Many people believe that once you marry a U.S. citizen you will automatically be on the fast track to resident status. Each year roughly 450,000 Americans marry foreign born individuals, and each year a percentage of these marriages are for immigratory purposes alone. The authorities at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services or USCIS, however, are prepared for this often-abused strategy and do not make it an effortless process.
A major aspect of the marriage inspection process is the interview. The purpose of the interview, performed by a specially trained interviewer, is the ascertain the motivation for the marriage. It is the job of the married couple to prove they did not marry for the immigration benefits alone.There are a few key points to keep in mind in order to have a successful interview.
1. Prepare for "The Newlywed Game"- A tactic often employed by the USCIS interviewer is to separate the two spouses and question them separately. This is usually only done once his or her suspicion as been aroused, but that is not always case. Generally this is when each spouse will be asked a serious of questions about the other, ranging from "Where was your husband born?" to at times much more personal questions such as "What is your wife's preferred sexual position?". Your answers to these questions will be compared against those provided by your spouse to determine your level of familiarity. The goal of the interviewer is to determine whether or not you and your spouse are indeed living together in an intimate relationship. Remember to pay attention to the details of your living and sleeping arrangements before the interview period and quiz one another on your respective personal information.
2. Be yourselves- Interviewers are trained to analyze body language and interaction between the couple. They are looking for signs that suggest the two of you are not comfortable together, as many "green card marriages" involve two people who are in no way intimate and often times may not even be well acquainted as friends prior to arranging the marriage. Inappropriate displays of affection are not necessary, as they may seem forced and unnatural given the awkwardness of the situation, but avoid nervous withdrawal from one another as it may come off as a sign unfamiliarity. Don't over think it. Relax and reassure your spouse, it will calm your nerves and help to convey a sense of togetherness and mutual concern.
3. Reflect on the course of your relationship prior to being interviewed- You will be expected to recount the circumstances under which you met your spouse and describe the way in which your relationship evolved into engagement and eventually to marriage. Don't program your answers as though you were in a police interrogation, but prepare to communicate them so as to avoid sounding confused or cornered by general questions such as "Describe your first date."
4. Be ready to provide documentation- You will be expected to provide certain documentation of the validity of your relationship. These include but are not limited to: birth certificates of any children you may have together, wedding invitations, property leases with both names featured, wedding photographs, photographs of special occasions spent together, joint bank account statements, or other joint financial documents.
6. Consider hiring professional representation to guide you through this process and even attend the interview with you- There is a lot riding on the approval of your petition and it is not unheard of for those with genuine marriages to have their case denied as a result of being unprepared. Immigration authorities do not take these inspections lightly, they will conduct in depth background checks on the U.S. citizen as well as the foreign national. Circumstances of one's immigration history and any prior arrests can unexpectedly result in serious problems during the inspection period. The guidance of a professional immigration attorney sitting in on the proceedings can at times mean the difference between residence granted and residence denied.
For additional help with immigration issues, visit http://www.manchanda-law.com/ to set up your FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION with one of the nation's top immigration attorneys.
Rahul Manchanda is the principle attorney at Manchanda Law Offices PLLC, a fully staffed law firm located on the corner of Wall Street and Water Street in the heart of New York City's financial district.
Manchanda Law Offices PLLC
80 Wall Street, Suite 705
New York, NY 1
No comments:
Post a Comment