A green card allows an immigrant to gain permanent residency and employment in the United States. Green cards can be obtained in a few ways. An immigrant could be sponsored by a family member or employer. They could win the green card lottery. Or, they could be seeking asylum.
A common way for people to get green cards is through marriage. If an immigrant marries a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, then the immigrant can file for a green card. However, it’s not that simple. The immigrant seeking a marriage green card will need to go through an interview process. The interview is intended to screen the immigrant and verify the authenticity of the marriage. If the marriage is not authentic, then the immigrant could be deported.
If you are seeking permanent residency in the U.S., then you can prepare for your marriage green card interview. Here’s what you should know:
Prepare for interview questions
Marriage green card interviews can go many ways. For some people, they will sit with their spouse and an interviewer in the same room. For others, each spouse may be interviewed separately. As such, it’s important for an immigrant and their spouse to prepare together before attending an interview.
The interviewer will ask a series of questions. These questions may be related to how each person met, what they found interesting about each other, what they know about each other (such as hobbies, education and employment, what they plan for the future and if they know each other’s family members. Many immigrants fail their interviews because they don’t prepare enough ahead of time.
Getting a second chance
If you fail a marriage green card interview, you may be given the option to provide extra documentary proof of an authentic relationship and attend a second meeting. However, if a green card is denied and it is not processed it could lead to deportation.
Immigrants who understand their legal rights and seek help may have a better chance of obtaining their marriage green card.
