Questions That Officers Ask About Love and Marriage

Consular officers in Saigon and US CIS officers in the US both have the job of determining which marriages are real and which are sham. The New York Times newspaper recently published an article about the a USCIS Fraud Referral Sheet. It is surprising to see some of these so-called fraud indicators, because these same indicators are present in a great many marriages of native-born US citizens. For example, USCIS says fraud may be indicated by "unusual cultural differences," “low employment/financial status of petitioner," and "divorce/new marriage dates close."

The Times also listed sample marriage interview test questions that are meant to discover fraud among Green Card applicants:

· If you are standing at and facing your kitchen sink, where is the microwave oven?
· Do you have any tattoos? Where? What do they look like? What about your spouse?
· If you are lying in bed, which side does your spouse sleep on?
· How is your bedroom closet split up?
· Where do you keep your clean underwear?
· Do you and your spouse use birth control? What kind?
· What was the last movie you went out to see together?

Many readers wrote to the newspaper to say they failed the test. One reader said, “My wife and I got eight answers wrong! We’re both American citizens who’ve been married 10 years”. Another reader said, “My husband and I have been happily married for 38 years but I’m sure he couldn’t answer many of these questions. I think that we met in December, but maybe it was September. The truth is I just don’t remember."

And at the visa interviews in Saigon, consular officers have their own list of questions. Some of the questions appear to be unreasonable or un-answerable. Perhaps they are asked because the consul has already made up his mind to deny the case. For example:

· What’s the name of the college where your husband studied?
· What are the names of your husband’s boss, his co-workers, his landlord, his friends?
· Describe the town where your husband lives.
· What’s the name of your husband’s favorite baseball team? His favorite American TV shows?
· What’s the name of the school that your son will attend when you arrive in the US? When does the school year start?
· You plan to marry in the US. Give details about the location of the wedding, wedding reception, cost of wedding, number of guests, where you will go on your honey moon.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q.1. According to the Consulate, What is the minimum number of guests for an Engagement party or Wedding reception in Vietnam?
A.1. That minimum number is up to the opinion of the Consular officer. It is a very subjective matter. If we have to take a guess, we would say 10 tables would be enough, but some Consuls may think it should be 15 or 20 tables, and some Consuls might be satisfied with 5 tables, and some might not even think about the number of tables !

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Q.2. How can a woman know everything about her sponsor’s life if she has never lived with him in the US ?
A.2. She can’t know everything. The best she can do is reply honestly that she doesn’t know because she and her husband always talked about more important, more personal matters.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROBERT MULLINS INTERNATIONAL www.rmiodp.com
Immigration Support Services-Tham Van Di Tru

14550 Magnolia St. #104 Westminster CA 92683 (714) 890-9933 
779 Story Road, Ste. 70, San Jose, CA 95122 (408) 294-3888 
6930 65th St. Ste. #105, Sacramento CA 95823 (916) 393-3388 
42 Dang Thi Nhu, P. Nguyen Thai Binh, Q1, HCM (848) 3914-7638