When Do I Receive My Green Card After A Consular Interview
If you are interviewed outside the U.S. and the consular officer approves your application, you will also not get your green card immediately. The officer will only stamp your passport to indicate approval of permanent residency until the official green card arrives. You will be given a sealed immigration packet, which will allow you to travel to the U.S. Do not open this packet.
Once you arrive at a U.S. port of entry, a customs officer will collect and check your sealed immigration packet. After checking your packet, the officer may decide to grant or deny you entry. If you are granted entry at the port of entry, then you will be able to enter the U.S. as a permanent resident, and your official green card will be mailed to you some weeks after your arrival.
Common Immigration Interview Questions In 2021
Aside from organizing your documents, knowing what sort of questions you can expect to be asked will help you prepare for your interview. Answer all questions fully, succinctly, and truthfully, but do not volunteer information unless asked. If youre unsure of the answer or do not understand a question, you should always say so rather than guess.
What To Expect At Your Green Card Interview: An Overview Of The Process
Regardless of the reason youre applying for a U.S. green card , youll most likely have to attend a green card interview.
If you applied for a family based green card, both you and your sponsor may have to attend an interview if youre married, your spouse will almost certainly have to attend so that the official interviewing you can determine whether your marriage is genuine.
And some people dont have to attend green card interviews at all . Rest assured that the U.S. government will let you know whether you need to attend an interview.
Note: If you do need to attend an interview and fail to go without rescheduling, your application will most likely be denied.
The green card interview process is pretty much the same for everyone who goes through it. Generally, you show up for your interview, spend some time with a U.S. immigration official, answer a few questions, and leave.
You may leave with an immigration decision, but sometimes officials need more information to make a decision . If that happens, you will receive your decision in the mail.
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Benefits Of A Green Card Through Marriage
FAQ
Are Green Card Interview Waived
Interviews can be waived for the following employment-based I-485 cases: You are still employed by the petitioner who submitted the approved employment-based visa petition. You were approved as an alien of extraordinary ability or alien of exceptional ability and you are otherwise qualified for a green card.
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Family Green Card Interview Sample Questions
The most common family green card is the , which involves spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. This is commonly known as the . The essence is to establish that your marriage is bona fide and that the applicant entered into the marriage in good faith based on love rather than for immigration benefits. Some of the sample questions include:
Iv Spouses Personal Information
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Prepare For The Interview
After the National Visa Center schedules your visa interview appointment, they will send you, your petitioner, and your agent/attorney an email noting the appointment date and time.After you receive an interview Appointment Letter from NVC, you must take the following steps BEFORE the interview date.
1. Schedule and Complete a Medical Examination
You are required to schedule a medical appointment with an authorized physician in the country where you will be interviewed.This exam must be with an embassy-approved doctor, also referred to as the Panel Physician. Exams conducted by other physicians will not be accepted. You must complete your medical examination, along with any required vaccinations, before your scheduled visa interview date.Please visit our List of U.S. Embassies and Consulates for country-specific medical examination instructions.
After your exam, the Panel Physician will either send the exam results directly to the embassy or give you a sealed envelope. If the doctor gives you an envelope, do not open it.Instead, bring it to your visa interview and give it to the consular officer.
How Can I Prepare For An I
If youre not prepared for your Adjustment of Status interview, you may face delays or challenges with the processing of your application. For this reason, its in your best interest to take some time beforehand to compile your documents and prepare your answers. Your immigration attorney will also want to meet with you to discuss the interview process and highlight any specific issues that may arise in your case.
While every I-485 interview is different, there are several common things you can do to prepare yourself.
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What Kinds Of Questions Do They Ask In A Green Card Interview
There are no standard set of questions for this type of visa interview. The specific green card interview questions will be up to the choice and discretion of the interviewer. Generally, the interviewer will ask you questions relating to these categories:
- How you met and how your relationship developed
- Information about your wedding
- Immigration-related inquiries
- Holidays and celebrations
As a general rule, these types of visa interview questions are more personal. This is to make sure that the marriage is legitimate and not fraudulent. There will be a variety of questions asked to you and your spouse in order to get a better understanding of your relationship. Here are some examples of these green card interview questions:
Who Attends Adjustment Of Status Interview
USCIS will generally schedule the interview at an office nearest you. In some areas of the country, this may require a long drive and an overnight stay. For family-based I-485 applications, USCIS generally requires both the applicant and petitioner to attend the I-485 interview. They will make a decision to waive the interview on a case-by-case basis. You cant request USCIS to waive the interview, and you should always expect one for marriage-based applications. In some non-marriage based cases, USCIS may require only the applicant to attend the adjustment of status interview. However, USCIS does not require employers to attend interviews for employment-based I-485 applications.
Derivative applicants should also expect to attend. If you have a spouse and children that are applying for permanent residence based on your eligibility, they are known as derivative applicants and must appear regardless of the filing category.
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Can I Travel After The Interview
Even after your interview for a green card, you will need advance permission, known as advance parole, to travel while your green card application is pending. If you leave the U.S. without advance parole, your green card application will be deemed abandoned and, therefore, denied. So its extremely important that you dont leave without first receiving permission.
If you already have advance parole, its advisable that you dont travel while the application is pending unless absolutely necessary. This is because advance parole is valid only while the green card application is pending. So whether approved or denied, your advance parole is terminated when a decision is made.
Assuming youre outside the U.S when a decision is made, then you may have issues returning. If the green card is denied after the interview then youll have nothing to use to reenter the country. If the green card is granted after the interview then if may not be possible to have the card when you attempt to reenter because it will be mailed to your residence in the U.S.
Bottom line, you probably shouldnt travel after the interview unless you have to.
Your Appearance And Composure Really Matters
Appearing or acting nervous may indicate a red flag. Remain composed and answer each question confidently. Also, wearing conservative or professional clothing will portray you as someone who is taking the interview seriously. Avoid dresses that may appear controversial or offensive, such as revealing clothing or clothes with political slogans or inscriptions.
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You Are An Immediate Or Preference Relative Of A Us Citizen Or Permanent Resident
If you are the child under the age of 21 or spouse of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident , you may be eligible for a family or marriage-based green card. A preference relative such as a sister, brother, or parent may also qualify for a family-based green card. The U.S. citizen or green card holder must be ready to sponsor your petition and satisfy the requirements to meet your financial needs.
For immediate relatives such as children and spouses, the application process is relatively easier and takes less time. For preference relatives, however, you may experience a longer waiting time that lasts for years due to the green card limit for this category.
Overview What Is The Marriage
The family-based green card marriage interview is a standard part of the green card process that all applicants for lawful permanent residence must undergo. As the spouse of a US citizen, you will have to attend an interview with a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Officer. Your US citizen spouse will have to attend the green card marriage interview with you.
This is usually the last part of the marriage green card application process. You and your spouse will likely be asked personal questions regarding your relationship, your marriage, and your day-to-day life. While this may be a stressful and intimidating process, some of the stress can be alleviated by getting acquainted with the green card marriage interview process, with the green card marriage interview requirements, and even with the frequently asked questions at a green card marriage interview. Knowing what to expect will help you be more confident at your marriage-based green card interview. This article will provide the answers to all of your potential green card marriage interview questions.
a. Why is the marriage-based green card interview necessary?
The purpose of the green card marriage interview is to confirm that your marriage is genuine and valid. USCIS officers will want to make sure that you and your spouse have entered into marital union in order to spend your lives together, and not to evade the immigration laws of the United States.
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Here’s A List Of The Types Of Questions You Might Be Asked At Your Green Card Marriage Interview Test Yourself
By Ilona Bray, J.D.
Getting ready for a interview? This might take place at a U.S. consulate abroad or at an office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services if you’re adjusting status in the United States . The below are sample questions to help you prepare for the most important and stressful part of the interview: convincing the officer that your , the real thing, not a fraud to get U.S. lawful permanent residence.
We’ve divided the sample questions into thematic groupings, below. These do NOT come from any official list created by U.S. immigration authorities.
Preparing For The Green Card Interview
If you have applied for legal permanent resident status in the USA based on your marriage to a US citizen, at some point, you will need to answer the Green Card Marriage Interview questions. You will be asked to attend a green card marriage interview, usually 6 to 12 months after you submit your application. Prepare for the green card marriage interview here.
Preparing for the green card interview questions by marriage is essential. The reason is that if you dont prepare for the green card interview properly, it could cause a delay in approving your case. Also, your request may be denied if you do not provide correct information about yourself in the interview.
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How To Prepare For Visa Application Interview And Arrival To The United States
Description
This course is a guide for all who have dreams to come to the United States and become Permanent Residents along the way. There are so many ways one person can get Green Card. Among them, is through the Diversity Visa Program or rather Green Card Lottery. The course is a 2-hours-long video broken into sections. Each section has an important part in the larger part of the course.
At the end of the course, you will be able to:
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Know what is Green Card and what is Green Card Lottery
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What are the eligibility and requirements to apply for the DV Lottery
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What happens if you win the Diversity Visa
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In the end, to know the challenges ahead and how to overcome them upon arriving in the United States
Millions of people each year take the opportunity to apply for the Diversity Visa Lottery Program, to get an opportunity to relocate to the United States and become Permanent Residents . Unfortunately, many of them are automatically rejected for mistakes they are doing while doing the DV Lottery application. While others are denied the visas despite winning. There are mistakes while applying which cost them during the interview or sometimes fail to meet requirements.
This course, therefore, provides you with an ultimate guide on how to properly apply which will help to increase your chances of winning and being given the visa.
To Illustrate This Point I Want To Introduce You To Scott And Rosario
Scott, a U.S. citizen, and aerospace engineer, finally found the love of his life in his beautiful wife Rosario. They met in San Francisco, where Rosario was a Salvadoran foreign exchange student studying English at a U.S. university. They have their differences just as any other couple Rosarios English isnt very good, Scott is 20 years older than her and recently divorced but they know that they are soulmates. Their whirlwind romance was brief, they met and married after only 1 month, but neither cared because they were madly in love.
Rosarios student visa is set to expire within the next 3 months. Scott cant imagine living without her, so he files a marriage-based immigration petition on her behalf so she can stay in the U.S. permanently and they can start a family. However, because their relationship progressed so quickly, they have not had time to meet very many of each others friends, they still have not met each others parents, and they are currently apartment hunting so they can move in together.
Of course, none of that matters to Scott and Rosario. They have the rest of their lives to work out the minor details. What could possibly go wrong?
Actually, quite a lot
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Required Documentation That You Haven’t Already Sent
During the course of your application process, USCIS may tell you it’s okay if you haven’t sent a necessary document yet because you can just bring it to the interview. For example, if you haven’t already turned in the Form I-693 immigration medical examination signed, which must have been signed by the doctor within the previous 60 days, now is the time to do so. This will be inside a sealed envelope you got from the doctor.
Iii What Can I Expect At The Marriage Green Card Interview
At the marriage Green Card interview, the interviewing officer will ask questions that will assess the eligibility of the marriage Green Card applicant, and further assess whether the marriage is bona fide. The questions that will be asked will surround the history of relationship of the couple, the individual spouses, details about the current marital relationship, and even future plans of the marital couples. These questions can be quite intrusive and the interviewing officers will be very well trained to identify any discrepancies from previously provided statements, submitted and unsubmitted government immigration documents. Although applicants may have prepared and rehearsed their answers previously, if they do not recall any questions during the interview, it is always better to indicate that you do not recall the answer rather than guessing and providing an incorrect answer.
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