The lease or mortgage shows only one name. Explain how both of you live at that address.

“The lease or mortgage shows only one name. Explain how both of you live at that address.” is a practice question about mismatched answers 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 be comparing a housing document with your statement that you live together. The name on a lease or mortgage describes part of the housing arrangement, while your answer describes who actually resides there. A follow-up may ask about when the arrangement began or how the household works, rather than treating the document as a complete history.

What might the officer ask next?

• Who is named on the housing document?
• When did the spouse not named there begin living in the home?
• What do you know about why only one name appears?

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?

Read the housing document so you know whose name it carries and what period it covers. Review when each spouse began living at the address and how you handle household costs. Explain the reason for the single name only to the extent that you actually know it. If you never learned the reason, do not supply a plausible one. Check your interview notice and ask your lawyer about any records relevant to your particular housing arrangement.

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 mismatched answers questions

• You mentioned moving in together in a particular month and year. What was the address of that first shared residence?
• You each gave an account of a recent meal. Please state again what you had and who prepared it.
• Your application lists a different address than the one you just gave. Which is current, and when did you move?
• How do you communicate with each other day to day if you do not share a fluent common language?
• Walk me through a typical weekday morning in your household, step by step.
• What medications, if any, does your spouse take regularly?
• You gave different dates for when you decided to marry. Can you clarify the timeline together?

Read the mismatched answers topic guide, or see all 91 interview questions.