Who handles laundry, cleaning, and other household chores?

“Who handles laundry, cleaning, and other household chores?” is a practice question about daily life 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?

Questions about chores may help the officer understand how your household runs from day to day. The focus may be on familiarity with actual tasks rather than whether each spouse does the same amount. Describing who usually handles laundry or cleaning can also explain how your routine changes around work hours and other responsibilities.

What might the officer ask next?

• Who usually washes and puts away the clothes?
• How do you decide when cleaning needs to be done?
• What happens to these tasks when one of you is busy?

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?

Think through several tasks separately instead of giving one broad answer about all housework. Recall who usually washes clothes, cleans shared areas, and handles other regular jobs in your home. Mention outside help only if you actually use it. If you do not remember who last completed a particular task, say that while keeping the normal division of work clear.

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 daily life questions

• Who usually wakes up first in the morning, and around what time?
• What did you eat for your most recent evening meal together at home, and who made it?
• Who does most of the cooking in your household?
• How do you usually spend weekends together?
• Which bedroom or sleeping area does each of you use at night?
• What time does your spouse typically leave for work or return home?
• Do you have any pets? What are their names?
• Where do you usually shop for groceries?
• What did you do for your spouse's last birthday?

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