Connect With an Immigration Lawyer
Enter Your Zip Code to Connect with a Lawyer Serving Your Area
Enter Your Zip Code to Connect with a Lawyer Serving Your Area
Application Process After Marrying a U.S. Citizen
Related Ads
Contrary to myth, marrying a U.S. citizen does not give the foreign-born person instant U.S. citizenship. Even obtaining the green card to which the marriage does entitle the immigrant involves a multi-step application process. Learn about that process here.
Step One: The Visa Petition
If you are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, then as soon as you and your immigrant spouse are married, you can file the Petition for Alien Relative (Form I-130) with USCIS.
Accompanying forms, required documents, and other topics that often raise questions.
Immigrants Arriving From Overseas: Consular Processing
Overview of the application procedure commonly used by immigrants coming to the U.S. from another country.
Comparing your application options.
Immigrants Already in the U.S.: Adjustment of Status
Eligibility, forms, documents, how to survive the interview, and much more.
Overview of the application procedure usually used by immigrant applicants who are already in the United States.
How student visa holders apply for green cards based on marriage.
Special issues that J-1 visa holders face in applying for a green card based on marriage.
Details of the adjustment of status process available to spouses of U.S. citizens.
How to obtain the needed medical report, and what to expect during the examination.
Personal Interview for a Marriage-Based Green Card
Questions the immigration interviewer may ask in order to test the validity of a marriage.
The purpose and procedures for an adjustment of status interview in a marriage-based case.
Although the interviewing officer can ask nearly whatever he or she wants, here are the most likely questions you should expect.
Showing Evidence That the Marriage Is Not a Sham
Start preparing now to show that your marriage is the real thing, by gathering the needed documents and preparing for the marriage interview.
How marriage fraud is detected during the application process and punished.
Additional Resources
Fiance and Marriage Visas: A Couple's Guide to U.S. Immigration
Get step-by-step instructions on applying for a green card based on marriage to a U.S. citizen.
Get step-by-step instructions on applying for a green card based on marriage to a U.S. citizen.
LA-WS4:0.9.22.120430.13848