Is your case stuck in administrative process? We can help you by completing this form.

Joint and Stokes Interviews with USCIS

Spread the love

A component of USCIS is to vet the validity of marriages and applicants who are attempting to enter the United States based on a marriage visa. One aspect of USCIS’s efforts to crack down on potentially fraudulent marriages is through interviews with spouses. The Department of Homeland Security has a number of ways they conduct these interviews, from joint interviews to Stokes interviews.

What Is a Stokes Interview?

While it might sound like something out of a movie, a Stokes interview is when USCIS asks couples about each other while they are separated into different rooms. They do this sometimes as a means to test a spouse’s knowledge of their significant other.

Couples are first asked a series of simple questions to establish a baseline of reasoning. Officers then ask people about their significant others. And while this is sometimes a great way to vet fraudulent marriages, it could also pose challenges for couples of certain backgrounds.

We don't spend a lot of time practicing those gotcha questions here in the office because we only want to file widget cases. Even with these hard questions, sometimes it could be better for a spouse to misremember instead of answering every question correctly. Even bickering between couples in joint interview could lead to a USCIS officer feeling as though the marriage is more substantial.

What is a Joint Interview?

A joint interview is simply when the USCIS officer interviews a couple at the same time in the same room. They do this to, again, gauge the authenticity of the marriage before them. Whether a couple is filing for an initial green card application or a petition to remove conditions, the USCIS is on the lookout for fraudulent applications.

That is not to say that these interviews should be scripted, far from it. Couples should sound natural.

What Hacking Immigration Law, LLC Could Do to Help

At the Hacking Immigration Law, LLC we could help potential interviewees prepare for their interview and help them avoid certain missteps people often make. To learn more about what an attorney could do for you, reach out and schedule your first meeting.

You May Also Like

A Complete Guide To The U.S. Naturalization Test And Interview Spread the love Becoming a U.S. citizen is an exciting and life-changing journey. One of the key steps in this process is taking the naturalization test. This test, administered... VIEW POST
Can You Apply for Naturalization with an Expired Green Card? Spread the love A green card, known as a Permanent Resident Card, serves as evidence of your legal permanent resident status in the US. It allows you to work... VIEW POST
April 2024 USCIS Fees Increase: What You Need To Know Spread the love The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a significant increase in fees for various immigration applications and services. This move has sparked concerns... VIEW POST

Download Free Guide 
2024 Immigrant’s Guide to 
Becoming a U.S. Citizen

This guide contains all you need to know to become  
a U.S. citizen.

Download Free Guide 2022 Immigrant’s Guide to Becoming a U.S. Citizen

This guide contains all you need to know
to become a U.S. citizen.
DOWNLOAD FREE PDF

Immigration 
Answers Show
Live every week.

JOIN US