“Are they going to separate us into different rooms and ask us what type of face cream my wife uses?”

This is a common question I am asked when meeting with clients before their marriage-based Green Card interviews. They have clearly watched the movie Green Card and with all the inaccuracies that Hollywood offers, I’m not surprised this is the way people think the typical interview goes. Of course, it’s my job to give as accurate a picture of what to expect in these interviews as possible.

Every US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) District Office—where these marriage-based Green Card interviews are conducted—operates a bit differently, and even within each office, each officer conducting the interview has a different personality and interview style; therefore, every interview is slightly varied. While there are certainly common topics that most officers will usually touch upon, there is no standard set of questions which a person can “look up” before their interview. While asking where a couple met, how long they dated before marriage, whether their families have met, and similar questions, is pretty typical, there are many other questions that may come up as the officer converses with a couple.