How do I prepare for questions at my K-1 visa interview?

Is it worth rehearsing a random list of questions?

Do I need to memorize 500 mundane details?

Will they try to trick me into answering incorrectly?

.

The answer to all these questions is “NO”.

You see, there’s no reason to study random questions for the K-1 visa interview, or memorize small details, or even fear thinking they’re going to trick you into answering incorrectly.

Want to know what most people’s experience is like?

Most applicants with strong cases are only asked 10-15 basic questions. In fact, at the end of the interview, relieved applicants ask themselves “…was that it? I don’t know why I was so worried. It wasn’t really as bad as I imagined…”

.

But, leading up to this day it’s agonizing. It’s filled with anxiety, confusion and overall stress. Sort of like this response I got from a reader after asking her “what are you concerned about during the interview?”:

.

.

I don’t blame her for being “petrified”. The K-1 visa interview is a big deal and it’s meant to cover a lot of ground. You’re expected to bring forms, evidence, proof… and of course, be face to face with someone who gets to “decide your future”. Talk about pressure.

And that’s why we get fixated on these questions:

● What will they ask?

● How can I make sure I answer anything they “throw” at me?

● What’s the “perfect” way to answer?

● What if I forget my answers?

And besides being asked questions, some of us fear that “they’re out to get us”. You know, that they’re intentionally going to confuse you to see if you slip up.

.

.

But to tell you the truth, most of our fears are based on misconceptions.

I want to show you that studying random questions isn’t the answer. In fact, worrying about what they’ll ask you isn’t a step in the right direction, either.

Once you realize that the questions they ask are based on your normal life, then you’ll stop panicking about details and become more confident about the K-1 visa interview.

.

Why do they ask questions in the first place?

So, let’s quickly cover the basics. Why do they ask questions during the fiance visa interview? What’s the point?

The primary reason is to verify that you are indeed in a bona fide relationship and there’s no scam for immigration. That’s it. They know many people try illegal ways to get into the US and they’re making sure your fiance isn’t one of them.

The second reason is that the US wants to keep out anyone who’s a security threat and they ask a variety of questions to help.

Imagine you’re renting an apartment in your house to outsiders. Wouldn’t you want to be extra sure they’ve got “clean” records before you let them in? The same applies to Officers interviewing you before they grant a visa to the US.

And, just like airport security, it means everyone needs to get frisked before entering. So, that’s why we all have to go through the fiance visa interview questions session even if we’re obviously a genuine couple.

The other point (which most applicants don’t consider) is that officers are complete strangers to your case. It’s one of the first times they’re looking at your files, reviewing your I-129F, and seeing you face to face. (Read why is the K-1 visa interview important?)

They may have holes in their understanding of your case, facts, or details which they need to verify before approving you. Remember, their job is to make sure you’re genuine and qualify for a visa. In the simplest sense, that’s why they ask questions.

Speaking of which…

.

What questions do they ask during the interview?

So, let’s begin with the kind of questions they ask.

And we’ll first see the actual laws regarding the interview. According to the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), officers can pretty much ask anything to verify your relationship.

They can ask things like “when did you meet?” or “where do you plan to get married?” to see if you truly qualify for a fiance visa (i.e. you’re truly in a relationship).

It’s such an important step, that the government actually dictates to officers the right way to conduct interviews (9 FAM 504.7):

.

.

Notice: officers are explicitly told to avoid “aggressive cross-examination, assumption of bad faith, or entrapment”. Meaning, they shouldn’t assume you’re fraud before even starting, nor trick you into saying something wrong, nor ask unnecessary questions.

But at the same time, the government also informs officers to keep an eye out for “discrepancies” (9 FAM 502.7-3(C)(5)):

.

.

Meaning, they’ve got to spot possible fraudulent fiance visa cases.

And this is the reason why most of us worry about the interview. We fear being incorrectly labeled as fraud.

“We’re innocent, but what if they think we’re frauds”? Or “how will my red flags make it look like we’re not real?”

“What about my 20-year age difference?” “What if I can’t remember that specific date we had our third in-person meeting?”

what if… what if… what if…

Unfortunately, this gives birth to the various tactics some people suggest you do: like study a laundry list of questions hoping you can memorize as much as possible.

And it’s gets worse…I’m sure you’ve heard first-hand horror stories of interviews. Even stories of how denied fiance visa applicants leave the interview in tears. The confusion is everywhere; I’ve even been reached out by readers in the legal field who can’t make heads or tails out of the process.

That’s why it’s easy for fear to surround the interview.

But in truth, there’s a rhyme and reason for the interview. Let me start by revealing what the interviewers (Consular officers) actually think about the interview.

.

What do officers think about K-1 visa interviews?

So, we understand that the government is on our side. They want the interview to be held “fairly and professionally”. Meaning, they want it to be easy and painless.

But how do officers actually hold interviews? Are they stubborn? Easy-going? Do they use psychology on us? Or are you going to be denied if the officer’s mood is bad because they had a fight with their spouse?

I’m glad to say that, in my experience, most officers stick to the government guideline. They’re fair and professional, they usually ask relevant questions, and want you to have a good experience while they do their job.

They aren’t emotionally driven, or make rash decisions, nor do they want to make it difficult for you. It’s funny, it’s actually MORE paperwork for them to deny you rather than to approve you. So, at the end of the day, they just want to do their job and give you a fair interview.

In fact, I went through a bunch of Consular officers testimonials (what they thought about the interview), and summarized their advice like this:

.

“Tell me the truth and be concise; Others are waiting in line behind you”.

.

To me this is profound; It really sums up their attitude. They’re more concerned about you having a fair, efficient interview and getting to the next applicant behind you, rather than conducting difficult, interrogation-style interviews to see if you “slip up”.

They want to avoid delays and bad interviews AS MUCH as we do.

So, those are the things I want you to get in your head first about the interview before we start talking about the questions they ask.

.

What questions do I study for the K visa interview?

Now that you know what motivations officers have in asking questions, let’s talk about what kind of questions they actually ask.

In my experience, officers generally prefer to ask from the following six (6) categories because they reveal the most important information about you. And they’ll try to keep questions to a minimum unless they feel compelled to ask more.

● Basic biographic information – Things such as birth dates, education, occupation, residence, where he/she grew up, and so on.

● Relationship and Engagement – You’ll be asked about how you two met, dates, possible engagement details, your family’s involvement in your relationship, and so on.

● Marital History – are either one of you divorced? Any children from past marriages?

● Family information – Questions about parents, children, siblings, etc.

● Future plans – Any future plans such as marriage venues, residency, living arrangements after marriage and so on?

● Criminal/immigration history – Any criminal records or history of immigration to the US?

I’m not going to go into detail with each one of these. For that you can download the worksheet (K-1 visa interview questions) to see an in-depth discussion.

But what I will say is for you to take a good look at this list and think: do you see any question here that’s new or abnormal? Anything that can confuse you?

Remember the officer’s goal when asking questions is to determine if you qualify for the fiance visa.

So, are there any parts of the six categories that you haven’t discussed before with your fiance? In short, is there anything random about these questions / topics?

I’m sure you’ll begin to agree that there’s nothing tricky or random about any of this.

.

How most fiance visa interviews are held

Now, I want to share some advanced topics with you. I won’t go into detail, but enough so you understand the main highlights (advance topics / techniques are covered in my K-1 visa interview course).

You see, in general officers hold interviews in one of two ways: (1) either they ask every basic questions before approving you; or (2) they start with basic questions, and if still not satisfied, will “home in” specific topics.

If you’ve got a strong case, they go with strategy # 1.

Here’s an example of someone who had a solid case (good I-129F). His fiance’s visa interview was relatively easy.

.

.

Notice that he properly frontloaded his I-129F and I’m confident that was the trigger for his success.

But others, who have weak cases or red flags, may face more scrutiny. That’s strategy # 2, “homing in”. It’s where the officer fixates on one topic and really goes deep into it.

It’s like trying to debug computer programs. If the software works fine, then there’s no need to search line by line (e.g. case is strong). But, if the software has glitches, then you got to pinpoint suspected trouble areas (“home in”) to fix the problem.

That’s the sort of path officers follow when they have doubts. Let me give share one example from my K-1 visa interview course.

Example – Here’s a real-life example of how a beneficiary was interviewed for her K visa.  The officer starts by asking simple questions first like — where does he work? Is he divorced? when did he divorce? How many previous spouses?

The officer wasn’t fully satisfied with the responses, or didn’t see a compelling frontloaded I-129F, then decided to home into questions like —

● Were any of the Petitioner’s spouses foreigners?

● Are there any children from the marriage?

● What happened to the children?

● Who has custody of children? Why?

● What’s the child’s name?

● Have you spoken to the child?

● What is the child’s birthday?

● Will you also have kids in the future?

Notice, first: the officer’s questions revolved around the petitioner’s family and living situation AND whether you’re aware of it. Very basic, right? That’s one of the six categories from above. In this case, the officer wasn’t satisfied with the answers.

So, he decides to “home in” and ask questions that only a real couple would know. Things that are important for this specific case. The officer asks about the petitioner’s past marriage, children, divorce, and details. See the natural progression of questions?

It makes sense now, doesn’t it? Only genuine, real couples would have discussed things this deep with one another. Things like divorces, children, custody agreements, and so on.

And surely you agree that there’s nothing random about what questions the officer asked here. The officer followed a natural progression.

However, to an outsider who wasn’t fully aware of what was going on, these questions would seem ridiculous, out of context, and odd, right?

That’s exactly what happens when an applicant discusses his/her experience about “random” questions online with others, yet doesn’t tell you the background. It happens online all the time. This forces us to imagine that the questions were random.

(By the way, the applicant from this example was approved because she already discussed these topics with her fiance before).

Again, this “homing in” topic is advanced and something I cover in my K-1 visa interview course. In fact, in the course we discuss what topics the Officer is likely to ask YOU.  Which means there’s a way to predict what kind of questions officers may ask you.

.

The right way to prepare for interview questions

I know I threw a lot of information at you right now.

The point to remember about the fiance visa interview questions / answers is that:

(1) Officers only ask questions to verify if you’re indeed a bona fide couple. They don’t have ulterior motives

(2) They ask relevant questions from the six categories and prefer to conduct interviews as efficiently and painlessly as possible

(3) If they’re still not satisfied, they’ll “home in” specific topics (usually fixating one of the six categories).

Keep in mind that they’re not “out to get you” or trick you into a denial. Rather, they’re just as interested in having a fair, efficient interview as you are.

Now, I don’t want to give you the wrong impression that the fiance visa interview questions are easy. They’re neither easy or difficult; it just requires preparation and rehearsal from your part. So, don’t neglect practicing the six categories.

But what I do what you to take away is that you shouldn’t waste time on random questions/answers. Instead, you must focus on the six categories that officers prefer to ask and save yourself the stress of overthinking. In addition, you should be aware of (and prepare for) the “homing in” technique that you may face.

For some couples (with strong cases) the interview is usually easier than others who have complexities.

I suggest you sign up to my email list to get a worksheet on how to prepare for the questions and answers.

.