If you're applying for a marriage-based green card in the US, there's an important change to USCIS interview policy in 2026 that you need to know about.
Over the past few years, USCIS had been waiving interviews for certain marriage-based cases in some circumstances. But starting in 2026, interview policy for marriage-based green card applications has shifted again. Here's what's changed and how to prepare.
Fewer Waivers — Interviews Are Back to Being the Default
After the pandemic, USCIS waived interviews for certain marriage-based green card cases that met specific criteria, largely to speed up processing. But that policy drew criticism amid rising concerns about marriage fraud, and starting in 2026, USCIS has moved toward requiring interviews as a general rule for marriage-based I-485 applications.
In other words, where there used to be talk of "you might get lucky and get your card without an interview," it's now much safer to plan on an interview happening as the default outcome.
What Is a Stokes Interview?
One of the things that makes people most nervous about marriage-based green card interviews is the possibility of a Stokes interview.
A standard marriage-based interview has both spouses sitting together in front of an immigration officer, answering questions about their life together. But if the officer suspects the marriage might not be genuine, they may separate the couple into different rooms and ask each of them the same detailed questions individually — that's a Stokes interview.
In a Stokes interview, officers compare each spouse's answers against the other's. The questions tend to be very specific.
For example: What's the name of your spouse's coworker? Where did you two last eat out together? How many bathrooms are in your home? Who wakes up first in the morning?
Real couples generally know this stuff naturally — but even well-prepared applicants sometimes stumble under the pressure. Talking regularly about each other's day-to-day life, and actually remembering the details, matters more than most people expect.
How to Prepare for the Interview
The single most important thing in a marriage-based interview is consistency between your paperwork and your actual life. The officer is checking whether your documents, your interview answers, and the two of you talking together all tell the same story.
Start with solid proof of cohabitation — joint bills at the same address, bank statements, a lease, joint insurance policies. More documentation generally works in your favor.
Evidence of an actual shared life matters too: photos together, records of attending family events, travel history, and social media posts can all help show a real married life. It helps to bring a mix of recent and older photos, not just one or the other.
On interview day, the most important thing — even if you're nervous — is to answer honestly. If you don't know something, say you don't know. If you don't remember, say you're not sure. That's better than straining to match your spouse's answer and ending up contradicting each other.
What Happens After You Get an Interview Notice?
Once you receive an interview notice (Form I-797) from USCIS, both spouses need to appear together at the specified date and location — your local USCIS field office. Read the notice carefully for what to bring, and it's a good idea to bring both originals and copies of any required documents.
You may get a decision the same day, or by mail afterward. Sometimes additional documents are requested, so it's worth checking your case status regularly on the official USCIS account portal even after the interview.
A marriage-based green card is a long process. But if the relationship is real, it's something two people can get through together. Neorang wants to be part of that journey from the very beginning — helping you find that person in the first place.