Have you discussed plans for children or family growth?

“Have you discussed plans for children or family growth?” 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 about conversations on children as part of learning about your shared future. Having discussed a possibility is different from having made a decision or set a date. Your answer can describe the plans you actually have, including uncertainty or a decision not to have children, without treating one family path as required.

What might the officer ask next?

• Have those conversations led to a decision?
• Is there a time frame you have actually agreed on?
• Are your plans still undecided?

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?

Recall what you have genuinely discussed, rather than what you think a married couple is expected to say. Separate a hope from a firm decision and a decision from a fixed time frame. If you have not discussed children, keep that answer direct. You can say you do not remember when a conversation happened without inventing a date. Ask your lawyer about any case-specific concern involving a sensitive family question.

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?
• Do you and your spouse have any children together?
• 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?

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