The immigration interview for married couples

 Posted on August 01, 2019 in fiancé visas

Because the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services offers special immigration options for foreign nationals who are married to U.S. citizens, some people in Texas may feel tempted to enter into an arranged marriage just to gain a green card. As FindLaw explains, this is marriage fraud, and the USCIS has methods for attempting to catch those who try it.

One of these is the marriage interview.

Interview information requests

Although the questions vary, The New York Times reports that immigration officers often want the spouses to verify the following information about their relationship in separate interviews:

• When, where and how they met
• When they began dating
• How and when they decided to marry
• What the wedding was like
• Who attended the wedding

The immigration officer may go into further detail about the couple’s life, asking for information such as the following:

• Details about the home, such as how they enter or what their bedroom looks like
• How each spouse travels to work
• What they did the night before the interview
• When they met each other’s families
• What tattoos their spouses have
• What they did for Christmas or another holiday

The burden of proof for the relationship is on the couple. They should approach the interviews prepared to avoid any appearance of deception.

Outside of the interview

When seeking evidence of marriage fraud, the immigration officer may not confine the information requests to the interview. He or she may visit the home, speak to neighbors or check public records for confirmation that the relationship is valid.