Are you getting ready for your immigration interview and completely
freaking out because you don't know how to behave?
Well, here are some common
things that you should NOT do at your immigration interview.
As you may know, the immigration interview for your green card
is one of the most important yet
most stressful parts of your case.
So the last thing that you want to do is make a mistake.
And I'm not talking about the type of mistake where you don't know
your information, but rather certain behavioral mistakes that can come off
as a red flag for the officer and cause your case to be in jeopardy.
I have seen clients
who think that they're well prepared and who do prepare in the best way
that they can, but the way they may behave and comport themselves
at the official interview ends up causing trouble on their case.
My name is Moumita Rahman and I am a practicing immigration attorney.
I have been doing this for 13 years and it is my pleasure to do
the work that I do and to serve immigrants throughout the United States.
If you would like my help on your case,
give us a call at 212-248-7907 to schedule a case evaluation.
So what are the five things that you should never do
at your marriage-based immigration Green card interview?
And why is it important for you to not engage in these behaviors
that you may think are not so harmful but can actually wreak havoc on your case?
So the first thing that I would say that you should NOT do
and you should avoid at your green card interview is: Don't be a comedian!
Sometimes you may feel under pressure to talk
more at your interview or to be funny or to break the ice.
You might feel very, very uncomfortable because officers tend to say very little.
The first 10 to 15 minutes of most interviews that I have attended
with clients tend to be filled with silence
because all the officer is doing at the beginning
usually is reviewing the documents in your file and generally just typing in
and click clacking away on their computer while you sit there and wait.
So during this period of silence, you might feel compelled to be funny,
to say things to the officer.
And I would tell you, don't do that.
It's not a good idea because there are a couple of things that might happen.
Number one, the officer might actually take you
literally and might ask you, “what do you mean by that joke?”
And you will probably feel really, really uncomfortable
and try to explain what you are saying and why it was a joke.
So don't put yourself in that position.
And second, the officer might just ignore you
and that may even make you feel worse and make you feel defensive.
So don't be a comedian.
Let the officer conduct the interview at their own pace,
even if it makes you feel uncomfortable because not much is being said.
Some people do think that when the officer
is being really, really quiet and not saying anything, it's a bad sign.
But in my opinion, if the officer is not talking a lot,
it's actually a pretty good thing because it means that they're just
going through their mental checklist of what
they need to ask you and what they need to see to approve your case.
And generally, if they're not asking that many questions, it's usually a sign
that they're already satisfied with whatever is in the file.
And next thing which you should never do at your immigration interview,
which may also feel counterintuitive, is don't be all
lovey dovey with your spouse in front of the officer.
You may think that, you know, it's normal to be holding hands, to be kissing,
to be rubbing each other's backs or shoulders during the interview.
But don't do this in front of the officer.
It is number one, not the time nor place, and number two,
the officer may actually view it
as an attempt to convince them that your marriage is real.
Now, when your husband or your wife
or your partner is sitting next to you at the immigration interview,
it will be very, very normal for you to maybe want to hold hands.
But if the officer sees that, they may also suspect you of maybe sending
even signals to each other through a hand squeeze and things like that,
or how to answer, so they may also view that as a badge of fraud.
So when you're at the interview,
don't overdo it with the public displays of affection.
Here is the next thing that you should never do
at your immigration interview, and that is: Be rude to the officer.
While they can't deny your case for you arguing with them or being rude to them,
they can cause requests for evidence or other delays on your case.
So number one, avoid that if you can.
And number two, sometimes some officers do take a tactic of aggression
with you to see how you will react and to see if your answers will change.
And if you do get rude or angry at the officer, then it may backfire on you
and you may say things that are harmful to your case.
Your one and only job is to sit there and answer questions
and unless something egregious is being done or said
by the officer, I would say get through it and get done with your interview.
The next most important thing that you should never
do at your immigration interview is: Guess.
If you are asked a question about something that you do not know, say that.
Say that you don't remember the exact answer, but you think that it is this.
If you guess the answer to a question, but it's the wrong answer
and that can severely count against your application.
And it can also give the officer the impression that you are lying
on your application or lying in person or that your marriage is fake.
There are a number of conclusions that the officer can arrive at.
So the best thing to do when you don't remember
or when you don't know the answer to something is to simply say that and say,
“I do not know exactly” or “I cannot remember exactly
but I think it's this.” When you let the officer know that you don't remember
or that your memory is bad, or that you might be guessing, then
it signals to them that they should not take your answer literally.
But maybe related to that.
One thing that you also should not do is guess or say
you don't remember every single answer because you're so afraid
of getting things wrong. Don't worry.
You are going to get a lot of your answers right.
You might get one or two things wrong and you can explain it if it comes up.
I've had clients get small, minor things wrong
and it's not the end of the world, but if you do say something wrong,
you might look at your spouse and ask them to explain what the right answer is.
The last thing that you should never,
ever do at your immigration interview is: Lie.
Number one, you should never lie about any criminal matters.
And usually when the officer asks you if you have ever been arrested,
cited, detained or charged, this means have you ever basically
had any interaction with law enforcement where they have put cuffs on you
or they have charged or cited you with even
anything as small as a disorderly conduct
or a traffic citation anywhere, any time, whether inside the U.S.
or outside the U.S., They are not asking you,
“was it a conviction or was it dismissed?” They are not asking you “Did
it happened only in the past five years.” It is literally any time in your life.
So never lie about this. Never try to hide it.
Always tell the truth.
And likewise, tell the truth for any other answer that you come across
because you don't want to be accused of fraud or misrepresentation,
because that can have a severe consequence on your case getting denied.
And you may even require a waiver to get approved if that happens.
Now, here is a bonus thing that you should never do
when you go for your immigration interview, and that is:
You should never be unprepared for your interview!
Make sure you review
all of the applications that you have ever sent to immigration.
Make sure you review all of your documentation.
Make sure you bring all of your documentation to immigration,
including all of your identity documents, all of your marriage documents,
and anything else that is required to complete a successful interview.
And make sure you and your spouse go over your “How we Met” story.
If you haven't seen it already, watch this video
where I talk about my best practices
and tips for your marriage-based green card interview.
So now you are armed with the knowledge of what
not to do by following these tips and more through my videos,
I wish you a successful immigration journey.
If you want my help navigating your case, give us a call
at 212-248-7907.
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See you next time!