Free guide · updated November 2026
Marriage green card interview questions
At a marriage-based green card interview (forms I-130 and I-485), a USCIS officer asks you and your spouse about your relationship and your life together. Sometimes the officer talks to each of you separately and compares your answers; this is often called a Stokes interview.
Below are common questions, grouped by topic, with tips. Read them together, then answer them on your own and compare: that's the best way to find the small things you remember differently.
A. How you met and dating
When and where exactly did you first meet? What day of the week was it? Who introduced you?
Key factTip: Give the exact date and place if you know them; if you're unsure of the day of the week, say so rather than guess.
How did you find each other — app, friend, event? What was your very first conversation about?
When was your first date? Where did you go, what did you do, and what did you eat?
Key factTip: Be as specific as you can about the date and place; check old messages or photos if you're unsure.
When did you first say “I love you” — who said it first, and where?
Tip: If you don't remember the exact moment, say so honestly instead of guessing.
If either of you was married before: when did your spouse first learn about it?
Tip: If this does not apply to either of you, simply say so.
When did you decide to move in together, and whose place did you move into?
Key factTip: Give the month and year you actually started living together; check your lease or moving records if you're unsure.
+12 more questions on this topic in the full practice
B. Proposal, rings, and wedding
Who proposed to whom? When, where, and how? Who else was there?
Key factTip: Describe it as it actually happened, with the date and place; if there was no formal proposal, just say so.
When did you get married, and why that date? What time of day was the ceremony?
Key factTip: Give the exact date shown on your marriage certificate and the approximate time of the ceremony.
Where was the ceremony? Civil or religious? Who officiated?
Key factTip: Name the exact venue or office and its city; if you don't know the officiant's name, say so.
How many people attended? Name some of them. Which family members were there?
Tip: Give an approximate number and only the names you are sure of.
Who were the witnesses who signed the marriage certificate?
Key factTip: Give the witnesses' full names; check your marriage certificate if you're unsure.
Who took photos? Do you have wedding photos with you today?
Tip: Bring a few wedding photos to the real interview, on your phone or printed.
+9 more questions on this topic in the full practice
C. Your home and neighborhood
What is your full address, including apartment number? How long have you lived there?
Key factTip: Say the full address exactly as it appears on your mail, including apartment number and ZIP code, plus the month and year you moved in.
Is it a house, apartment, condo, townhouse? Rent or own?
Key factTip: Describe the home the way your lease or deed does.
Who else, besides the two of you, lives at your current address? Who lived at your prior address?
Key factTip: Name everyone who actually lives there, including roommates or relatives; if no one else does, say so.
List every address you've lived at together — street, city, and month/year start and end dates.
Key factTip: Check your leases or the address history on your USCIS forms so the dates are accurate.
How much is rent (or mortgage), when is it due, and who pays it — from which account?
Key factTip: Give the exact monthly amount and due date; check your bank statement if you're unsure.
Whose names are on your lease (or the deed, if you own)? When does the lease end or renew?
Key fact
+14 more questions on this topic in the full practice
Practice with your spouse, for free
Each of you answers on your own phone. StokesPrep shows where your answers differ and how to check the real facts together, before the interview.
J. Inside your home
How many bedrooms? How many bathrooms?
Key factTip: Count the rooms in your head before answering, and mention any half bathroom (toilet and sink only) separately.
Describe the layout — what do you see when you walk in the front door?
Tip: Walk through the home in your mind, room by room, starting at the front door.
Which direction does the bedroom window face? What's the view?
What color are the bedroom walls? Carpet or hardwood in the bedroom — what color?
Which side of the bed does each of you sleep on? Who sleeps closest to the bedroom door?
Tip: Describe your side as if you were lying in bed, or say “door side” or “window side,” so left and right don't get mixed up.
Do you sleep in the same bedroom?
Key factTip: Answer truthfully; if there is a reason you sometimes sleep apart, you can briefly explain it.
+14 more questions on this topic in the full practice
D. Weekdays
What time did you and your spouse get up this morning? Was your spouse awake or still sleeping when you got up?
Tip: Answer on the same day as your spouse so you are both describing the same morning.
Who took a shower first this morning?
Tip: Answer on the same day as your spouse; if neither of you showered this morning, just say so.
What did you each have for breakfast today?
Tip: Answer on the same day as your spouse, and say so if you didn't see what they ate.
What TV programs do you watch together? What did you watch last night?
Tip: Answer on the same day as your spouse, and name the show itself rather than just the streaming service.
What time did you each go to bed last night?
Tip: Answer on the same day as your spouse; an approximate time is fine if you didn't check the clock.
What is your spouse wearing today?
Tip: Answer on the same day as your spouse, describing what they had on when you last saw them.
+10 more questions on this topic in the full practice
K. Weekends, meals, and habits
What's in your fridge right now?
What's your spouse's favorite food? Least favorite? Favorite restaurant?
Where do you order takeout from most? What does your spouse order?
Who does the food shopping? What's the closest supermarket to your home?
When was the last grocery run and what did you buy?
Who does the dishes? Vacuuming? Who cleans the bathroom?
+11 more questions on this topic in the full practice
Practice with your spouse, for free
Each of you answers on your own phone. StokesPrep shows where your answers differ and how to check the real facts together, before the interview.
E. About each other
Spell your spouse's full legal name.
Key factTip: Spell it exactly as on your spouse's passport or ID, including any middle names, even if you normally use a nickname.
What is your date of birth? Your spouse's date of birth?
Key factTip: Give the full date — day, month, and year — for both of you.
Where were you born? Where was your spouse born?
Key factTip: Name the city and country as they appear on the birth certificate or passport.
What are your spouse's parents' names? Where do they live? How often do you talk to them — and how often does your spouse?
Key factTip: Give both parents' full names and the city where they live; if a parent has passed away, say so.
Do you or your spouse have any children? Names, ages, where they live, what schools?
Key factTip: Include any children from previous relationships, with full names and birth dates; if there are none, say so.
What is your home phone number, if any? Your spouse's cell number? Their work number?
Tip: Try to say your spouse's cell number from memory; it's fine to say you don't know a work number.
+14 more questions on this topic in the full practice
F. Money and bills
Do you have joint bank accounts? Which bank, when opened, roughly what balance?
Key factTip: Name the bank and the month and year the account was opened; a rough balance is fine.
Are you paid by check or direct deposit? Is your spouse? Into which account?
How often do you get paid? How often does your spouse get paid?
Who pays the bills? Which bills does each of you handle?
How much does each of you earn?
Tip: Give an approximate yearly or monthly figure and say which one you mean.
Did you file your most recent taxes jointly? Who prepared them? Refund or owed?
Key factTip: Check your most recent tax return for the filing status, who prepared it, and the refund or amount owed.
+12 more questions on this topic in the full practice
L. Cars, insurance, and health
Where is medicine kept in the house?
Does your spouse take any medicine every day? What for? Any medical conditions or allergies?
Does your spouse wear glasses or contacts?
Health insurance — whose plan covers whom?
Any life insurance naming each other? Retirement beneficiaries?
For each car you have, what year is it, when did you get it, and who drives it most?
Key fact
+11 more questions on this topic in the full practice
Practice with your spouse, for free
Each of you answers on your own phone. StokesPrep shows where your answers differ and how to check the real facts together, before the interview.
G. Work and school
Where does your spouse work/study? Exact employer or school name and location?
Key factTip: Give the employer's or school's full official name and the address or neighborhood your spouse actually goes to.
What is your spouse's job title or program? What do they actually do all day?
What time does your spouse go to work, and what time do they come home?
Key factTip: Describe a typical schedule, and mention it if the hours vary by day or shift.
When did your spouse last work, and what were the hours? When did you last work?
What days off does your spouse have? When is their next day off, and what are you planning?
If your spouse is a student: when did they start, at which school, and what is their program?
Tip: Give the full school name, the program's official name, and the month and year your spouse started.
+8 more questions on this topic in the full practice
M. Immigration history
Which country is the spouse applying for the green card a citizen of? Any other citizenship?
Key factWhat is the current US immigration status of the spouse applying for the green card, and since when?
Key factWhen did the spouse applying for the green card last enter the US, and on which visa or status?
Key factWhere did the spouse applying for the green card last enter the US, at which airport or border crossing? Who picked them up, and where did they stay first?
Key factWas your spouse married before? If so, to whom, and when and how did that marriage end?
Key factHas anyone ever filed an immigration petition for either of you before, or has either of you filed one for someone else? If so, for whom, and when?
Key fact
+4 more questions on this topic in the full practice
N. Travel and time apart
Where do you keep important documents — passports, the marriage certificate?
Trips taken together since marrying — where, when, where did you stay?
Since you married, which trips outside the US has your spouse taken? Where, when, for how long, and did you go too?
Key factWhen did the spouse applying for the green card last visit their home country? How long did they stay, and who did they stay with?
Has the spouse who filed the petition ever been to the home country of the spouse applying for the green card? When, and where did they stay?
Since you married, what is the longest time you have spent apart? When was it, and what was the reason?
+5 more questions on this topic in the full practice
Practice with your spouse, for free
Each of you answers on your own phone. StokesPrep shows where your answers differ and how to check the real facts together, before the interview.
H. Family, friends, and holidays
Have you met your in-laws in person? When and where, most recently?
How did you celebrate the last major holiday — New Year, Christmas, birthday?
Do you celebrate holidays at home? How? Do you decorate the house?
Where were you for the most recent Thanksgiving and New Year's — with whose family?
Anniversaries — wedding date, dating anniversary. How did you celebrate the last one?
Key factTip: Give the exact dates; if you don't mark a dating anniversary, say so rather than guess.
What photos of the two of you are on your phone from the last month?
Tip: Look through your camera roll before answering and describe specific photos — where and when they were taken.
+11 more questions on this topic in the full practice
I. Recent events and future plans
What did you and your spouse have for dinner yesterday (or your last meal together)?
Tip: Answer on the same day as your spouse so “yesterday” means the same evening for both of you.
What was the last movie you saw together — name it. In a theater or at home?
What did you do last weekend? Be specific.
Tip: Go day by day, Saturday then Sunday, and mention the places you went and the people you saw.
What was your last argument about, and when?
Tip: Answer truthfully and briefly; ordinary disagreements are nothing to hide.
Are you trying now? What birth control do you use, if any?
Tip: This can feel very personal, but officers do ask it — answer briefly and truthfully.
If the green card is denied, what will you do?
Tip: There is no right answer — say honestly what you have discussed, or that you haven't discussed it.
+8 more questions on this topic in the full practice
How to prepare
- Tell the truth. If you don't know or don't remember something, say so instead of guessing.
- Go over the facts together beforehand: dates, addresses, jobs, family names. Check them against your documents, like the lease, bank statements and your marriage certificate.
- Small differences are normal: couples remember things differently. What matters is that you answer honestly and the important facts line up.
- Bring the documents your interview notice or your attorney asks for, plus evidence of your life together.
- Practice out loud. Answering in your own words is harder than reading a question.
Common questions
Is every couple interviewed separately?
No. Many interviews are with both spouses together. An officer may talk to you separately if they need more information about your relationship. Practicing separately helps either way.
How many questions will they ask?
It varies from case to case. Some interviews are short, others take much longer. The questions on this page are common examples, not an official list.
What if we answer a question differently?
Don't panic, and don't change your answer to match. Explain honestly, for example why you each remember a date differently. Practicing beforehand helps you find these differences early.
Is this legal advice?
No. StokesPrep is a practice tool. For advice about your case, talk to an immigration attorney.
Practice with your spouse, for free
Each of you answers on your own phone. StokesPrep shows where your answers differ and how to check the real facts together, before the interview.
StokesPrep is a practice tool, not legal advice. Always follow your attorney's guidance and answer USCIS truthfully.