Russian interpreter for green card interviews

With an experienced interpreter, your chances of a successful interview go up significantly. Mikhail Bogomolny interprets Russian–English at USCIS field-office interviews across Southern California and beyond, for marriage, family and employment-based cases, including EB-1 and EB-2 (NIW). He signs Form G-1256 with you in front of the officer and interprets every question and answer completely.

Why clients choose Mikhail

• More than 750 USCIS interviews. Mikhail knows how interviews run at every office and keeps the interpretation steady from the first question to the signature.
• Complicated cases are his specialty. Marriage during removal proceedings, prior marriages, denials and refilings.
• Courtroom-level precision. He sight-translates sworn statements and forms line by line, so you know exactly what you are signing.
• Someone to lean on. You focus on your answers, not on the language: a professional takes the interpreting off your hands.

Interviews covered

• Marriage-based adjustment of status (I-130/I-485): spouses of U.S. citizens and permanent residents
• Family-based adjustment: parents, sons and daughters of U.S. citizens
• Adjustment after a K-1 fiancé(e) visa
• Removal of conditions on residence (I-751) interviews
• Employment-based adjustment: EB-1A (extraordinary ability), EB-1B (outstanding researchers), EB-1C (multinational managers), EB-2 (advanced degree or exceptional ability), EB-2 (NIW, national interest waiver), EB-3 and EB-5
• Diversity Visa (DV green card lottery) interviews

Employment-based cases: EB-1, EB-2 (NIW)

Many employment-based adjustment cases are approved without an interview, but USCIS can schedule one at any time, and family members applying with the principal may be interviewed too. The same interpreter rules apply. Evidence for EB-1A and EB-2 (NIW) petitions, such as awards, press, publications and recommendation letters, needs certified English translations; see certified translation.

Complex marriage cases

Mikhail is an expert in complicated cases. Many of his clients have difficult histories, and that is where his experience matters most. A typical example: a person applied for asylum, was referred to immigration court, married a U.S. citizen while in removal proceedings, and now has a marriage-based interview at USCIS.

• Sworn statements. In these interviews the officer often takes a sworn statement: questions and answers recorded on paper under oath, then signed in front of a second officer as a witness. Mikhail sight-reads the English record and renders it into Russian for the applicant, line by line, before anything is signed.
• Discrepancies caught on the spot. Because he interpreted the answers himself, he can compare them with what was written down. When the record doesn't match what was said, he tells the officer, as the interpreter correcting the record, not as an advocate. The decision will rest on that record, so it has to be right.
• The bona fide marriage exemption. A marriage entered into during removal proceedings has to be shown to be genuine under the bona fide marriage exemption. The documents involved are short but legally dense, and Mikhail makes sure the applicant understands exactly what is being signed.
• Past arrests and offenses. «Арест» and arrest, a DUI and a wet reckless sound alike but differ legally, and the officer has to hear exactly what happened. More.
• Other complications: prior marriages, earlier immigration filings and past denials, where every answer is weighed carefully.

That is why clients with difficult histories choose Mikhail: their words are heard, conveyed and recorded exactly, and they can stay calm, knowing the person beside them knows how these interviews go.

Form G-1256 and the interpreter rules

At field-office interviews, the applicant and the interpreter both sign Form G-1256, Declaration for Interpreted USCIS Interview, in front of the officer before the interview starts. The form records that you brought the interpreter. The interpreter agrees to interpret accurately, literally and fully for both you and the officer, and not to disclose what they learn. The officer can refuse or stop an interpreter who isn't competent or impartial.

Mikhail interprets the form to you before you sign it, so you know exactly what you're signing.

Couples: one spouse or both

Officers usually interview spouses together, and sometimes separately. The interpreter works for whoever needs it; a spouse who is comfortable in English answers directly.

USCIS field offices covered

Mikhail works at every USCIS field office in Southern California and San Francisco, and travels to any other office in the country.

• Los Angeles Field Office300 N. Los Angeles St, Los Angeles, CA 90012Green card, marriage, citizenship
• San Fernando Valley Field Office19809 Prairie St, Chatsworth, CA 91311Green card, marriage, citizenship
• Santa Ana Field Office34 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701Green card, marriage, citizenship
• San Bernardino Field Office995 Hardt St, San Bernardino, CA 92408Green card, marriage, citizenship
• San Diego Field Office880 Front St, San Diego, CA 92101Green card, marriage, citizenship
• Chula Vista Field Office1261 Third Ave, Chula Vista, CA 91911Green card, marriage, citizenship
• Imperial Field Office509 Industry Way, Imperial, CA 92251Green card, marriage, citizenship
• San Francisco Field Office444 Washington St, San Francisco, CA 94111Green card, marriage, citizenship