Of all the processes immigrants and asylees face in their journey to legally live and work in the United States, the most anxiety-producing has to be the Stokes interview.
Not every couple has to undergo a Stokes interview, and the fact that you have one scheduled indicates that the interviewer had some questions about the veracity of your marriage claims. No wonder you’re nervous.
Being nervous is normal
You may worry that the interviewer will see your nervousness as an attempt to be cagey with the truth of your marital claim. That’s understandable, but interviewers realize that the process invokes anxiety in immigrants and asylees. They expect interviewees to be nervous.
What they don’t expect are wildly disparate answers to common Stokes interview questions. If they get these inaccurate answers, that’s going to justify them taking another poke at the couple.
Should we rehearse?
Sure, if just to ensure that your answers are at least similar. For example, if the interviewer asks what color their couch is, one spouse might say red and another maroon and still be correct, as maroon is a shade of red. That’s very different from the spouses giving answers of “blue” and “red.”
The tricky part about rehearsing is that you can sound fake if you and your spouse always give the same canned responses. In real life, there can be small but significant differences in the responses that still ring true, e.g., one spouse remembering the first date as a golf outing and the other clarifying it was at a putt-putt course.
Still feeling nervous?
It’s OK to experience nervousness and anxiety when you walk into the Stokes interview. Learn all you can about the process and go in with an open mind. Further questions should be directed to your legal team before the interview.
