Do I leave my spouse at home for the citizenship interview

[Kathryn41 3,205]

three posts derailing this thread and becoming argumentative have been removed. Please refrain from personal attacks and insults and stick to the discussion on the topic posted by the OP.

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Moderator hat off . . .

It is your call if you and your spouse both wish to attend the interview. Your spouse will not be interviewed, but it doesn't hurt to have them there with you as it gives visual evidence that the two of you are still together and supportive of the immigration process. If you are filing under the 3 year requirement, USCIS can ask to have the validity of your marriage verified if there are red flags or if there is some reason for them to suspect you are not together. Not every spouse is able to take the time off of work or away from looking after young children to come and sit in a waiting room while their partner is interviewed. If the interviewer asks where your spouse is, it is an easy matter to explain that he/she wasn't able to get off of work, or someone needed to look after the children, or they are unwell, or they will be meeting you for lunch after the interview, or whatever. Bring along lots of documentary evidence to support the validity of the marriage in case they ask so you will be prepared. Having your spouse present with you is a plus, but it isn't a deal breaker if they can't make it. You are the one being interviewed, not them, and I suspect that they will be there to support you at the actual ceremony itself.

Good luck at the interview.

[Azure30 22]

you have a red flag because of your paperwork.. i highly doubt that the io will ask you " is your wife /husband here? ooooh, sorry i can't approve this.. " see how crazy that sounds.. also your wife/husband can't do anything anymore right there because the problem to begin with is your paperwork not her/his lack of presence.. having her/him there will not change anything if you paperwork is amiss.. you think the io will say" yeeeah, you paper work is not quite right but hey, since your husband/ wife is here, congratulations fellow citizen"..

Oh My Gosh...calm down. Each IO is different. Their reasonings for making decisions whether in the applicant's favor or not, are different from other IO. Not all applicant's files and circumstances are the same. It makes perfect sense what Vanessa is saying. Better to be 100% prepared and have hubby/wifey there just incase, as it shows continued unity, and support as husband and wife. You are STILL being scrutinized even when you're sitting in the lobby and they come out and call you in. I agree 100% with significant other being there and a part of this last leg of the journey. Whether its a requirement or not, it makes sense for them to inquire if spouse is in lobby, even if they are thinking it and not verbalizing it. They like you, know the importance of this big day for you the applicant. Hence they would expect spouse to be there. It's not rocket science and no big deal. If spouse truly can't make it because of work or some major event then understandable.

[NickD 203]

Guess it depends on whether you are a family or not, one of my wife's co-workers husband has the attitude, you wanted to come here, you take care of all this immigration stuff and leave me out of it. Not a very happy relationship in my humble opinion.

As a family, we do everything together, and immigration is no exception, plus a 450 mile trip to a busy city with difficulty finding a parking space. Then the stress my wife or stepdaughter has with this interview, not only affects them, but me as well. We prepared that N-400 together and $680.00 is no small amount of change for us. One time at biometrics was pouring down rain, could drop my wife and stepdaughter at the door so they would not get soaking wet, and pick them up. This is what families are suppose to be, helping and supporting each other.

Another of my wife's friends went alone with red flags, if her husband was with her, could have been cleared up. As it was, both of them had to go back to explain their situation with a long delay. Didn't happen to us, but could have. Stepdaughter was so busy with mid-terms never had a chance to look over her civics tests. Copied and pasted it to Word, selected the easiest answers and put in the current names, we studied that together on the way over. She was exhausted after her interview, curled up in the back seat and slept on that long drive home.

Isn't this what families are all about? Was I was bored waiting for them, but was there for them. This is my family, my prize was getting free of that damned I-864.

[HappyKnappy 30]

Have to say that this is a really good post, NickD. You may have forgotten that you are also done with USCIS, and the ensuing paperwork/grief.

As the applicant for the N400 come May, I will be sure to take my wife... She's pretty good at putting me at ease when I get anxious. Besides, as you did with your family, a good lunch/dinner afterwards will be in order.

[av8or 34]

Oh My Gosh...calm down. Each IO is different. Their reasonings for making decisions whether in the applicant's favor or not, are different from other IO. Not all applicant's files and circumstances are the same. It makes perfect sense what Vanessa is saying. Better to be 100% prepared and have hubby/wifey there just incase, as it shows continued unity, and support as husband and wife. You are STILL being scrutinized even when you're sitting in the lobby and they come out and call you in. I agree 100% with significant other being there and a part of this last leg of the journey. Whether its a requirement or not, it makes sense for them to inquire if spouse is in lobby, even if they are thinking it and not verbalizing it. They like you, know the importance of this big day for you the applicant. Hence they would expect spouse to be there. It's not rocket science and no big deal. If spouse truly can't make it because of work or some major event then understandable.

you are constantly contradicting yourself.. first you said the significant other needs to be there for show of continuity and that the io as always watching.. 100% prepared and have the hubby there just in case.. then you end by saying if the spouse can't make it then it's ok.. sigh.. it's either yes or no.. because now your saying that just tell the io that your wife is busy and can't make it.. and that should be ok? which now supports my original premise that their presence is not needed.. the io knows this that not every spouse will be available during your interview.. so i highly doubt that they will take into account your spouses presence.. all they need is proof of still being married and that is all in your paperwork ( tax files, rent mortgage, benefits etc..) if it helps the op, here was my situation.. my wife was previously divorced, no kids.. we've been married for 5 years, no kids.. just a puppy to show in our family pictures.. house under her name, one car under mine and one under hers.. she has me on her benefits.. tax filed jointly.. all paperwork complete.. in and out the interview in 40 mins, approved.. i never brought her.. again, it's all about the paperwork.. once you mess up your application, it's done.. the spouses presence will not change anything..

Edited March 6, 2013 by av8or

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

My suggestion is to bring your spouse with you to the appointment, unless he has to work. If so, it will send a clear signal to the I.O. that you two are still happily married, in case you are applying based on marriage, meaning before having been a LPR for 5 years.

L.A. sucks a bit, parking is $18, and oftentimes you wait for an hour outside in line before you even make it to the metal detector, so be there way ahead of your appointment and dress professionally. Bringing your spouse with you to the interview is a great reason to stroll at the diamond district afterward. You can walk over there.

[NickD 203]

Only time we received an appointment letter where they want my wife, her daughter, and me present was for our AOS. For US citizenship, no place on that form for the spouse to sign, nothing on the interview letter for the spouse to be present, its strictly for the applicant.

For security, I was never denied entry, even after dropping my wife or stepdaughter off first to find a place to park, just told security was with my wife or stepdaughter that should be in the waiting room. Never was asked for an ID or a green card that I didn't have anyway, just emptied my pockets, removed my belt and walked through that metal detector.

Just saying, there is no requirement for the spouse to be present at biometrics, the interview, or the oath ceremony.

Did I feel like I should have been with my wife on her interview, yes in a way, because practically every legal document we supplied has my name on it. But I feel they do it that way to test the applicants ability to explain those documents. This was a strong part of our preparation so that my wife did understand all of our legal documents.

Did I feel I had the right to be with my stepdaughter for her five year interview. No, she was over 18, none of my names were on any of her documents, it was strictly up to her.

Did I want to be with them for all phases, yes, for moral support. Again, we are a family, and the outcome would affect all of us.

[av8or 34]

^^^^ this.. that's what iv'e been saying all along..

does your spouse "need" to be there during your interview... no... her presence/absence will not affect your interview

can you bring your spouse along... absolutely, 100% yes.. again for moral support and to help you ease your anxiety..

Edited March 7, 2013 by av8or

[NickD 203]

^^^^ this.. that's what iv'e been saying all along..

does your spouse "need" to be there during your interview... no... her presence/absence will not affect your interview

can you bring your spouse along... absolutely, 100% yes.. again for moral support and to help you ease your anxiety..

Ha, they do say, (With a Nazi German accent), let me see your spouses papers!

[warlord 73]

I never brought mine with me. The IO just asked why she didn't come and I just said because we didn't know she was supposed to and she was at work and he was fine with that.

I think those people that were denied or made to bring them back were because there were other issues with the marriage that the IO was maybe seeing inconsistencies in the N-400 application or during the interview when asking more about the marriage.

If she is available to come to the interview, then why not have her come, but I wouldn't suggest she skip off work or school or something if it's not convenient for her. You generally should be fine without her if you have a strong application and proof of marriage.

Though as everyone knows IO's differ from IO's. Mine was really cool and nice, but others haven't been that fortunate. Either way, many of us have successfully done this without our spouse at the time present, but not to say that is always the case...

[Azure30 22]

My suggestion is to bring your spouse with you to the appointment, unless he has to work. If so, it will send a clear signal to the I.O. that you two are still happily married, in case you are applying based on marriage, meaning before having been a LPR for 5 years.

Thank you Brother Hesekiel...this is in a nutshell, all I've been simply trying to put across to other forum members, without being argumentative and insulting. My point exactly!

[Hedi 24]

My husband is applying for his citizenship, and while I will try my best to accompany him to his interview, I may not be able to do so. I am a teacher and it is very difficult for me to take time off, as I have to always find a good substitute and in my subject area (Spanish), that is often a challenge. We are putting together a binder filled with evidence of the legitimacy of our marriage and we have a lot of documentation showing shared residence and joint financial assets (we just filed our 2012 taxes too, so we are planning on including the 2012 tax return transcripts along with 2009-2011 tax returns).

While I will try to go to his interview (to support my husband), I am hoping that if I can't take time off from work, my absence won't be an issue. Fingers crossed. We first have to get through the biometrics next Monday.