I’ve been married to my spouse for almost 47 years. Many of the questions I don’t remember the answer they seek. Some don’t have an answer they would accept: is there anytime we didn’t live together? Yes, the first 1.75 years. Why? He was in the US Navy & they wouldn’t let me move in with him. So he came to our apartment whenever they let him off the ship when it was in port. At one point his ship left on a 3 to 6 month cruise every day for about a month. Never got beyond the outer bay. He can’t remember where I worked, when I worked, how I got to work during that time. But, neither do I. He has never been very good at noticing things, so questions about what I used for beauty products or skin products are doomed to fail. Because he was in the Navy our first bank account was in my name, our lease was in my name, I had a credit card, he didn’t. Oh, his pay was so low we qualified for welfare. Most employers didn’t want to hire me, promote me, or train me as service men are supposed to be transferred every 2 years. He wasn’t because his ship was one that tried out experimental new equipment & it wasn’t good to keep training sailors on new equipment then ship em out.
So, we would have failed the test. He was born in Ohio, I was born in Massachusetts. If they start testing citizens to see if their marriages are real, how many will be deported after 45 years? 2/3rds? All. Maybe everyone should have to prove their marriage is real. Many wouldn’t pass the test. Fair is fair.
8
My husband and his ex-wife went through the potential questions as a way of mentally preparing them for it when he was working on his green card. Additional questions not listed that can legally be asked are "What is her favorite sexual position?" "What pair of underwear does he like you in the most?" It's not always questions you'd feel comfortable getting from your in-laws.
4
Went through this with my British-born husband following our marriage in 1988. We did not have a lawyer, but prior to our becoming engaged, my husband's employer had retained an immigration lawyer to get him a green card. As soon as we became engaged, the employer discontinued paying the lawyer, and we refused to retain him, figuring that we were marrying for love and it would show. We were advised to save everything to do with our courtship and marriage -- cards, pictures, especially things from family showing approval -- and for goodness sakes, don't consider eloping to Vegas. We were set up to believe it would be like an intense Newlywed Game -- "what's his favorite spread on a sandwich? Which side of the bed do you each sleep on?") and it was. In the interview, to which we brought a banker's box of photos, receipts, and memorabilia, I remember the inquisitor (and that's what it felt like) asked three times when my husband had proposed. No matter what anecdotes we told, she never cracked a smile. They didn't split us up. We passed, and were issued the conditional green card -- 2 years, after which they would check you were still together before issuing a permanent one. The stories above are unconscionable. The administration seems to be chasing numbers, and going after low-hanging fruit -- those who are 3/4 of the way legal -- to make their numbers. So wrong!
7
My husband (foreigner) and I (American) got married the very month after the landmark Supreme Court case in 2013 finally recognized same-sex marriage, which finally allowed me and him to be treated in the same way as heterosexual couples. Because our relationship was for real, the questions were not hard at all, and the process was pretty straight-forward and, in my opinion, quite rational. I mean, there are so many fake marriages, so they should be on the lookout for that. And the officer interviewing us was neutral-to-pleasant. So, I do feel fortunate not only because we had no problem, but also because I understand the process can be made harder by being interviewed by agents who are not very nice.
9
In 1993-1994 and 1995-1999, my future wife and I lived together in the Philippines.
In 2002, the predecessor of the USCIS, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), required that I showed photos and other evidence to prove that we knew each other.
I sent the photos and the Philippine book of records from 1995-1999. This book of records contained airline ticket receipts, electric bill receipts, water bill receipts, apartment rent receipts, medical bill receipts, buying appliances, the payment for the weekly cleaner, and other records. The INS never asked any questions because of the many detailed pages of records. There was the clear and convincing evidence that we knew each other.
My then-fiancee and I made sure she understood questions concerning our relationship. There were many good and bad situations events that she and I were involved in.
We had been living together for 5 years and 8 months and couldn't have been mistaken for a new couple. Because of our long-term and real relationship, my fiancee was permitted to come to the USA.
We were validly married on December 24, 2002. My wife aced the USCIS Citizenship test and became a proud American on August 22, 2008.
3
That interview was a breeze. I brought our daughter‘s birth certificate and our joint house deed. (I was also pregnant with our son. Offered the ultrasound pics but they politely declined, said you‘re fine and approved me.)
4
My spouse and I went through this over 25 years ago. We came prepared with our wedding album and other photos of us together. The immigration officer asked a few of the questions described here. What clinched the veracity of our marriage was that officer asked my spouse when he divorced another woman, who I knew he had had a relationship with but never knew they were married, albeit briefly and annulled. (he never told me as he was afraid of my judging him as she was a drug addict.) I became very upset and started crying. That confirmed to the officer that we were really a couple, as my reaction was spontaneous and real.
8
We went through our immigration interview about 15 years ago. We brought a small suitcase filled papers showing both our names on accounts & deeds as well as photos with each of us with each others family. We were so nervous at the interview, but it only lasted a few minutes and he didn’t even ask us any questions really or look at any of the things we brought. We had a baby together and he said people don’t usually have a baby to get a green card. That was enough for us to pass the interview.
5
I can answer all of them but my wife (nor I) knows what each other's coffee order is.....after 23 years
4
funny that we did watch green card when we were dating along with coming to America
4
I passed over a decade ago,the officer believed that we were reall love as my wife answered all the questions wrong.we have great chemistry and we are similar in age. We had no photos as our wedding was not planned one day we just went to the court and did.
91
Looking back at the whole process, the easiest part was the interview. After we got married in Guayaquil, Ecuador and had a two day honeymoon, I went back to the US and the anxiety of waiting was the worst, for me. I am sure my wife felt the same. After about two years, we got a date for the interview at the US Embassy. I flew down. At the Embassy, my wife's name got called. She walked up to a "teller" window. Looking at some photos, the interviewer recognized me sitting in the waiting area. Called me over. Asked if I had eaten cuy (guinea pig). I said, "Yes," while making the appropriate face as to what I thought about the taste. He said, "You may kiss the bride." And we went joyfully skipping out the door. One of the best days of my life, as was the civil ceremony, the church wedding, the reception, the honeymoon and our lives' now.
2
My husband and I went through this process and these are very extreme examples. We took a photo album of pictures from our relationship and our wedding day, and they asked us fairly innocuous questions - things that you would ask a couple you were meeting for the first time and wanted to get to know them. We didn’t have an attorney present, and honestly, the agents were very nice. Of everything that makes up the immigration process, this interview was probably the most benign.
3
the immigration officer was more interested in what my wife thought about my then hobby of ice fishing. he also asked if she went with me. he laughed when she said once was enough.
5
For our photo book and interview, our agent made it very clear that he did not put much stock in pictures of "happy together in various locations," whether it be sitting on the bed, standing in the kitchen together, or in front of the eiffel tower, because that was all easy to photoshop or stage. What they primarily wanted was copies of plane tickets to places we'd traveled together, credit card receipts putting us at the same places, and secondarily, evidence of being on the same official documents (lease, mortgage, utility bills). At the time of, he put up his nose at the book including personal pictures, until we each explained that we wanted it to double as a memory book for us. With both of us being employed, PhD-holding scientists and he being western European with perfect English, the interview itself was very brief / practically a formality.
3
cute questions, though there are a few I can't answer. I assume I would still pass?
Married 32 years next month. None of those questions were a problem.
A critical aspect of these interviews is that the agent does not have to be pleasant or even polite.
If they are, know that you're lucky.
Yes, the agents do start with the basis that you are fraudulent, and can proceed in the manner of a dramatically aggressive prosecutor, to drill you about your intimate habits. At 63, it remains the single most brutal bureaucratic interaction I've had, and ours went well.
As an American spoiled by my Constitutional rights, I wasn't used to being interrogated like that. It felt ironic that my wife, in order to become a citizen, had to go through a portal where the best rights America offered her, were suspended.
It isn't wrong that Immigration tests couples, or is aggressive in doing so.
But you should be prepared for that.
37
I married a Canadian 12 years ago, neither of us suspecting what an ordeal it would be for her to immigrate to the US. We certainly had to do everything described in the article, plus my wife repeatedly had to respond, under oath, to the question, "Are you a prostitute?" This question was even part of the final affidavit for her citizenship ceremony! It required an attorney to navigate the process, there were long, unexplained delays by USCIS, and the application fees were high. In addition, my wife had to be fingerprinted 5 or 6 times at different stages of the process: Each time required traveling to Alexandria VA for a morning appointment on a workday. Same with all the USCIS interviews and the medical examination. I'm sure the fees and expenses were well over $15k. The real question may be, why do we have any legal immigrants? I can't think many people can afford it!
24
When I practiced immigration law before the Reagan amnesty, I always thoroughly prepared my clients for the marriage interview. To not do so is malpractice. All my clients passed. Of course back then no agents were waiting to arrest them but was still a good idea to get a stay of deportation BEFORE the interview.
4
Why not just apply legally BEFORE thre is a depaortation order ? What am I missing here ??
2
Our interview was easy. I brought our baby's birth certificate. We had a rent stabilized lease in NYC together and a joint bank account. I don't recall personal questions.
1
Did this almost a decade ago. The actual interview went quite smoothly. Two weddings, one in each country, may have helped.
My wife can get lost around the block. I'm glad they didn't ask us her to draw up our bedroom or something. Total fail there.
6
My husband and I went through this process nearly two years ago. I was incredibly impressed with the questions we were asked, things that no one would be able to plan for, such as, "Why is your husband's last name Dias?"
"Do you mean why does he have a Portuguese last name, but he's from India? That's because the Portuguese settled the area he came from. It's also why he's Christian."
"Does he go to church?"
"Occasionally."
"When was the last time he went to church?"
"Ash Wednesday."
He also asked me what my husband's address was before he moved in with me, then asked me to name two of the people he lived with.
We had friends and family write letters for us. The interviewer randomly picked a letter and asked my husband what the occupation was of the letter writers.
The questions were incredibly easy because we're genuinely married, but they would be impossible to plan for someone who's only getting married for a green card. My advice to anyone thinking of committing fraud is to NOT do it.
5
My wife is Russian born and we don’t live in the US so Iimagine we’d be subject to stricter scrutiny. Except that she moved to the US as a teenwith a green card and became a citizen just a couple months before we met, so no test for us. We’re Americans living in Europe for work, not immigration (though we do love it here usually). We’d have passed all the questions on that test. Odd that having and raising children together isn’t listed as one of the questions asked: that one would be hard to fake.
What’s confusing to me here is that there are actually two interviews to stay in the US on a fiancé visa. One of the interviews is in the overseas embassy, and one of the interviews is here in United States. The first one is to get the visa, and the second one is to get the green card, a few months later. Both of the interviews involve questions about the legitimacy of the relationship.
16
My husband and I would have appeared very suspicious if we had been asked these questions, because we had indeed rushed through the marriage and immigration process, had no wedding rings or wedding photos, and did not share a surname. My husband would not have been able to answer any questions about financial or bureaucratic specifics, which he always left to me. Lucky for us, our interviewing immigration officer just chatted with us in a casual manner, and was polite and professional. I was in urgent need of passing as we'd bought plane tickets to leave the country the next morning, and my husband would have been denied re-entry upon our return. We were broke, my father was dying of cancer at a facility overseas, and we had had to borrow money to buy those tickets. I had carefully prepared all necessary paperwork, but during the interview, I suddenly realized I'd left one required document on the kitchen table at home. I became emotional and panicked; but my husband gently calmed me down. In retrospect, it may have been our chemistry in this unexpected moment that convinced the officer we were for real. He even allowed us to go home to bring back the missing document so we could get our paperwork that day! I won't ever forget his good sense and his kindness in our moment of need. This happened in Newark, New Jersey in 1993, and today, we still don't wear rings, my husband still leaves the detailed paperwork to me, and he still calms me when I stress out.
14
I have known many, many people who got their green cards through fake marriages. When I married my foreign spouse a decade ago, I joked that I should have charged him $15,000 — the going rate for American sponsors among his schoolmates at the visa-mill language school in NYC where green card marriage was a common transaction.
That's why they ask all those invasive, "gotcha" questions, like which side of the bed do you sleep on? Like virtually everything I've encountered over many years of U.S. immigration transactions — everything from the seemingly outrageous fees to the waits and requirements — it has a logical basis, even if it feels intrusive (and it does).
I took advantage of free immigration counseling at our university and never hired or needed a lawyer, through a tricky adjustment-of-status application and, later, a re-entry permit for extended overseas residence.
2
My English husband and I went through this. We had a lawyer who emphasized the worst case scenarios, to prepare us. The actual interview was a breeze, and our interviewer was warm and welcoming. Afterwards, we couldn’t help wondering if my husband’s Englishness had eased the process.
18
I was coming to say something similar, My husband is British and we were living in England at the time, so we had to go to the US Consulate, but EVEN THEN! Our questions were easy peasy.
And I love DH with all my heart, but if they had asked that classic question in "Green Card" - what brand of face cream does your wife use? - he would STILL fail after 13 years of marriage ;)
5
I’m sure I’d fail miserably on any of the mother-in-law questions: I’ve had two absolutely awful ones.....! :-0
5
We did the paperwork ourselves, but INS misplaced my husband's documents and we had to talk to our local congressional office to straighten things out. Afraid of falling back into the black hole of INS, we chose to come back to Boston from California for the interview as by then my husband had finished school and had started a new job. I stuffed a duffel bag with documents, photos, and threw in the ultrasound images of our progeny for good measure. The interviewer asked my husband one question: do you have a job? My husband said yes. I was kind of stunned after all the hoops we had to jump through. I asked the interviewer, don't you want to see our documents, our wedding pictures? He wasn't interested--he just told my husband to keep his job. My husband said he would do his best. My husband ended up applying for citizenship a few years after he became eligible, as we simply forgot about the passage of time. It was a little over 10 years ago, but a different era.
7
They lost all my documents too
5
If you have a very wealthy boyfriend who knows some corrupt officials, you can skip this part and just get a genius visa
40
A funny bit of snark, but actually Melania was entirely qualified for an 'Einstein' visa. Einstein himself, not so much. Don't be misled by the name. A lot of those who qualify are actors and models. Scientists with just a few publications can forget it; as I understand, INS does not do citation analyses.
5
What color is your car? Can your spouse drive a stick shift? What color is your spouse's toothbrush?
2
You can “pass it” quite easily if you’re legit, like my foreign born wife and I...her fears stoked by the movie Green Card” notwithstanding.
3
I have been married a few times and can still answer the relevant questions about each marriage. These questions seem fair to me.
1
Well, I took the test, and either my spouse or I would have gotten a green card.
I have friends who passed the test - she was from mainland China - by bringing their 10 month old son to the interview. That was years ago, however. Today, alas, even the baby might not have been sufficient evidence for her to qualify.
9
I trust that my wife and I went through this process, but I don't even remember it. If any couple ever looked 'off' it would have been us. I am a somewhat schleppy fellow, and at the time almost twice the age of my stunningly beautiful Russian bride, who came to the USA on a spousal visa after we had known each other for a few days! We had one interview for something or other, at a social security office I think. The guy who interviewed us was inquisitive but very congenial. 22 amazing love filled years later and still pinching ourselves every day for our remarkable good luck in life and marriage. Oh - and our son just got a job!
18
Congrats! That's great. Glad everything worked out.
1
Am I supposed to be outraged? These are bone-simple questions, very sensible. If you can't answer these there is a very high chance that the "marriage" is fake.
35
I'm definitely in a real marriage, and I don't think we could answer these questions.
22
Its HOW you answer the questions, not just WHAT your answer is. This is standard interrogation technique, pruprosefully stressful.
3
This quiz was difficult. Why ??? Married almost 40 years. Ther is NO way the Husband would pass.
Just saying.
40
In 1986 my wife and I answered the same question at the same time with different answers, I believe the question was when were you married. We had been married less than a year, he had a copy of the marriage certificate in his hand, I gave the wrong answer and everyone laughed. We are still married and she still has a permanent green card.
27
A few years ago we were invited to a wedding. The bride, a student, was American. The groom was in the US on a student visa. I offered to take the wedding pictures. (I'm not a professional photographer but had photographed other weddings for friends.) I took hundreds of pictures. Later they told me that the wedding album I made for them was an important factor in sailing through the green card interview. The interviewer opined that nobody has such an elaborate wedding and so many tender pictures if the wedding is a sham!
12
I went through this process in New Delhi a long time ago when my now ex-wife and I got married at Qtub Minar. We were told to bring photos and the 2 newspaper articles about our wedding. We were interviewed separately, more than once. The officers were stern and very skeptical of a U.S. man marrying in India. We had to go get married in an Indian Court too. The U.S. immigration officers asked nearly every question in this article, and others I'm just now remembering, including very personal questions about our sex life, no kidding. They visited my in-laws in Karolbagh and asked me if I knew the names of my wife's extended family members. When I mentioned I spoke Bengali they brought someone in to test my Bengali.
Much of this was repeated after I arrived in the U.S.. Her Green Card did not arrive for many months. We were apart nearly 6 months, not long after our marriage, due to immigration requirements and the cost of my plane tx to/from India. It would have been easier for me to become a Resident Indian, given all the time I spent working there. This all took place a very long time ago, sounds like little has changed.
13
We got married in 1996 after 4 years dating, and he applied for legal residency. Even though my husband had no proof he was here lawfully, because he wasn't here lawfully, we were never called for an interview or asked to clarify any paperwork. I kept expecting a challenge to our filings, but it was so uneventful getting his papers that I can't even remember how we did it or how long it took.
Further evidence it was a different time and/or incredibly good luck, one time a year later we went to Mexico for vacation, and when he crossed back from Tijuana he was lazy and just said he was a citizen rather than figure out how to do it properly with his real paperwork. Liar! What were you thinking! He was detained. I was waiting all day for him to get here, not knowing what had happened. (I came back earlier from vacation to pick up the dogs.) I went to some local office and began crying and ... they just released him and told him they'd be following up. I was gobsmacked.
As for the obvious question, no, they didn't follow up. We divorced down the road a while, but he stayed in the US and continued working.
I'm sorry to hear the sad and scary stories here from other couples. I wish you the best of luck in your marriage and in your residency. Even a cynical divorcee' can appreciate a nice love story.
7
I've been married 27 years. Would I pass the immigration test? Absolutely not. Forgot most of the stuff, luckily along with the causes for at least half our fights. I do know my husband has no tattoos. I'm sure we could each describe the exact scene at the birth of each child. It's super depressing that a marriage certificate doesn't cut it anymore and that all of us are paying for endless hours of interviews and jail time for people who are simply following the legal immigration process, not to mention the true cost in disrupted marriages and family life.
10
My wife is now a naturalized citizen and we have been married for over 5 years. We joke with each other that we were married in our pajamas because that’s what we were wearing when we signed the self-witnessed marriage certificate. Even though our marriage is very real, we would be embarrassed to answer some of the questions listed here. We had no problem getting a green card although the officer dug through old records of my wife when she was in the U. S. under a previous visa. The lesson we learned is be consistent and if you can’t remember something, say so. When my wife went for her citizenship, we had to submit documents all over again showing we lived together and shared finances.
I have heard of people paying Americans to fake a marriage just so someone can gain American citizenship, usually a male. Many times the “wife” takes the money and never shows up for the interview. So the hearing officers do have a job to do and, as last long as they are polite, I think they have every right to ferret out fraud.
1
I'm one of those cases where I met my husband, fell in love then within a year, married him. Now this was about 12 years ago. He's from an English-speaking, close-allied nation. That surely helped. He's a professional, respected in his field. Again, that helped too. We sought the help of a nonprofit who deals with immigrants and didn't bother with a lawyer. This nonprofit made sure we had everything in order before we went on our interview, even testing us.
It's important to thoroughly document your relationship. We brought in cards, emails, photos, etc. that we exchanged, as well as his and my family. We dressed nice and went on our interview.
I must admit there were people who looked like they were in it for the money. A very young, quite beautiful woman came with an 80-something man. Hmm, we thought. But most people in that waiting room looked like us.
We had to put our hands on the agent's desk and look at her and only her. She was quite stern. Asked if either of us had been involved in drug running, terrorism, prostitution. Of course not! Then mundane things, like habits. Then kids we had separately - did they meet each other? Did we know their birthdays?
I didn't know the answer to one question, but as I recall it was pretty minor. Then she granted my husband his green card, gave us both big hugs and welcomed my husband to America. We found out later from someone else who had the same agent she treated them the same. So be prepared and be honest. You'll do fine.
4
In 2014 I went thru it in SF also. Nothing to worry about if it is legit. We spent so much time making a photo book and the official wanted us to pick just 3 pictures to show, not complaining.. Just nothing to worry about if you're really in love. We had a lawyer present just to make sure none of the questions were out of line. They aren't allowed to ask about your sex life.
2
How insular that applicants are rejected if they don't look the immigration officer in the eye.
In certain cultures, looking a stranger in the eye is considered rude. A person who comes from one of these cultures may find it humiliating to have to engage in this practice. Also, people with Asperger's have trouble looking someone in the eye.
The immigration officers should be trained to be more cognizant of other cultures and also neurological differences.
34
"An officer could “judge this person through the lens of American culture, even though that person could be newly in the U.S.,” said Michael R. Jarecki,".
That is simple fear-mongering on the part of the lawyer. You will not be denied citizenship for avoiding eye contact, for heaven's sake. There are plenty of shy and submissive native US citizens encountered by officers throughout their daily lives.
2
I am white, gay, born US citizen 25 years older than my Taiwanese husband. I am retired. October 2013, NJ legitimized same-sex marriage. I made a decision by retaining a lawyer specializing in immigration, we provided fees, all requirement etc. Our lawyer was good by preparing us for all things. We made to feel uncomfortable as our lawyer role-played a homophobic interviewer. He focused on things from his experience. We were his first "rice and potatoes" case. When our interview date arrived, he needed to say very little during the interview. The former Marine did his job reviewing our letters, our trove of photos and using them, asked just a few questions about our lives together. He focused on my spouse, his military life, asking questions gruffly. Most questions were based on the photos we had provided. My spouse was taken aback by routine "affiliation" questions. Any explanation from me seemed ignored. After twenty minutes, he mumbled a congratulations, and seemed to say we would get the green card. Our lawyer verified this. I heard it! My soft-spoken and intensely private spouse did not hear this clearly, and it took us some convincing that the interview went well. Just in time for my husband to accept a job with a university!
We completed the I-751 app and process ourselves. No lawyer. New job. We are told an interview should be in about six to ten months, or else we will get the decision and 10-year card delivery. About 50-50, we are told. So we wait.
12
Thank you! More proof that it just is not that hard to follow the rules and be approved for citizenship!
As for affiliation questions...Five-Star Bank froze my online banking access until I answered questions about any affiliation I may have with foreign governments.
Congratulations on your successful citizenship bid for your husband. Now the REAL work begins: marriage is the second hardest thing you will ever do. Raising kids is the first one.
4
Maybe not "hard" if you are affluent and educated. I do think the great expense associated with the process is an obvious hurdle that deters people who would otherwise have little issue with applying for legal citizenship.
1
Geez, they could probably export my husband (except that he's native-born US) on the basis of him not remembering half that stuff. Good luck, out there!
9
I went through the green card process with my husband from the UK in 2002. We weren’t asked any sort of question like this. I honestly thought this was an urban myth.
5
My sister married a Brit. They definitely had to go through those questions. Further, they were questioned separately. This was done in Syracuse, NY.
5
We found guidance at some websites, such as the questions you could expect, and practiced before our interview. But our marriage is bona fide, and we just act like a married couple. It’s pretty obvious, and the immigration officer has probably seen enough to know who is legit and who is fraudulent. We got approved pretty quickly — and this in the Trump era! It was a huge relief.
2
I wonder how they handle couples whose jobs force them to live apart?
11
My wife and I went through this in 1976. There was nothing to it. No separate interviews. As far as we remember the interview was over quickly, with no stress. I guess it was a different era.
Perhaps they were inclined to believe us because she came to the U.S. on a fiance visa so they did not suspect she had overstayed or was illegal. Also, we were both bilingual and had lived overseas.
1
My wife and I (and our infant son) went through the application in 1991 in Charlotte, NC, a frankly more tolerant time. We'd planned everything well in advance, to the extent of putting both our names on our mortgage, checking accounts and utility bills. We brought bills, checkbook, wedding pictures, and our son, to which the interviewer said, "That's pretty convincing evidence!". She was thorough, to the point of checking family resemblances in the wedding pictures. When we were through, she said that if all couples were as well-prepared, her job would be much easier.
9
We didn't ever get to the green card interview, but when we were planning to marry, we had an unpleasant time at the Cambridge City Hall.
I met him in Canada, but was at my parental home between degrees and he was doing a fellowship at a NE University.
It took him a while to convince me to marry him, because I agreed with his parents' reservations. I am a fair bit older, and my Puritan WASP background was unacceptable to them (fill in Cold War enemy origins). Anyway, we went over to the City Hall, and got a most disapproving reception from the clerk. She obviously thought I had been desperate to marry and was being pressured/paid to get him into the US. (I had experienced that scenario with a couple of foreign students at a world class institution in the Boston area earlier, and could have told her I was immune.) She seemed skeptical on hearing we both wanted to go back to Canada.
In later years, I was dissatisfied with my job and interviewed in the US. My dear husband would have come along, and started application for a green card, but in the end, I couldn't countenance a career comedown for him, and he was also highly offended at the tone of the Immigration Dept. communications. We stayed in Canada.
I admit I'm quite content with how things turned out.
22
I think a lot depends on the country the immigrant-spouse comes from, and if they have stayed in the U.S. legally and returned home in the past.
My wife, who is Czech, had studied in the U.S. and visited me often, always returning before her visa expired. After our wedding in the Czech Republic we went to the U.S. embassy for her green card interview. I seem to recall them asking me a few questions, but not in separate rooms or much scrutiny. I went to lunch expecting a long wait and she was done an hour later. Green card approved. This was in 2006.
It didn't hurt that her English was flawless and she could have passed as an American or that she had a graduate degree in math.
Still, knowing the rumored rigors of the green card interview, I was shocked how easy it turned out to be.
9
Ours was easy. The interview was in San Francisco. We talked to the immigration officer about first starting to date at a local restaurant that she knew. We had also submitted printouts of other people's Facebook posts and pictures showing us doing things together. The interview took 20 minutes and I got my green card 6 weeks later. But it also must have helped that I'm a Canadian, a professional, close in age to my wife, of the same ethnic background as her, and that we're both native English speakers. I do not imagine it's similarly easy for others.
11
In 2014 I went thru it in SF also. Nothing to worry about if it is legit. We spent so much time making a photo book and the official wanted us to pick just 3 pictures to show, not complaining.. Just nothing to worry about if you're really in love. We had a lawyer present just to make sure none of the questions were out of line. They aren't allowed to ask about your sex life.
3
There would appear to be nothing extraordinary or unduly onerous in any of the questions presented in this article.
It is time to stop acting as if every precaution and procedure that is in place to assure people seeking residency in the U.S. is unfair, racist and inhumane.
24
I'm pretty sure I couldn't have answered all those questions when I was married.
3
Agreed! More liberal progressive propaganda. If your legit, take the meeting. If not, self deport.
2
Exactly! Its not that hard if you are honest. Having worked for Federal, State and County governments across the country I am used to being questioned about things well outside my job description.
As a legal hand gun owner and FFL holder I am under constant scrutiny. Recently my bank has been asking questions about my governmental affiliations both foreign and domestic, as well as any landholdings I have in selected counties. Honesty is easy, unless you are a criminal.
1
When my husband and I went in we showed up with bags full of family pictures, documents, etc. Were arguing about something right as we were entering the office. The officer right away said "I see that you really are married" and asked nothing else. He did take a look at our folder and said "you've been through enough".
57
I didn’t. Failed big time. The interviewer was a older middle-aged woman, and she gave us a trick question: did my ex meet my relatives. My relatives were out of state, so I couldn’t have him meet them, so I said he met them. She asked the same question worded differently and that was it.
It was the worst moment in my life. Homelands Security treated me like I was criminal at interrogation, or that I was getting paid to marry my ex-husband (I was the breadwinner in the marriage). It left me broken and humiliated, worse part was was that it wasn’t even a big deal. I tried to make my marriage work after that, but he didn’t want it.
Immigration interviews are no joke...
15
I'm sorry for what you went through, and I'm sorry your marriage didn't work out. I hope you have found, or are finding, or will find happiness. Best wishes to you!
1
Wait...Firstly, that is not a trick question. It looks pretty straightforward: "Did you spouse meet your family?" Secondly it looks like you lied to the interviewer. I am sorry that you had a bad experience, but honesty is not that hard.
6
Our marriage was real but the green card was not. Or maybe vice versa. We got married only to get the green card. Does that make one or the other invalid? We have two almost grown children and have been together for twenty five years now but both of us would have preferred the authentic boyfriend girlfriend relationship to the more cosmetic and legally imposed one of husband wife. We would have passed all those questions and more and we did pass the interview actually but it was not a high point in our lives at all. More like demeaning.
15
My wife is from Mexico and we had this interview many years ago.
Lasted about 5 minutes. Very professional and to the point.
Nothing intrusive.
Agent signed off on residency without a hitch.
5
We went through the interview in Amsterdam 17 years ago. The interview was conducted through a bank teller window, and the only question was, “How did you meet.” After answering “on a boat in Venice, Italy”, our application was approved. Quite a difference from today...
7
As a "sponsoring spouse" I can attest that I answered precisely zero of the questions listed here. A simple submission of paperwork, photographs, leases, and a few plane tickets was all that was required to sponsor my husband's green card and eventual citizenship. I didn't even participate in any interviews. We did not have an attorney and simply filled out the paperwork thoroughly and provided the requested documentation. I admit that I feel somewhat cheated as I'm a bit of a compulsive straight-A student and was looking forward to acing the immigration test. I guess at the end of the day we passed since we are both US citizens and OCI card holders now.
5
I think people are worried about their interviews more than they should be. If your marriage is genuine you have nothing to worry about. The goal of the interviewing officer is just that - to see if there are any irregularities or if something looks suspicious. So, they can ask many different questions but they are doing their job. Make sure you have submitted the required paperwork; it's not the end of the world if you are missing something - just have a good explanation why. And don't worry if you don't know the color of the carpet in the bedroom or the brand of toothpaste your spouse uses....real couples don't know those things!!! My wife and I both gave wrong answers about our birthplaces and we made a joke out of it and laughed with the officer. And if they had asked me about my wife's tattoos I would have said that I've lost track by now. Because that is the truth....just be honest and there is nothing to worry about.
And save yourselves some money and DON'T hire a lawyer unless you don't speak English and cannot fill out the paperwork. A lawyer cannot help you at the interview because they have no legal standing - the interview is not a legal hearing...So you will be paying for someone to tag along and just sit and listen.....
11
If you can't answer most of these questions, particularly the first round, you need a divorce lawyer and not an immigration attorney.
17
Thanks. I just had a laugh-out-loud moment.
1
I'm a foreign service officer assigned to a U.S. Mission abroad and currently handle immigrant visa applications for one of the largest volume posts in the world. The questions you'll find in this article are a bit more on the extreme side, but not absurd when you also consider the amount of relationship fraud used to manipulate our legal system of immigration.
Don't get me wrong, I think our legal system has many problems and a well-practiced "fake" couple can work their way through even the most scrutinizing Officer. However, our goal is simply to enforce the Immigration and Nationality Act, which has final say over all immigration cases to our country. A reader could read this article and empathize with the couple, but from the officer's perspective, we hope to catch the people trafficking children, women, foreign convicts, and all kinds of unsavory folks that could jeopardize the safety of immigrants and Americans. These things can take a toll on an interviewer, as I often faced battered spouses and abandoned children who believe America offers a better life for them at the risk of a highly abusive petitioner (almost always a man). In addition, I have to weigh the relationship of a romance scammer who has clearly duped a vulnerable American into marrying and, as a spouse and citizen, has the rights to empty a bank account against the petitioners own happiness and belief in their "love." Who am I judge? Just a thought for those who read the NYT comment section.
131
I have gone through this process and it is nerve wrecking, no matter if your relationship is real. The assumption is you are lying which makes the "interview" seem more like an interrogation investigating criminal activity. In preparation for the interview I compiled an album of photos of us over the years, plane ticket receipts, passport stamps showing travel, joint accounts, emails written, and letters from family and friends.
The interviewer asked how many times I had visited my husband and we both replied at the same time "12" (me) "13" (my husband). The interviewer laughed. It was my 13th visit to attend the appointment. The interviewer was cordial, thorough and did her job. We did consular processing in my husbands home country so the horrors I read on the internet did not happen in our case.
9
Passed with flying colors. Not hard to do if your marriage is legitimate.
5
Our marriage was legitimate so I had no qualms, but my husband at the time was petrified. Since I was born in the same country he was (and immigrated due to political revolution 16 years earlier) I spoke w him in Arabic. He indicated frantically that I should not. But it is my belief that that was the clincher that got us approved.I would not recommend doing that today since North Africa is one of the “shitholes” our president loves to denigrate. Too bad the marriage didn t last. But we have 3 beautiful children and parent well together. Can t have everything. No regrets.
15
When my immigrant husband and I went through the process in 1990, in NYC, we brought photos, letters, etc., but the interviewer never once asked to look at any of it. He only wanted "paper" proof in the form of joint bank accounts, him being on my health insurance, etc.
When we finished and walked back into the waiting room, I saw other couples who had brought giant wall-hanging photos of themselves as couples, photo albums, etc. I laughed and thought to myself, "You're not gonna need any of that stuff."
I must say that the best moment came months later, when my husband took his oath of citizenship. I sat next to him, amidst all of the other "new" citizens and felt an amazing sense of pride and honor not just for him and all of the others, but for my own good fortune at being born in the U.S.
39
Did you happen to see the citizen test? There were many questions on THAT one that would trip up native born US citizens. The one that got me was "How many members in the House of Representatives?" Don't look it up until you tried to answer it yourself.
6
I am white of mostly European decent and was born here in the USA as dual citizen American. My mom is Brazilian-American and didn't get her US citizenship until I was teenager. I married a Japanese women in the US. When we got to the waiting room for the interview we were the only people there who were not brown or black. We were also way over dressed compared to most everyone else. I also have a stable job which pay a good salary (I still work at the same place) well above the minimum requirements. At the time my wife was working on her Masters at the near by University. In what turned our to be way over preparing for the interview I learned details about her siblings and parents like: what their favorite color are, how long her parents had been married, what university was her brother attending. I already knew plenty about my wife, as it was a real marriage. When it came time for the interview, the interviewer barely looked up from her notes and just asked us how we met plus how and where was our wedding. Satisfied with the answers she sent us on our way. The interview was less than 5 minutes. While I have no idea for sure, I got the feeling had we been brown or black and already not solidly middle class we would have gotten a lot more scrutiny. I am hoping in 2 years when my wife's 10 year permanent residency is up for renewal everything goes just as easily.
42
My future wife was asked if she was now or ever had been a prostitute, if she was now or ever had been a communist.
Ron Fox
24
I would ask the interviewer if he or she was a prostitute and if his or her parents were prostitutes or pimps
4
I wonder what Melania's father replied to that (he was a member of the Communist Party back home in Slovenia). Or did he not go through the same vetting process?
Another standard question is: "Do you intend to overthrow the US government?" - Who wouldn't? As dysfunctional as it has been for the last 2 or 3 decades...
13
I am sure that kind of humor goes over really well. If there is one thing for which US bureaucrats are famous, it is self-deprecating sense of humor. The Tommy Lee Jones response in Men In Black to “Is that a joke?” should be your guideline in these situations.
5
We had our interview last month in NYC. It was very correct and over after 15 minutes. And this despite the fact that we are a same sex couple, and only had gotten married 3 months before filing for my permanent residency early last year.
Of course, we had plenty of on-paper evidence of our relationship stretching back 14 years (a thick photo album with 200 shots of the two of us in chronologial order), insurance papers, joint bank account statements from years back, etc.
But here is my recommendation: When dealing with the US government, make sure to hire a representative/lawyer. Americans always boast how they are the land of the free, and how they do not want government interfering with their lives. However, dealing with the government in this country is almost always a pain: The atmosphere feels like 'The United States of America vs Citizen). The total process cost roughly 7k incl. government fees and 900 bucks for a blood and pee test that, because your insurance will not cover it, you are being billed at ridiculous private hospital rates.
It took 12 months from filing to receiving the Green Card. You cannot leave the country during this time, and my lawyer also recommended to avoid any boarder areas. You can either take it, or alternatively pick yourself polyglot US spouse, and move with them to your European country. No lawyer needed, just plenty of paperwork, an interview, and you are granted your rights within a matter of weeks.
28
Most of the comments here are, well, a lot less cranky than this. Is there nothing positive, no happiness that you now have a Green Card? Geez.
Which European country do you recommend? Britain with a GDP 1/8 that of the US? Greece with an unemployment rate 5x higher than the US? Iceland with a crime rate 3x higher than the US? The Netherlands which is the #1 purveyor of child pornography? Which do you suggest?
1
I've been married for nine years, and I don't think I'd pass this test! We'll see - my husband is currently applying for his green card...
7
I'm not sure I see an issue with any of those questions. I am unmarried but could easily have answered any of the applicable questions about my last long-term girlfriend; they seem like fairly memorable details of a serious relationship.
45
My interview with my husband was very uninteresting. I supplied some documentation with my application, and the immigration official seemed generally rather bored. However, he was surprised that we were accompanied by our nearly 1 year old infant who hadn’t even been conceived when we filed. I don’t know exactly what it was that made us not seem fraudulent, but I am glad that I wasn’t really subject to much more than checking various boxes and ensuring all the application paperwork was in order.
I know a couple where the non-citizen husband was asked to leave, and the immigration official suggested the American wife was being beaten and needed rescuing from her husband. She declined. Nearly 15 years later, they are still married. They did pass the interview.
12
I met my wife while working as a physics instructor for 5 years in Bangkok. I am a natural born US citizen and my wife is Thai. We were married in Bangkok. We did all the incredible amount of paperwork ourselves. Trust me, the vetting is already quite extreme. She even had to get an official police background check by the Thai National Police (similar the FBI) as well as a certified health physical. It took months to gather all the paperwork and weeks to put the application together. But the US employees at the Consulate office and at the separate Homeland Security office in Bangkok were all very nice and professional. We arrived to immigration in LA to both a green card and a SS card. Very daunting process but also very smooth. We then reapplied for her 10 year green card, which was pretty much the same at the original application, perhaps 100 pages of documentation. Just last year she decided she wanted to become an American citizen. The application was again quite involved. She was approved and now has dual citizenship, US passport, driver's license, and voter registration(!). We did all the work ourselves, no lawyers. Timelines from application to approval; 1st application: 8 weeks. 2nd application: 6 weeks. Citizenship application: 8 weeks. No hiccups at all. So, if everything is above board the process is daunting but also quite doable on your own. I just thought I would share a success story. We never ran into any issues at all.
41
Impressive speed. I had to contact my senator for assistance when the application was archived before being resolved.
2
This a great story. Proud to have your wife as an american citizen. She showed more tenacity and commitment and more law abiding behavior than most native born citizens....and this is JUST how our immigration system should function. Identifying people like her and effectively screening out the criminals and frauds.
4
My husband (Mexican) and I went through this process in El Paso in the early 2000s. The interviewer was rude and asked us sarcastically how much money we had paid someone to fake our photographs. She reviewed none of the copious documents we had prepared, and she asked my husband for only one document: his "pay stub," which was not on the list of documents we were asked to bring. We had paid for a well-known lawyer to accompany us, and the interview was short and we passed.
27
When walking in to our interview we were asked one question: "Have you ever been affiliated with the Nazi party?", followed immediately by an apology and an explanation that they had to ask that question.
The interviewer went on to say that real couples were very easy to spot, and the deeper interviews were only for those that did not pass the sniff test or to justify a refusal.
16
Honestly, I have no idea of when I first met my husband's sister.......yikes.
19
Years ago my British husband and I went for our Green Card interview in lower Manhattan. We had brought several bags of "evidence" to prove our relationship was legit. However, the interviewer's first question to my husband was, "Where are you employed?" My husband at that time was singing with a well-known early music group in NYC. Turns out, the interviewer was an aficionado of early music... and that, ladies and gentlemen, was the end of the interview! I recall blurting, "But don't you want to look at our wedding albums??"
48
LOL. We did the same. "But what about the wedding album?"
8
Wonderful story! What group was he with?
7
Haha I love it! Hurrah for early music! My brother is a very well-known lutenist (Renaissance and Baroque). Wonderful story!
7
I had a green card interview with my wife with none of the unpleasant aspects described in the article or other comments. The whole thing lasted about 10 minutes. I can't help but wonder whether that is because I am white and from a wealthy western European country.
49
Same happened to me, but that was several years ago.
2
My husband and I went through the process. He came in on a K-1 fiancé visa. We were married and by the time we got our interview for him to get his green card we were already pregnant. We came prepared...all the letters we had exchanged, pictures of us together, wedding pictures, ultrasound photos, etc. Interview was a breeze, even after all the stressful preparation. The biggest problem was the utter lack of respect the people in the USCIS offices had for the people there to do business. We are English speaking (and I have a legal background) and it was, at times, difficult for us to navigate the process and paperwork. I cannot imagine what horror would be experienced by someone who's first language wasn't English, or who wasn't from western Europe or couldn't have an attorney present to advise/assist them. It was disgusting to see how the other families and people were treated there (and we experienced some of that ourselves). I still burn with anger about it all these years later thinking about. I get that USCIS sees itself as the door man for the US, but you don't have to humiliate people to accomplish that.
46
Talking about tattoos:
I was talking to a couple about the types of questions to expect in their Green Card interview. Everything seemed fine, and I assumed the marriage was genuine . . . Until I noticed a tiny blue line snaking out from the husband’s long sleeve.
I told them to put their hands in their laps, and asked the wife if her husband had any tattoos. She answered negatively, so I asked the husband to roll up his sleeve. His arm was covered in tattoos. Uh Oh.
49
I filed an I-751 petition with my CR-1 spouse in March 2017 and we received our approval notice about 10 months later - lightning speed for DHS! We sailed through with no interview or office visits required other than the usual biometrics. I will say that I thought the whole I-751 process felt like a colossal waste of time and money. I understand that USCIS has always been a user-funded agency, but expecting us to pay $680 in fees (filing + biometrics) for the privilege of having an examiner at the Vermont Service Center spend maybe twenty minutes looking over our old bank statements and apartment leases less than two years after our embassy interview seemed like a ripoff. Multiply these figures at least 3x for those who require a lawyer's help to navigate the process. I understand that our fee subsidizes the cost of interviewing and investigating those cases that CIS chooses to pursue, but it sure feels like they are price gouging all of us who put in the work of preparing well documented petitions.
I admit that I'm not an expert working for the DHS IG or GAO, but from my perspective it sure seems like the resources spent on the I-751 "removal of conditions" process could be better spent on improving pre-entry fraud detection at our consular posts overseas or clearing the permanent backlog at CIS. At a bare minimum, they could improve efficiency by pushing the I-751 back to year three and let couples file it concurrently with the immigrant spouse's citizenship application.
7
My wife was five or six months pregnant when she received her citizenship-appointment notice: It was scheduled for three days after her due date. I suggested she try to reschedule, just in case. She said it would be fine; I knew better than to argue.
Sure enough, we showed up for the appointment with our 5-day-old, who, minutes after we were seated, relieved herself. My wife took the baby to the only restroom with a changing room - several floors down, off the lobby - leaving me alone with the examiner.
He started flipping casually through the file, then asked how old the baby was. I told him 5 days.
"If you knew the appointment was so close to the due date, you could have rescheduled," he said. I told him I had suggested that.
"Then why didn't your wife reschedule?"
"Are you married?" I asked him. He nodded and continued flipping through the file. Getting to the end, he scribbled something on the final document and closed the folder just as my wife and daughter returned and sat down.
"Congratulations," he said.
100
Years ago my friends, an American woman and her British husband, were rehearsing for their interview.
She: What color are the tiles in our kitchen?
He: We have tiles in the kitchen!?!?
They passed and they're still married.
72
Our interview in Indianapolis was strange. We had carefully prepared - wedding album, invitations, bills. We had also been blessed with a baby by the time our interview happened. We had baby pictures, birth certificate, baptism that included photos of our two families together for the event. The interviewer passed over all of the 'soft' info and wanted to see all our bank accounts, mortgage statements, bills and see evidence we were sharing the finances. If we had not co-mingled our resources I am not sure we would have passed. This was about 16 years ago.
18
Why are tattoos and hospitalizations considered comparable characteristics?
And, what stood out to me most, what if you don't celebrate Christmas? Presumably you say so, but the fact that it starts with the holiday then asks immediately about gifts forces a startlingly specific cultural narrative.
49
We've been married 30 years. I might pass, pretty sure my husband wouldn't.
50
We married after five + years of a trans-Atlantic courtship, and despite an age difference of 20 years. Much
of the evidence of our relationship were emails. It was embarrassing to reveal what my then-girlfriend termed my "sweet talk."
She didn't want to be married: "I don't need a piece of paper from the State to show I love you!" But she kindly answered "Oui" when, on blended knee in Paris, and in my mangled French, I asked "Will I marry you?"
Our Immigration interview preparations were entirely DIY. One couple told us they were asked "what side of the bed do you sleep on?" and "what toothpaste do you use?" I often had said that our bed had "her side and our side" but the toothpaste question worried me as she used some unpronounceable French brand.
I was so excited by the upcoming interview. The idea of any doubt as to the sincerity of our love and marriage seemed laughable. When the officer at last called me into the on-going interview, I was eager to answer any number of questions, together or apart.
But after just a minute or two of seeing me with My True Love, the officer turned to her and said, with a warm smile, "He's crazy about you! Now get out of here because I have real (fraud) cases to work on."
Twelve + years later, it's still our honeymoon!
27
Friends of ours were also asked the toothpaste question during their separate interviews. He (the US citizen) looked puzzled and said "What kind of toothpaste does she use? Whatever she has the best coupon for." She (the British subject) had a similar response and left the interviewer in fits of giggles.
7
I've been through this process in real life but a long time ago, in 1987. My husband was European and White. Like many, he entered the country legally but overstayed his visa while his employer was trying to file working papers for him. He worked illegally (paid cash under the table). Our marriage would make him "legal". What is often left unsaid is that it is the employers who game the system. Workers who do not have papers exist in a type of indentured servitude, who cannot leave, and are often paid very low salaries. Because employers may pay them in cash, no money is paid in taxes by the employers or employee, a lose lose. For us, the process was simple. We had been saving for a home and had a sizable joint bank account. Though we brought wedding pictures and other papers, the bank account was enough and my husband was granted a green card. I feel that immigrants make our country stronger and better. Our failure to see their value and embrace them is our loss as a nation.
35
The officer may also refer to his/herself in third person, just to further confuse a terrified applicant. "Officer Jones will now talk to you about your marriage." The officer continues with a round of questions while the applicant wonders, when is officer Jones coming and who is this person asking questions?
14
Last year, after they had been married for four years, I had to write a declaration letter for my brother and brother-in-law. My brother-in-law had been forced to return to his native Taiwan when his visa expired because, at that time, they couldn't get married. My family celebrated when the Defense of Marriage Act was overturned in 2013 because they would be able to marry and my brother wouldn't have to move to another country to be with the person he loved. My brother was able to get a fiance visa and they had a small civil ceremony because they had just 90 days to get married. They were able to plan the religious ceremony for that fall and had guests from one side of the country to the other and across the world! Why, after all this time, do they still have to jump through hoops? Because they are men? Because they are different races? Because my brother-in-law is not a native English speaker? My step-sister and brother-in-law have not had to go through the same process, but then, he is from England and is white. Fortunately, my brother and brother-in-law have a really, really good immigration lawyer--and enough money to afford to pay him.
17
Yet by law, marriage only requires a license, ceremony and consummation.
7
By what law is consummation required? And even if so, is this necessary to discuss with a stranger / government official?
6
I went into the green card interview in Montreal with my Mexican husband. The first thing the interviewer asked was if I was there to "hold his hand" and then she kicked me out. The next thing she told my husband after I left was that she was not going to give him the green card (without explaining, until the end of the interview, that it was because there was a minor error in his Mexican passport that needed to be corrected). She then asked how we met. When he told her (through a mutual friend) she replied that she didn't buy the story. Then she told him that he seemed "nervous." He replied that of course he was nervous. She kicked his wife out of the interview, told him she wasn't going to give him the green card, didn't believe his truthful (and mundane) story of how we met, and here he was, standing (no chairs) behind bullet proof glass while she sat in a chair on the other side with the power to determine our future. After that, her attitude changed and she agreed to "start over," this time in a much more humane fashion. Green card approved, but a very negative experience.
46
You say this was in Montreal -- was it for citizenship in Canada? or US? (If the latter, why in Montreal?)
6
My green card interview was also in Montreal. Husband (American) and I (Canadian) both lived there and that’s where the interview was scheduled.
2
If you're applying for a green card via consular processing in Canada then your interview is at the US consulate in Montreal.
2
Ours was easy-breezy! We brought our screaming, fidgety baby to the interview!
12
Maybe it's because we went through the process outside of the US, but I was not interviewed as part of the process (I am the US citizen, my husband is not). He wasn't asked any questions about our relationship during his "interview" at all, just questions about his career and where we planned to live.
6
My husband (US citizen) and I (citizen of the Netherlands) went through the process in 2004. We were not separated for our interview. We had no children, and did not own any assets together to "prove" the legitimacy of our relationship. All we had were some bills in both names and a book of wedding pictures. I had just finished graduate school (I was here on a student visa) and my husband was a first year public school teacher. The immigration officer asked us some questions similar to those in the article. We bickered in front of her; my husband and I couldn't agree on how long ago we had met. He thought it was longer ago than I did but then he finally said "it seems longer". She looked through our wedding photos and asked us the names of various friends and family members she pointed out. She approved my application, I asked "is that it?" and she told if she had not believed us she would have denied it, so yes, that was it. She was professional and courteous. All immigration officers I have dealt with in person along have been like that. The system, however, is aggravating. Parts of the immigration process I found painful and insulting, like undergoing a medical exam to prove I don't have syphilis or HIV. I am now a US citizen, with dual citizenship. My husband and I still married. Would our marriage have been treated with more suspicion if I had not been a white European woman? I guess that would depend on the interviewing officer.
55
Beste Marlijn,
My situation was the reverse of yours. My wife is a NL born dual citizen (US) and I am native US citizen. While living in NL ( 4 yrs) and before 9/11, I applied for NL citizenship. The “interview “ was mostly an information gathering event. My wife had to leave to get the cash(geld)DFL513 and then the interviewer ask me a question in Dutch. I wasn’t paying attention and misunderstood her. I handed her the Apostile of our marriage certificate. She looked at me and said in English, “Do you want to keep your USA nationality?” I said yes. I thought that it was all over and I would not receive NL citizenship. But, after 6 months I received a letter saying the Queen had found no reason not to give me NL citizenship, come pick up your passport. I had the same thought as you, would I have been given NL citizenship if I wasn’t a white American! Congratulations to you on your dual citizenship, don’t lose it! We are back in the US (after 16 yrs in NL) and there are many times when we both miss living there.
12
The medical exam seemed especially ridiculous to me, considering that I had already lived 12 years in the US under temporary visas before applying for permanent residency. That requirement seems straight out of the Ellis Island era...
20
My husband and I completed our green card interview in February.
We prepared LOTS of documents, pictures of us throughout our relationship, affidavit from family and friends, proof of co-habitation such as joint-lease agreements, tax return filings, joint-checking account transactions etc. Our interview officers seemed interested in reviewing those documents.
At one point, one of the officer asked if we each own a car and if we had our car keys with us. When we took our keys out, he then asked if our house keys are on the key rings and proceeded to compare whether our house key matched. The officer didn't ask why or how we got married but he looked at our joint checking account expenses very closely and asked half jokingly who's the big shopper at Marshalls and Wholefoods vs. Academy.
By the time we had our green card interview, we've already been married for about a year and half so I think he was interested in verifying the mundane but important details of a marriage rather than how or why we got married.
After an hour or so, our interview was done and he said that he believes our marriage is real. Now I'm a permanent resident the U.S. :)
Going through immigration is never fun but do have faith that there are good people in the government who are trying to be just and fair. Be smart, be prepared and be optimistic that truth will prevail.
20
My wife (American) and I (British) went through this process in September of last year in San Jose, CA, and found the process to be very straightforward. We had supplied a collection of evidence in advance (including our joint lease, statements of our joint bank/investment accounts, photographs with our respective families and at various landmarks we had travelled to together) and while it's difficult to know how much this factored in to the USCIS officer's judgement, it seems unlikely to have done any harm.
We were asked only a few basic questions about how we met, then he ran through the standard review of the forms we'd submitted to make sure these were accurate, updating any responses that had changed since (for instance, my last entry to the country), and then indicated that he had no issue in approving the application, even issuing a temporary I-551 stamp in my passport to cover a business trip to Canada I was taking the following week.
I was already in the country on a valid work visa (with employer green card sponsorship available), and I think we had few of the stereotypical signs -- justified or unjustified -- of a sham marriage (we're similar in age, both white, both native English speakers, the immigrant party being from a prosperous friendly nation, no pending deportation orders, etc...). I'd be uneasy about being judged more leniently on the basis of race/language/national origin factors, but it seems naive to dismiss them altogether.
12
Following the defeat of DOMA, my partner of nine years and I married. We encountered none of the excessive questioning or bias cited here. With an attorney, we presented a comprehensive package which included proof of co-habitation and the purchase of a home; photos of ourselves, friends and family dating back many years; and a few other documents as evidence that our marriage was legitimate. We found the hearing officer to be very pleasant and polite. My impression is that he was happy to review a case that he could so easily approve
I don't doubt the experiences others here refer to, but I would like to say that at least in our case, the interview was handled in a fair and professional manner. Despite what the hearing officer feels are the merits of each application, there is no excuse for inappropriate behavior.
21
My same sex Filipino spouse and I went through the process shortly after DOMA was overturned. We were one of the first same sex couples to go through the process in Tampa. We used an attorney, which made us feel more confident and supplied 40 pictures of us together in a variety of settings over the course of the time spew had known one another. We also had a lot of evidence of joint ownership of our home, cars, bank accounts, credit cards, utilities, etc.
We found the immigration officials to be thorough and highly professional. I was expecting it to be very difficult. The officer was respectful and did his job efficiently. I applaud the Tampa Immigration office for how they handled our case.
68
I went through this process a few years ago. As a U.S. born American citizen, it was jarring to have to prove myself, and my marriage, to the federal government. The immigration official was brusque and made a disparaging comment about the way we celebrated our marriage-we had gone for drinks, and then on to dinner with friends at two different historic establishments-suggesting that it wasn't a proper celebration. Luckily, we had a lawyer present who immediately pointed out that we were free to celebrate however we chose to. It was ultimately a successful experience, but quite unpleasant. Thank you for shedding some light on this.
66
Its not designed to be pleasant - and why should it be >? Its designed to find criminal behavior, and that is more important to the rest of the nation than the individuals applicants sensibility and sensitivity. This is legal enforcement and national security issue. Of course it’s rough and unpleasant, and of course as some anecdotes there attest, can go over board, but I am equally concerned about the stories told here that clearly indicate the level of scrutiny in their interview was manifestly INSUFFICIENT . I would also note that immigration to MANY developed nations is hardly less arduous.
2
My husband and I went through our interview in a Cleveland office, and it was a fairly unremarkable experience, but then that was in a ... gentler time. But years earlier my father brought his much younger bride back to the states after a long sojourn overseas (where they met). Theirs was a genuine May December romance, but their interviewer was understandably skeptical. While my father's wife was fluent in english, one particular word was new to her, so when the interviewer decided to be blunt and actually asked if their marriage had been consummated, she happily replied "Oh yes, by a judge in New York!"
106
Immigrants in the country illegally (aka criminal illegal immigrants) should be deported.
The rule of law and its equal application should be protected and defended by every citizen. It is a gift from our ancestors that we must bequeath to our descendants- stronger not weaker.
14
This comment drips with ignorance. Being in the country without permission, be it by overstaying a visit or entering improperly, is not a crime. The only thing "criminal" about the situation is presumably educated people either deliberately misrepresenting the situation, or who are woefully ignorant of the actual "rule of law" that they trumpet.
50
WillT: Doesn't seem to me like you would pass the "rule of law" as you apply it. Try reading the article.
19
For clarity, the act of being in the US illegally is a civil offense. Entering the US illegally is a criminal offense, as is falsifying documents. The reality is many illegal immigrants do have falsified paperwork to be able to work and live here. But, if you came on a visa, overstayed, and never falsified documents, you’ve committed only a civil offense. Still illegal though.
12
I've been married 56 years and could answer most of the questions, except for the detailed stuff about the wedding. All I really remember is that my bride looked gorgeous, that I couldn't wait to get it over with so we could start our lives, and that I made some promises – or at least so my wife tells me.
52
As a natural born American, I went through this experience with my spouse, a legal (green card) Singaporean immigrant. It was completely humiliating. It was clear (as the article states) that immigration authorities come into the interview expecting the marriage is a sham. The officer asked intensely personal probing questions, and a number of odd ones--such as how many pets does my wife's cousin have and what are their names. She gave little time for reflection and kept spouting, as if from a script, question after question.
At the end of the interview the officer said she intended to deny. She told us, "Your wife is Asian, and you are white. I've seen this story before, and am suspecting this is a sham marriage in an attempt to obtain a green card for this woman, so I'm issuing a denial."
In retrospect, I should have brought a lawyer with me, but I (naively) didn't expect to encounter such racism in the government bureaucracy. I then spoke up saying that I had brought numerous dated photos that showed our marriage (from 10 years previous) that proved our relationship, but she refused to even glance at them.
Her final words were "This interview is over. Please note that there are severe financial and criminal penalties for the type of fraud that I believe is taking place here".
We filed an appeal, and had none of these racist shenanigans the next time around.
Oh, and we remain happily married.
192
Glad you filed the appeal. As is to be expected, bias is rampant in all walks of life. The USCIS is no exception. Not all cases are weighted and scrutinized equally, some more than others. You just got a really rotten apple.
22
For what it's worth, this seems to be the only negative experience I've read in these comments (so far).
4
Your denial speaks more to the the interviewer than it does to you and your husband.
I hope you are successful the next time!
5
I must have made the world's stupidest blunder in an immigration office when my Chinese husband and I went for our marriage interview 30 years ago. As a lifelong feminist, I did not change my name after marriage, and when the immigration officer came out into the waiting room and called for "Mrs. Bao," I reflexively said as I stood up, "I'm not Mrs. Bao." Then I turned beet red as I realized how my statement could be misinterpreted in this situation. Even so, we passed.
91
These questions seem reasonable to me! I would be surprised if anyone with a legitimate marriage couldn't pass these questions.
(Not that I am condoning turning away people who truly are married, which I understand does happen).
19
My wife and I went through this process several years ago. The immigration officer who interviewed was very professional and courteous but wary. We ran into her in a restaurant in the Village several weeks after our interview and chatted for a few minutes. She told us that she was really happy that she had been able to interview a 'real' couple, and that in her opinion about 95% of the couples she met were simply trying to get a green card.
59
And that's the problem that the article illuminates--the inherent bias that these officers are bringing into the interview. While there's no doubt that there are genuine cases of fraud, there's no way that 95% of marriage-based cases are fraudulent, but that's the mindset that USCIS officers in some jurisdictions, such as Newark, bring to the job.
23
@ Andy,
Glad you got 1 up on the Warden... lol
Ok- so surely you dotn believe 95% are LEGITIMATE ? Esp in Newark ? So let’s split the difference. Lets stipulate 50% are. We STILL need a thorough and wary vetting of all applicanst at that level.