K-1 Interview Tips and Cheat Sheet

1. Be Confident.

Yes, while being called up to an interview at a government building can and will be a nervous experience for most people, that nervousness may send unintended signals to the consular officer who may believe you have something to hide. This may lead to them attempting to trip you over with hard questions in order to indirectly get you to confirm that your relationship isn't 'genuine.' If you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be nervous, and be rather confident that your relationship with your fiancee is obviously true and genuine to all who may question it.

2. Clear out enough time in your schedule for the interview

While this may sound obvious, an interview may take a bit longer than you'd think! It's a common experience for many undergoing the interview process to arrive on time and then be told that there's no interview officer ready for them at the moment, and to wait until one becomes available. You should be ready for such an event, and clear out enough time in your schedule for the day for your interview.

3. Memorize important dates and events in your relationship

Questions about your fiancee and specific events that occurred in your relationship are rather common questions to be asked in an interview! Day that you met your fiancee, their birthday, dates of important trips that you took together, etc are all important dates that a consular officer may ask for more details of. You should have their rough dates memorized and ready to answer questions regarding that with as much detail as possible.

4. Bring all relevant evidence and forms

Every situation is different, of course, but all K1 Visa applicant will likely have to bring the following. -Proof of their fiancee's US Citizenship -Copy of sponsored fiancee's passport -Valid, unexpired sponsored fiancee's passport -Evidence of properly terminated past marriages, if applicable -Sealed medical exam acquired by an approved physician, obtained by sponsored fiancee at the country of their residence -Birth certificate of the sponsored fiancee -Most recent tax returns of the citizen fiancee -Proof of meeting between fiancees within two years of applying -Evidence such as sworn statements, photographs, etc attesting the validity of your relationship -Copy of I-94 for the sponsored fiancee -Two passport style photos for the sponsored fiancee -One passport style photo for the citizen fiancee -Police clearance from countries where the sponsored fiancee lived for longer than 6 months

And others. If you take the Mock Interview exam offered by Lawfully, our mock interviewer will go through your prepared packet and see if there's any glaring items missing from the list.

Try Lawfully's Mock Interview!

5. Be aware of red flags

This tip may only be relevant to a minority of people trying to apply for K1 Visa, but there are several known issues that a consular officer will look for and raise issues with. You should at least be aware of these issues and, if they apply to you, be ready to answer some tough questions regarding them. Typical red flags are:

a. Significant age difference between the two partners b. If you have not met personally yet. (Only met online, etc) c. If you cannot speak each other's language d. If some of the answers you gave during questioning contradict each other e. If the citizen sponsor has sponsored someone else's K1 before.

These red flags won't lead to an immediate denial, but are issues that you should seriously consider consulting an immigration attorney or otherwise prepare strenuous answers for.

6. Be prepared to answer the questions

Be sure you know all the information in your petition like the back of your hand. You want to give answers that are consistent with the information contained in your petition. Hopefully, by this time you would have a strong relationship with your fiancee, and would be able to confidentially answer questions regarding their ambitions, their past, and their family. Here are some examples of questions that you may be asked during the course of the interview.

1. Where did you meet your fiancee?
2. When did you meet your fiancee?
3. Does your fiancee have a car?
4. What color is your fiancee's car? It's model or make?
5. Did you or your fiancee have any previous marriages?
6. Did you meet your fiancee's family members?
7. What are the names of your fiancee's family members that you have met?
8. Have you ever applied for K1 Visa before?
9. Where were you born?
10. What are your fiancee's hobbies?
11. Do you do any activities together?
12. Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a crime?
13. How old is your partner?
14. Are you currently working?
15. Does your partner work?
16. What's your partner's job?
17. What is your partner's eye color?
18. Do you have any children? If so, how many?
19. Have you ever been married before?
20. Do you have any family in the US?
21. Have you visited United States before? If so, for what purpose?
22. What are your academic qualifications?
23. How do you communicate with your fiancee? Which language do you use?
24. Does your fiancee have any pets? What are they?
25. How do you picture your life in 5 years?

Keep all these things in mind and you are going to do just fine.

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