We are happy for you and your partner on tying the knot, and for all the steps you have taken to become a permanent resident and secure an immigrant visa! Getting through the interview process is the final hurdle in the quest to Sponsoring spouse for a green card in New York.
Now that you are at the end of the line, it is time to get ready for the interview with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers in your journey of sponsoring spouse for a green card in Rosedale Queens. You want to make sure you don’t mess up like a lot of people do.
Maintaining a long-distance relationship can be tough, especially when one of you is an immigrant. To live, work, and study in the US, the immigrant partner can apply for a green card based on marriage.
The interview is a key part of this journey of sponsoring spouse for a green card in Richmond Hill. This is where officials check if the marriage is real and go over all the paperwork and forms you have submitted.
The main goal of the interview when sponsoring spouse for a green card in Richmond Hill is to make sure the marriage isn’t just a setup to avoid US immigration rules and get immigration benefits. But the best way to make your application look solid is by having all the right documents that prove your marriage is legit.
The interview is super important in the immigration process and can be stressful. The USCIS officer will ask a bunch of questions to make sure the marriage is real and to see how strong your relationship is.
It is crucial to be ready, give clear and honest answers, and understand what to expect during the interview to make things go smoother and hopefully, get an approval.
What is the marriage-based green card?
If you are married to a US citizen, your spouse can get a green card right away for a close family member. This green card, also called a marriage-based green card, is given extra priority in the immigration process.
With this green card, your spouse gets to live, work, and study in the US legally forever. It also lets them:
- Travel in and out of the US (if each trip is less than a year);
- Get a driver’s license; and
- Sign up for social security.
This marriage-based green card is important for your spouse to always have and lasts for ten years. But it can’t be renewed after the ten years are up unless your spouse does it at least six months before it expires.
Overview of the interview stage when sponsoring spouse for a green card in New York
The interview is the final and most important step in sponsoring spouse for a green card in New York. This interview can take place at a US consulate in another country, where the spouse who is a citizen doesn’t have to be there, or at the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office, where the married couple must be there together.
Before you can even think about getting a green card, you need to have already applied for the conditional resident spouse (CR-1) visa or the permanent immediate relative spouse (IR-1) visa to come to the US. After you have passed the spouse visa interview and got your immigrant visa, you are ready to apply for a green card.
To become a permanent resident in the US, you must fill out form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative) and nail the interview questions about your spouse. When sponsoring spouse for a green card in Richmond Hill, the interviews usually happen 3 to 4 months after you have submitted your petition to USCIS.
Why is interview important when sponsoring spouse for a green card in New York?
The government sees the interview as a chance to check if what you put in your application is true after you have promised to be honest. It also lets the government probe to see if your marriage is real or just a fake one.
The interview can happen in various ways. The immigration officer might chat with the couple together or alone and even record the conversation while they answer questions.
Even if the marriage is legit, the interview can be nerve-wracking. No one enjoys sharing their personal stuff with the government.
If you are looking to sponsoring spouse for a green card in New Amsterdam, you must go through an interview. This is so immigration officials can make sure the marriage is legit and the couple plans to live together.
Both partners must show up, and the officials might talk to them together or one at a time, depending on what they think is best.
The main goal of this interview is to make sure the couple is married, the marriage is legal and real, and the reason for getting married isn’t just to get a green card.
They will also check if the partner who is not a US citizen is a good fit to get a green card and become a permanent resident.
Your local USCIS office will do the interview. If one of the partners doesn’t show up, your application might get rejected.
But, if you end up separating or getting divorced, you can ask for a waiver that lets you skip your partner from the whole process.
Talk to an immigration lawyer to learn more about why you might need this waiver.
What to expect in the interview stage of sponsoring spouse for a green card in New York
Whether you are being interviewed in the US or somewhere else, a USCIS officer will be checking out your marriage to see if it is real. They will also make sure you are eligible for a green card.
The USCIS officer will want to know about your relationship’s past, what you do every day together, and what you plan. You will need to bring some documents or proof to back up your marriage.
It is normal for the USCIS to interview couples one at a time, so you and your partner should get ready. In this situation, an officer or officers from the USCIS’ Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) team will talk to you and your spouse in separate rooms.
After the talk, they will compare your answers to see if anything doesn’t add up. If they are not convinced by your first interview, they might ask you to come back for another one – this is called a Stokes interview.
To show that your marriage is legit during your interview, make sure to bring these documents:
- Marriage certificate.
- Bank statements.
- Rent or mortgage receipts.
- Proof of your spouse’s citizenship.
- Photos of you and your spouse together.
- Utility bills, joint bank and credit card statements.
Useful tips :
- Talk about your past: Chat with your partner about how you met, where you have been together, and any other little things you remember about your relationship.
- Gather all the needed papers: Make sure you have the real copies of all the stuff you put in your green card application (like birth certificates, passport-style photos, Form I-130, Affidavit of Support, proof of your relationship, joint bank accounts, etc.).
- If you have found any new proof for your visa, get it ready: Get all the extra documents you found after or forgot to include with your visa application.
When sponsoring spouse for a green card in New Amsterdam, you will get a chance to present these new proofs at the interview.
- Organize your papers: Make sure your documents are tidy, in order, and include your photos.
- Dress up: When you go to the US government’s building, wear nice, professional clothes, or at the very least, avoid jeans, t-shirts, and anything too revealing.
- Be honest: You don’t have to pretend everything is perfect but be real—don’t shy away from talking about any tough times you have been through together.
- Arrive early: Get to the interview a bit earlier than you think you need to, at least 30 minutes. You will have to go through some security checks like metal detectors to get into a US government building.
- Speak up: You might be asked some personal questions. If something makes you uncomfortable, politely let them know. You can also choose not to answer.
- Practice with your partner: When sponsoring spouse for a green card in New Amsterdam, you and your spouse should run through the possible interview questions.
This will help you remember things you might have forgotten and get you in the right headspace. Stress can make even the most stable couples forget some basic stuff. So, practice!
- Relax and have fun: This shouldn’t be a nerve-wracking experience, even though a lot of people think it is. Be yourself, chill out, and the person interviewing you will probably like the real you.
The next step after the interview:
When sponsoring spouse for a green card in Rosedale Queens, here are some things that could happen after your interview phase:
- You get the good news – the person in charge will let you know in a personal message that your case has been approved.
- More info needed – If they need more proof of your relationship, they will send you an RFE (Request for Evidence) asking for extra stuff like more bills or bank statements to check if everything’s legit.
- More digging – They will tell you your case needs more checking, and you will probably get a final decision or some more instructions in the mail.
- Stokes interview – You might have to go back for a second chat to talk more about your relationship or background.
- No way – If there are problems that could make you not eligible for a green card, like not having enough documents, issues with your background check, or past immigration problems, but it is more likely they will give you a chance to fix these before deciding.
The Stokes interview:
If you keep getting called back for a Stokes interview because you keep contradicting yourself, stuttering, or can’t answer questions well, you might end up being interviewed separately with your spouse.
This time, after you both finish your interviews, the officer will bring you back together to talk about any mismatches in your stories. You will only get a green card if the officer is satisfied with what you have said.
The reasons you might be invited for Stokes Interview:
Right from the start, you will find out why you are being called back. Here are a few reasons you might get called back:
- You and your spouse speak different languages.
- The officer still thinks your marriage might not be real.
- The documents you sent don’t match up with what you have told them.
- There is a big age gap.
- You and your spouse come from different cultures, religions, or lifestyles.
The things that happen in Stokes Interview:
If you and your spouse need to go to another appointment, it is a good idea to go over some common questions you might face. Here are a few to get you started:
- What kind of cars do you drive?
- Who sleeps on which side of the bed?
- Who handles the money?
- What do you both usually eat for breakfast?
- What is your spouse’s favorite food?
- What cell phone company does your spouse use?
- What kind of entertainment do you both like?
If you are struggling with your Stokes interview, don’t hesitate to reach out to an immigration lawyer for help.
Get help!
When sponsoring a spouse for a green card in New York, going through an interview about your relationship can be super stressful. This is especially if you really want to stay with your partner in the US.
But the key thing is to make sure you and your partner are ready for the interview. We suggest reaching out to our immigration lawyers at Gehi and Associates because they are pros at dealing with marriage-based green card petitions and interviews. This can help you avoid long waits and the chance of your green card being denied.
Our lawyers will give you tailored tips on what to steer clear of and how to answer the interview questions with confidence.
