A Stokes Interview is a secondary interview conducted on a couple who are trying to obtain a green card in the United States because of marriage. It occurs when the immigration officer conducting the adjustment of status interview suspects that a couple's marital status is fraudulent.
If the interviewer suspects that the relationship is not bona fide and is simply being done to obtain an immigration benefit, a stokes interview will be scheduled. This is not done for all cases.
This second interview is called the the “Stokes” interview, taken from a 1975 case Stokes vs INS.
During a Stokes interview a couple will be interviewed both together and separately. The process can take several hours to complete. Each person will be asked many personal questions about themselves, their spouse, and their relationship. Their spouse will be asked the same questions separately. The two interviews will be recorded and compared for discrepancies.
It may be a good idea to hire a traditional immigration attorney if you get assigned a stokes interview.