One of the biggest worries in the process is the
"fiance visa interview". Many people think that "fiance
visa interview" will be the most difficult part of the process. Some of
these fears stem from horror stories that people have heard about
the "fiance visa interview". Also, people generally do
not like to be judged, are embarassed to speak about their personal
lives to complete strangers, and are unsure what actually happens at
the "fiance visa interview". Many people fear that
they will be tricked at the "fiance visa interview". The goal
of the "fiance visa interview" is to verify that you have a real relationshp
with your fiance and to verify the information in the petition.
Many of the fears and feelings of trickery stem from language barriers.
Your fiance
should not memorize answers to questions or a speech to give to the
embassy official, but s/he should prepare. Preparation includes
giving your fiance a complete copy of the petition, advising
him/her about proper attire, and going over the answers to some possible
questions. Most of the questions in the "fiance visa interview"
are things that your fiance should easily be able to answer.
Most interviews are short, ranging from 5-15 minutes and the most
frequent comment that I hear from clients is how suprisingly friendly
the interviewer was.
The following is a list of sample
questions that some fiances are asked at the "fiance visa interview"
and in many K-3 and I-130 interviews:
Where does your fiance
live?
Where was your fiance born?
What is your fiance's
birthday?
How old is your fiance?
What are your fiance's
parents' names? Brothers and sisters?
Where do they live?
Has
your fiance been married before?
When did your fiance divorce?
Why
did your fiance get a divorce?
Does your fiance have kids?
What are their names? What are their birthdays? How old
are they? Where do they live?
Would you take care of your
fiance's children if they came to live with you?
Where
does your fiance work? What does your fiance do? What
is your fiance's job title?
Have you ever been married?
When did you get divorced? Why? Do you have kids?
Brothers/sisters?
What does your family think about your
fiance/engagement? Have they met your fiance? When?
How did that go?
How did you meet your fiance?
When did
you first meet in person?
How long have you known each other?
How long have you been dating? How much time have you spent
together?
When did your fiance propose? Where?
When
was the last time you saw your fiance in person? Where?
Have
you ever been to the U.S.? When? Where? What type
of visa? How long did you stay? When did you come back?
When
do you plan to go to the U.S.?
Where will you live?
When
will you have your wedding? Where? What kind of wedding will
you have?
Did you have an engagement party/bridal shower?
When? Where?
When did you tell your family and friends
about your engagement?
How does your fiance's familly feel about
the marriage? Have you met them?
What are your fiance's
hobbies/interests? Yours?
What do you like to do
together?
What is your birthday? What do you do for a living?
Will you and your fiance have children? What are your
plans for the future?
Do you feel that your religious/cultural
differences will affect you?
How do you communicate with your
fiance?
Why do you want to come to the U.S? What would
you like to do here?
Why do you want to marry your fiance?
What do you like about your fiance? Why do you love your fiance?
The most important thing is to have something to say about your
fiance and to be able to speak freely and confidently about your relationship.
You don't need to be a robot, fearing that you will give the wrong
answer. Just be honest and relaxed and your love for your fiance
will come through.
The Law Office of Sarah M. Cross
While
most people have smooth interviews, some people are going to have
a more difficult time. Worst case scenario interviews involve
being grilled by two or more interviewers. This happens most
often when the original interviewer thinks that your fiance is being
dishonest, hostile, or evasive. General nervousness can give
the appearance of dishonesty. You should go over the answers
to the questions above together in a couple of mock interviews so
that your fiance can be more comfortable.
If you
have a difficult interview:
Keep your cool
Be direct and honest
Answer all questions with short and simple answers, don't give long,
overly complicated answers to questions
Remain friendly
You may
be given a letter stating that additional review is needed and you
will not be granted a visa at this time based on one of the numerous
code sections. This basically means that someone higher up at
the consulate is going to look into your case more. They may
review the application in depth, call your employers, etc.
What
can you do? - First, before you leave the interview, ask if there
is any additional paperwork that the consulate would like you to submit.
If yes, then get it and submit it. If not, then you will need
to wait for a decision. This could take a day, a week, or a
year. If the amount of time is accessive, you can file a request
for action.
