People are always worried about what’s going to happen at their adjustment of status interview, and it’s a very fair and normal question to ask. It can be nerve-wracking. Even as an attorney, when we go with you to the interview, we’re a little nervous for you. At the interview, you’re going to sit in a room, and be sworn to tell the truth, and the officer is going to want to know two things. Is this a real relationship, and do you qualify to be admitted to the United States?
The first part of the interview should be about the logistics of the relationship. At the interview, the officer’s going to ask you basic questions about your marital status or your relationship if it’s a family-based type of application. They’re going to ask you questions about how you met? Where you met? What is the name of your spouse’s parents and vice versa?
What are the names of your brothers and sisters? Where do you work? Where do you live? They’re going to ask each of you questions about the other. Obviously, they’re going to want to know that you know your date of marriage, when your spouse was born, etc.
You want to be prepared with basic biographical information about you and your spouse. If the marriage is real, this should be quite easy for you. You just want to be prepared. In addition, at the interview, they’re going to want to see documentation establishing that you’re living together. Any evidence that you have that you’ve traveled overseas together or even in the United States is helpful if you have a joint bank account, joint tax returns, joint credit cards, children, pets, anything to show that you are living together.
In this day and age, we don’t always have joint documentation, so if you can show that you take some responsibility for some of the bills, and your spouse takes responsibility for other bills, that should be sufficient. Don’t worry if you don’t have everything that I’m saying or Immigration sends you a list of suggested documents and you don’t have everything. Most of the officers there have a good sense of whether or not it’s a bona fide relationship and will work with you or be reasonable about certain documents.
In addition to proving the relationship, then they’re going to also want to make sure that the person, the intending immigrant, the beneficiary, is admissible to the United States. That’s why you provide a medical exam and take your fingerprints. The officer will also ask you a series of questions that are listed on the 485 that you had filled out prior to filing the application. Hopefully, all the answers on the 485 are no. If they are yes, then maybe you’ll have some issues as to eligibility for the green card and that you’d, obviously, want to discuss with an experienced immigration lawyer.
Both the officer is going to want to first establish the relationship and whether you qualify for the green card, and then once the officer is satisfied with that, they’re going to make sure that you’re admissible to the United States, and ask you a series of questions about your admissibility. After the interview, some officers will tell you that you’re approved right then and there. Some officers will say they need to review your file. If you have an immigration history in the past, they might want to get a copy of your old file before they make a decision, but if everything goes well, you should, hopefully, have your green card within one to four months after the interview.
If you have questions about the process, or you’d like a lawyer to handle the process for you and attend the interview, please contact my office. We always go to the interview with our adjustment applicants and prepare you for your experience.
Sesini Law Group is an experienced in immigration law firm, practicing in Milwaukee and Green Bay, WI. Contact our firm regarding any immigration questions, problems or concerns you may have.