Visas and Green Cards Based on Marriage to U.S. Citizen

It’s widely known that an immigrant who marries a U.S. citizen becomes eligible for a green card. What’s less known, however, is how demanding and complex the application process can be, and the various grounds upon which the immigrant can be denied admission despite the marriage.

Also realize that the immigration authorities are more concerned about visa fraud in this eligibility category than in virtually any other. They will (with the backup of the immigration laws) carefully scrutinize every application, and demand detailed supporting documents, to detect possible signs of sham marriages. Recent marriages (less than two years old when the application is approved or the immigrant enters the U.S.) get extra scrutiny after another two years.