Obtaining a US Green Card Through Marriage

The US implemented the method of giving the spouses of American citizes permanent residency to allow them to live together in the US. The whole idea souds wonderful but the actual process is as wonderful as you might think. Applying for permanent residency for a foreigner can be a very costly and tedious task. In this article I will explain the process and give advice on this matter.

STEP 1

The first step would be for the foreigner to become a legal fiance under US law. To do this the US citizen must file a petition for the alien fiance using the form I-129F. Once this is filed then the alien fiance will be able to apply for the k-1 fiance(e) visa. Please note that the form I-129F costs 340 USD to file and must be filed at a USCIS in the USA. Visit this site for more information on this form http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=a10e4154d7b3d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCR

If the Foreigner is already in the US I would reccommend that you skip this step as it is a waste of time and money.

Information on what the applicant should take to the embassy can be found on this site http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_2994.html

STEP 2

Now that the Alien has the K-1 visa, the next step would be to travel to the US and get married within a period of 90 days. If you skipped the application of the K-1 visa step then you will do likewise, get married. It is best that before marrieage a from I-134 Affidavit of financial support de filed. for the Alien Fiance(e) as this will be requested during interview.

STEP 3

After the above step has been completed the US citizen may now file the form I-864 adjustment of status form. Please note that each form has its own seperate fees. Please refer to this site for more detailed information on fees http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=640a3e4d77d73210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=640a3e4d77d73210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

This form can take within 3 months- 2 years to be processed. Once it is processed you and your spouse will be called for a interview together. This interview is used to detect fraudulent marriages. If the interviewer thinks that the marriage was fraudulent then you will be scheduled for a follow up interview. This process is rigerous and tricky.In this interview the spouses are questioned seperately . They will even do things like tell one spouse that the other spouse had already confessed to fraud while that was not true.

If after this interview they still detect fraud you may both be imprisoned. After the Alien has served his sentence he(she) will be immediately deported and banned permanently from ever again setting foot on American soil.

If your interview is successful you will be granted permanent residency. This will feel great after a long tedious, and expensive process. I recommend that you try to make the best of your life in America. You will not have all the pivilages of a regular citizen like voting or becoming a senator but you without doubt have more than visitors do. Enjoy!