Were any of your spouse's family members unable to attend? How did you include them, if at all?

“Were any of your spouse's family members unable to attend? How did you include them, if at all?” is a practice question about wedding 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 asking about family involvement when some relatives were not at the ceremony. The answer can clarify who was absent and whether there was another way to share the occasion. Reasons for absence and ways of staying in touch vary, so the question may lead to details about particular relatives rather than a judgment about the guest count.

What might the officer ask next?

• Which relatives were unable to come?
• Do you know why they could not attend?
• Did you speak with them by phone or video around the ceremony?
• Did you see them for a celebration later?

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?

Identify the relatives your spouse hoped or expected to attend and who could not come. Distinguish a reason you know from a reason you only assume. Recall any actual calls, messages, photos shared, or later visits without claiming that everyone joined remotely. If you were not part of a conversation or do not remember when it happened, say what you learned from your spouse and what you cannot personally confirm.

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 wedding questions

• When and where did you get married?
• Who attended your wedding or ceremony?
• Did you hold a reception or shared meal after the ceremony? What kind was it?
• Did you go on a honeymoon? If so, where did you go?
• Who was in your wedding party, if you had one?
• Why did you choose that location or type of ceremony?
• What did you wear on your wedding day?

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