If you’re immigrating to the U.S. and you’ve passed through the first stages of the process—submitting your application and completing your medical evaluation—you still need to complete an immigration interview. Your Milwaukee immigration lawyer will tell you what to bring well in advance of your appointment, but it’s also important that you know what to expect and how to respond to questions before you go.
What to Bring to Your Immigration Interview
Your attorney will probably advise you to bring copies of all of your documents to the interview with the official from the Bureau of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. You should have your original application, medical forms and everything else that you included with your application.
What to Expect at Your USCIS Interview
The interviewer will have several questions for you, but remember, he or she is simply making sure that there’s nothing in your background that would prevent you from getting your immigration status. Many immigration officials are overburdened with work, so if he or she seems brusque, that could be one reason.
That said, be prepared to answer very personal questions if your immigration is marriage-related. You and your spouse might be interviewed separately, and that’s okay.
Bring an interpreter with you if you don’t understand English very well; an interpreter can help ensure that you understand all of the questions and that you can answer them properly. You can also bring your attorney, particularly if there’s an aspect of your past that will be hard to explain.
Make sure that you’re prepared to answer every question truthfully. If you don’t know the answer to a question, it’s okay to admit that; don’t lie, because lying can result in a denied application.
If the officer says that your documentation is incomplete, pull out the paperwork that you’ve brought with you and try to fix it right there. You may have a hard time scheduling another appointment if you have to leave to correct the issue, which is why your attorney will probably tell you to bring all of your original documents with you the first time.
Relax. Immigration officials are simply trying to make sure that you’re within the parameters of the law, and remember: once you’ve passed the interview, you have completed all of the steps in the legal immigration process.
