Do you and your spouse have any children together?

“Do you and your spouse have any children together?” is a practice question about family and children for a marriage-based green card interview at a USCIS field office. A real officer may ask it in other words, ask something else, or skip it. Practice can help you explain your own facts. It cannot tell you what USCIS will decide.

What is the officer checking with this question?

The officer may ask whether you have children together while reviewing your family structure and any changes since filing. If you do, names and ages may lead to questions about daily care. The question concerns your actual family circumstances; it is not a reason to suggest you have children or plans that you do not have.

What might the officer ask next?

• What are the names of the children you have together?
• How old is each child now?
• Do the children live with both of you?
• Has a child been born since you submitted your forms?

The next question usually comes from the words in your answer. If you name a person, a place, or a month, expect a question about it. The guide to green card interview follow-up questions explains how to practice past the first answer.

How do you prepare to answer it?

Start with whether you and your spouse have children together. If you do, review each child's name and current age rather than the age at filing. Keep children from earlier relationships distinct if a later question covers them. If you forget a date, identify what you remember and what you cannot recall. Do not add future plans to a question about your current family unless the officer asks about them.

Answer from your own memory, in your own words. Do not learn a script or a sample answer. If your spouse remembers a detail differently, first check whether you mean the same event. Ask your lawyer about any concern with your forms or documents.

Can you practice this question out loud for free?

Yes. Choose "Answer it now, free". The officer asks this question first. You answer out loud, and the officer follows up on what you said. You can try 3 questions free, and you do not need documents. Feedback comes after the session, not while you speak.

More family and children questions

• What are your spouse's parents' names, and where do they live?
• Does your spouse have any siblings? Can you name them?
• Have you met your spouse's immediate family? When was the last visit or gathering?
• Does either of you have children from a prior relationship? Where do they live, and how often do you see them?
• What did you do together for the last major holiday?
• Have you discussed plans for children or family growth?

Read the family and children topic guide, or see all 91 interview questions.