the sponsor has more, or fewer people living at home than stated on the form. That could cast doubt either on your U.S. petitioner's truthfulness or their ability to support you.

Be attentive to whether anything has changed in the weeks or months since the forms were filled out and the documents were first submitted to U.S. immigration authorities. Bring along documentary evidence of any changes, such as a new address or name change or birth of a child.

For changes in marital status in a family visa situation, also make sure that applicant is still eligible for the green card under the relevant category. Someone applying in the category of "unmarried child," for example, needs to stay unmarried all the way through obtaining approval for U.S. permanent residence.

Remain Businesslike, Calm, and Truthful

U.S. immigration officers see huge numbers of people every day. They will appreciate it if you are well-organized and straightforward, and do not waste time with irrelevant chatter. If the immigration officer appears suspicious or misunderstands something, take a deep breath and try not to argue. But do point out any errors, calmly. Also see Dealing With a Bad Green Card Interview for more tips.

Whatever you do, don't lie. Making misrepresentations during a green card or immigrant visa interview can get you into greater trouble than whatever the original issue you were trying to cover up. If you feel you need to cover something up, talk to an attorney before continuing with your application.

Of course, this doesn't mean you need to volunteer any and all potentially negative information. Answer the questions you are asked, but don't blab or offer up more information than serves your interests.

Be Aware of Any Issues That Might Make You Inadmissible

U.S. immigration law contains a long list of reasons why people who are otherwise eligible for visas or green cards will nevertheless be denied. (See Who Can't Get Into the United States Under U.S. Immigration Law?.)

Some of these are fact-based and somewhat subjective. Thus you want to make sure not to offer up any information that could raise questions. Let's say, for example, that the officer is asking about your employment history. If you were to say something like, "It's hard for me to keep a job with my ongoing health issues," that could lead to concern about your being a likely "public charge," reliant on government financial or medical assistance. (See What Is the Public Charge Rule?)

In Marriage-Based Immigration Interviews: Prepare for Personal Questions

Marriage-based green card applications receive more scrutiny than any others. The U.S. immigration officer will want to see evidence of your valid marriage and shared life, such as wedding photos, letters, emails, or texts you've written to one another, joint credit card bills, home leases or mortgages, birth certificates of children you've had together, bills in both names such as utility and cell phone bills, and so on.

Then get ready for specific questions, like details on how you first met, your first date, what you had for dinner the previous night or for a recent birthday, whether your spouse has any birthmarks or scars, what some of the family members' names are, where certain objects in your house are located, how each of you gets to work or does errands, who does the shopping, and so on.

There is no set list of questions. The immigration officer is free to invent questions on the spot. You and your spouse should therefore practice as much as possible, thinking up questions with which to test each other beforehand. Even validly married couples can easily forget things, like how many people they invited to the wedding or what gifts they gave each other for the last holiday.

If you're being interviewed at an overseas U.S. consulate, you might have a choice of whether to interview in English or the language of that country. Your own language might be easier; but if your U.S. spouse doesn't speak it, be aware that your apparent inability to do so will raise serious questions about how the two of you will communicate and whether the marriage is the real thing. Choosing English is safer in that situation, if you can manage it.

During the interview, your body language will also be noticed. You and your spouse might want to hold hands to give the right impression, but don't go overboard and make it super-mushy or like you are faking affection for the sake of your audience.

An officer who gets any impression that this marriage was performed only in order for one party to get a green card may interview each of you separately and then compare your answers. In certain cases, if there is significant evidence pointing to fraud, U.S. government officers may visit your supposedly joint residence to verify that you live together. (This has been known to happen early in the morning, without warning, and is sometimes called a "bed check"!)

See What Happens at the Green Card Marriage Interview for tips and more information on what to expect.

What If You Don’t Pass the Immigration Interview?

In most cases, unless you clearly do not qualify for a U.S. green card, your application will not be denied outright. You will likely be given more time in which to take follow-up action, such as have another medical exam done or submit additional documents, to assure the interviewer of your eligibility.

However, if your application is denied, you will need to look into your appeal rights. Your most likely route is a I-290B appeal, but at this point you will probably need to hire a lawyer if you haven't done so already.

A Lawyer Can "Prep" You for the Immigration Interview

If you are preparing for a green card interview in the United States, consider meeting first with an immigration attorney. The attorney can assist you in understanding what the interview will entail and can help to make sure you are as prepared as possible for the questions you might be asked.

The attorney can also accompany you to the interview (possibly for an added fee), and help protect your legal rights or clear up sources of confusion on the USCIS's officer's part.