Please confirm the originals of your passport, marriage certificate, and any prior divorce decrees.

“Please confirm the originals of your passport, marriage certificate, and any prior divorce decrees.” is a practice question about interview day 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 original identity and civil records with the documents in your case. This request is mainly about locating and identifying documents, not reciting their contents from memory. A follow-up may clarify whether a record is an original, a copy, or a document you do not have with you at the appointment.

What might the officer ask next?

• Which document is the original marriage certificate?
• Is this passport the one used for the entry listed in your application?
• Do you have the prior divorce decree referenced in your case?

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?

Use your interview notice and your lawyer's guidance to review which documents to bring. Know where each requested original is kept so you can find it without confusing it with a copy. Check that you can identify which event each civil record concerns. If you do not remember a document's date, do not guess when the record can be reviewed. If an original is unavailable, discuss that issue with your lawyer before the appointment.

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 interview day questions

• Since you filed to adjust status, have any facts on your application changed, such as address, employer, or arrests?
• I will ask several yes-or-no questions tied to your adjustment application. Answer each carefully.
• Did you enter the United States lawfully, and what was your most recent status before filing to adjust?
• Have you ever been arrested, cited, or charged with any crime anywhere in the world?
• Do you understand that if you have been married less than two years at approval, you may receive conditional permanent residence?
• Has a civil surgeon completed your Form I-693 medical exam, and was it already submitted or brought sealed today?
• Do you have any questions about the next steps after today's interview?

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