US Visa Interview Questions

The K-1 Fiancé Visa Interview

Every US visa application would require an interview to determine whether the applicant should be accepted or allowed to travel to the US based on the purpose or category of the visa that the applicant is applying for. For the US K-1 Visa interview, it is important to determine the depth of the relationship between the US petitioner and the Thai beneficiary. For this reason, the interview will have a number of standard and personal questions: how long have you known each other, what your wedding plans are, whether you know that your fiancé was divorced or not, what their hobbies are, and so on. At some point, it can get very personal, but your answers may determine whether or not you get a visa.

Importance of the K-1 Fiancé Visa Interview

The main importance of having a K1 Fiancé Visa interview is to avoid visa fraud. Visa fraud is actually a very common thing in the United States - and marriage visa frauds are the most common types. This type of visa fraud occurs when at least one of the engaged parties enters a marriage just to obtain a visa to the US and obtain a green card. This is why the U.S. Immigration Office is very serious when it comes to questioning a relationship. They have to be convinced that your feelings are genuine and that you plan on getting married because you love each other and want to spend the rest of your life together. They want to see that your purpose is not because you need a green card – but because you do not want to be apart.

For this reason, a lot of tricky questions might appear during your K1 interview – and you need to be particularly careful. While there isn’t always a "right answer", your manner of answering it might actually determine whether you’ll be granted the visa or not.

Who Should Attend the K-1 Visa Interview?

The Thai beneficiary of the K1 visa should be attending the interview. If the applicant has any K-2 derivative beneficiary included on the petition, they should also be at the interview. Some embassies may waive interviews for minors under 14.

The U.S. citizen fiancé(e) may accompany the Thai applicant to the interview for moral support, but only if the embassy allows it. You will need to check what the regulations are at the US embassy where your interview is going to be held.

Examples of K-1 Interview Questions about the Thai Applicant/Beneficiary

The questions may include any of the following:

• What is your full name?
• When is your birthday?
• How old are you?
• What are your academic qualifications?
• What is your nationality or any other nationality?
• What language(s) do you speak?
• Have you traveled out of your home country before?
• Have you visited the United States before? When and where? For what purpose?
• Have you been married before? If yes, when did the relationship end and why?
• Do you have children?
• Have you ever been convicted of or arrested for a crime in the past?
• What do you do for a living or your occupation?
• When do you plan to travel to the U.S.?

Examples of Questions about the US Fiancé(e) or Petitioner

• What is your fiancé(e)’s name?
• When is his or her birthday? How old is he or she?
• Where was your fiancé(e) born?
• What does he or she do for a living?
• Where does he or she work?
• What are his or her favorite hobbies or interests?
• What types of food does he or she like?
• What is his or her phone number or email address?
• Has he or she been married before? If yes, when did the relationship end? Why? How?
• Does he or she have children? If yes, what are their names? Do they live with him or her? What was the custody arrangement of the children?
• Does he or she have siblings? If yes, how many? Have you met them before?
• Where does he or she live?
• Does he or she live alone or with someone? If yes, who?
• Does he or she live in a rented or owned house? If owned, when was it bought?
• Has he or she been arrested or convicted for a crime before?

Examples of Questions about the Relationship

A genuine relationship is expected to have shared memories between the two parties. This is one area where you can almost certainly expect questions. You can expect questions such as:

• How and where did you and your fiancé(e) meet?
• Were you introduced by someone? If yes, who?
• When and where was your first date?
• When did your relationship become romantic?
• What do you like about your fiancé(e)?
• Who proposed? When and how?
• Was anyone else present for the proposal?
• How long after you met was the proposal made?
• Have you met in person before? How many times? Where and when?
• What do you have in common?
• What has been the primary mode of communication during long-distance portions of the relationship?
• Have you met your fiancé(e)’s family?
• Has he or she met your parents?
• What language does your fiancé(e) speak? Do you understand each other’s language?

Example of Questions about the Planned Wedding/Marriage

Since both the US sponsor and the Thai applicant plan to marry within 90 days after entering the U.S., the consular officer will expect you to have most of the details about the planned marriage or marriage ceremony. Questions along these lines may look like this:

• How many days after entering the United States do you plan to marry?
• Where will the wedding be held?
• Where do you plan to hold a wedding reception?
• Is there going to be some kind of pre-marriage engagement with your citizen fiancé(e) in your home country before the
• U.S. wedding ceremony?
• How many guests do you plan to have at your wedding?
• Are your parents going to fly to the U.S. for the wedding?
• What are your honeymoon plans?

How to Prepare for Your K-1 Visa Interview

• The applicant may study the sample questions, but it is important to note that the consular officer will likely not ask all these sample questions. Therefore, there is no point in cramming the questions and memorizing as if you are taking an examination, as that may put the applicant under pressure. The most important thing is to know the US fiancé(e) very well and speak truthfully, clearly, and confidently throughout the interview.
• The embassy already has the applicant’s information from the documents submitted such as I-129F and DS-160 forms. The purpose of the interview is to establish the credibility of those facts. The I-129F petition filed by the US fiancé(e) at the beginning of the application process is another crucial document to go through. Familiarize yourself with every piece of information to avoid contradicting statements during the interview. The K-1 visa interview should not last more than 30 minutes.
• Before the interview date, go through the K-1 visa document checklist again and gather all the required supporting evidence for your interview. If you forget to bring any of the required items, your interview may be delayed or your whole application may even be denied.

Attending the K-1 Visa Interview

• On the date of your interview, avoid arriving late and ensure the applicant dresses appropriately. Try to be at the interview location at least 15 minutes before the scheduled time, and wait to be called in for the scheduled time of appointment.
• Avoid dressing in a way that could be deemed controversial or offensive such as revealing clothes or clothes with political slogans and by being moderately conservative, clean, and presentable in your appearance.
• Be honest with the answers. If the applicant is not sure of an answer, he or she can just share what you know or you may ask the consular officer to repeat the question. The applicant may ask for an interpreter if needed.
• Don’t provide fake answers. For instance, not all couples can give very clear details of all their long-term plans together. If you are asked about your future together, only share what information you have at the moment. Don’t panic, it is an interview, and not interrogation — being disorganized can negatively affect your general performance.

Things You Have to Be Careful About the K1 Visa Application

The items below are not causes of the application to be refused. These are some reasons or instances that the consular officer may look into your application more closely:

• The large age difference between the US sponsor and the Thai applicant
• Inability to speak English or Thai. You may want to explain that you use special mobile app for translation
• Lack of substantial evidence of a genuine relationship, such as previous meetings in person or knowing each other’s families and friends.
• If the timeline of your relationship is too short. For instance, if you filed your I-129F petition immediately after your first meeting. Or you get engaged to your US citizen sponsor shortly after you ended your previous marriage.
• Secretive relationship. If there is no consent or involvement of your family members, friends, or co-workers
• Contradictions in your answers during the interview and the information provided on the forms.
• If the American citizen has petitioned for or sponsored another K-1 visa or marriage-based green card in the past. Also, if the Thai beneficiary has been involved in any marriage-based or fiancé(e) visa petition with another U.S. citizen in the past. The previous immigration history will be looked into, and that might affect your chance.