Stokes Interviews

Is Your Marriage Real? Prove It With Confidence.

Date of Information: 06/24/2025

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What is a Stokes Interview?

A Stokes Interview is a secondary green card interview conducted by USCIS when your marriage-based green card application raises concerns. These interviews are designed to determine whether your marriage is bona fide—or fraudulent.

Here’s what sets the Stokes Interview apart:

  • You and your spouse are interviewed separately, then re-interviewed together.

  • Officers compare your answers for consistency.

  • You may be asked detailed, personal, and even intrusive questions.

  • It is often recorded and can involve signed statements.

For more information on routine adjustment of status interviews, please see our research guide on green card interviews.

Why You Might Be Scheduled for a Stokes Interview

USCIS uses the Stokes Interview when they suspect that:

  • The couple lacks shared documentation (e.g., joint tax returns, shared lease).

  • There are inconsistencies in your application.

  • The couple has a limited shared history or doesn’t speak the same language well.

  • You had a brief courtship or recent marriage.

  • One of you has a history of immigration fraud or prior denials.

The purpose is to protect the integrity of the immigration system by uncovering fraudulent marriages—but sometimes, genuine couples get caught up in this process.

For more information on routine adjustment of status interviews, please see our research guide on green card interviews.

What to Expect at the Interview

The Stokes Interview Process, Step-by-Step:

  1. You and your spouse will arrive together and be sworn in.

  2. You’ll be placed in separate rooms for questioning.

  3. Each of you will be asked identical or similar personal questions (examples below).

  4. The officer will compare your answers.

  5. If answers match well, the process may end there.

  6. If there are inconsistencies, you may be brought in together for clarification or interrogation.

For more information on routine adjustment of status interviews, please see our research guide on green card interviews.

Sample Questions You May Be Asked

Daily Routines:

  • Who wakes up first?

  • What do you eat for breakfast?

  • What side of the bed does your spouse sleep on?

Home Life:

  • What color is your shower curtain?

  • Do you have any pets?

  • Where do you keep the dirty laundry?

Relationships & Habits:

  • When is your spouse’s birthday?

  • What was the last movie you watched together?

  • Who pays which bills?

Special Dates:

  • Where did you go on your honeymoon?

  • What did you do last weekend?

  • Who attended your wedding?

Caution:

If the questions sound like they have little to do with immigration law, you are correct. The more mundane the question, the more it’s testing whether you live together and intend to share a life.

For more information on routine adjustment of status interviews, please see our research guide on green card interviews.

Required Documents for a Stokes Interview

Bring everything you’d take to a regular interview, plus as much marital evidence as possible, including:

  • Joint tax returns (most recent 2–3 years)

  • Utility bills in both names

  • Lease or mortgage in both names

  • Bank account statements with joint transactions

  • Insurance policies listing each other as beneficiaries

  • Photos together over time and with family/friends

  • Travel records (tickets, hotel receipts, itineraries)

  • Sworn affidavits from friends or family

For a list of documents you should bring to a routine green card interview, please see our research guide on green card interviews.

Pro tip:

Organize your documents in a binder or clearly labeled folders. Make it easy for the officer to see your life together.

Tips for Surviving the Stokes Interview

Review your application with your spouse.

  1. Practice answering questions separately.

  2. Don’t over-rehearse—memorized answers may raise suspicion.

  3. Answer only what’s asked. Don’t guess.

  4. Be honest about mistakes or memory lapses.

  5. Dress neatly and show up early.

  6. Remain calm—even if the questioning gets uncomfortable.

Facing a Stokes Interview? Don’t Go Alone.

A Stokes interview isn’t just a routine immigration step—it’s a fraud investigation. Your answers can have serious immigration consequences and may even expose you to criminal liability if inconsistencies are misinterpreted. You need legal counsel with experience in both immigration law and federal criminal defense. At Charles International Law, we bring both. Let us protect your rights and prepare you thoroughly.

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