How to Prepare for an Immigration Interview
An interview is mostly a verification exercise: an officer checking that what is in the file is true and that you can speak to it. Preparation is not rehearsal. It is making sure you know your own file and can answer plainly.
Read your own application before you go
People are routinely surprised by what is on a form someone else filled in for them, and being unable to explain your own answers is exactly what raises concern. Read every page. If something is wrong, that is a thing to raise, not to hope goes unnoticed.
Bring originals of what you filed as copies
Take the originals of the key documents plus the full copy of your filing, organized so you can find a specific page without emptying the folder. Bring the appointment notice and photo identification.
Answer the question you were asked
Short, accurate answers are better than long ones. If you do not know, say you do not know. If you do not remember, say so — "I do not remember" is an honest answer and a guess dressed up as certainty is not.
Never guess, and never let a mistake stand
These are the two mistakes that cause the most difficulty. An inaccuracy that came from guessing is far harder to explain later than not knowing was. If you realise you have said something wrong, correct it there and then.
Arrange interpretation in advance if you need it
Do not plan to manage in a second language because it seems easier. The rules on who may interpret vary by interview type. Sort it out beforehand rather than at the door.
Know that you may bring your lawyer
You are generally entitled to have your attorney present. That is worth doing where the file has a complication in it — a prior filing, a criminal matter, a gap in the record — and it is worth discussing beforehand either way.
This applies in every state — but where you are still matters
The steps above are the same wherever you live. Which office and court handle your case, how detention works where you are, and how far local police cooperate with immigration enforcement are not. Pick your state for that.
Related
General information, not legal advice. Immigration law and policy change frequently — confirm your options in a consultation before acting on anything here.