If you are married and you with your partners, plan to settle and start working in the United States. Then it’s not like a simple or ordinary task. You will need to apply for a marriage green card. There are several people who didn’t know about the marriage green card.
No worries, in this guide, you will get the complete information about the marriage green card that will be helpful for you in your immigration journey. First, ensure that all your documents should be submitted in English. Then, you can take up the certified translation service the USA.
What is a marriage green card?
A marriage green card is a type of immigrants visa card that allows you and your spouse to live and work within the boundaries of the United States. With this card, you live in the United States like US citizens as it is a permanent residence. A type of immigrant visa offers U.S. citizenship and immigration services (USCIS), or you can say it the first step to U.S. citizenship.
The validity of the marriage card depends on your years of marriage. If you have a marriage that has complete the two years before you apply for the card, you will obtain an IRI green card that will last for ten years.
And if you are married your partner for less than two years, then after applying, you will get a CRI green card, also known as a Conditional green card that will last for two years; before its validity gets ended, you should renew it to receive a ten years green card.
Are you eligible for a marriage card?
To get eligible for the marriage green card, you will be required to show some of the below mentioned to the USCIS:
- The first thing to get eligible for the marriage green card is that your marriage should be legal. As per the United States government, your marriage should be considered valid if the government legally recognizes your marriage in the country where your marriage occurs.
- You should be married to a US citizen or a lawful permanent resident.
- Married to US citizen: The US government keeps the US citizen’s immediate relatives on priority during the time of the green card process. Therefore, before getting eligible for the green card, you will have to prove that your spouse belongs to a US citizen by including the citizenship certificate, birth certificate, US passport, or naturalization certificate with your application.
- Married to a Lawful Permanent Resident. If you are married to a US green card holder (lawful permanent resident), you get eligible to apply for the green card. For proving this, you will only require a physical copy of your spouse’s green card.
- Your marriage is legitimate. USCIS understands that there are several people who, by showing the fake marriage, enter into the United States to work and live. In order to work and settle in the US, you will need to show USCIS the documents that prove that you and your spouse are legally married, then only you will be eligible for getting a marriage green card.
- You should not be married to anyone else. If sometimes, in the past, you got married and later got divorced. In that case, you will require showing a divorce decree, death certificate, or any other divorce-related document to show that you are single and your previous marriage has ended.
How one can apply for the marriage green card
After you have found out that you meet all the eligibility criteria to apply for the marriage green card. Then you will have to follow the three-step process:
Step 1. Submit Form I-130
The very first step in applying for the marriage green card is by duly filing Form I-130 (the “petition for alien relative). The motive behind the I-130 petition is to show that you are legally married to a US citizen or a green cardholder. With the I-130 form, you will also be required to show your marriage certificate document. Ensure that you take up the marriage certificate translation usa to translate all your documents into English. For example, you can present a joint bank account statement, joint lease, wedding photo of you and your spouse. After you have completed everything required along with the form, then mail it to the USCIS address.
Step 2: Apply for your Marriage Green Card
The other step after filling the form is applying for a US permanent resident. Its way will depend on your present location, whether you are in the abroad country or within US boundaries while applying.
Adjustment of Status
While applying, if you live in the United States, you will require to Form I-485, known as the Adjustment of Status form. This form enables you to adjust your current visa status to the marriage green card. With the application, you will also have to include some of the supporting documents mentioned below :
- Present the proof of your immigration medical examination;
- Valid birth certificate
- Show that you entered the US legally ( such as showing your I-94 travel record or prior visa),
- Moreover, the documents that show that your spouse will support you financially in the United States.
- If your spouse is a U.S. citizen, then you will ultimately submit the duly filed I-485 along with Form I-130 at the same time. This is known as filling concurrently.
- And if your spouse holds a green card, you will require to keep waiting for a few months before submitting your Form I-485. The government will update you when it’s time for filing your Form I-485.
Consular Processing
Moreover, if you are outside the United States while applying for the marriage green card, you will have to follow consular processing. If you apply through consular processing, you will require to keep waiting in your home country till USCIS approves your Form I-130. After your form gets approved by the USCIS, your file will be sent to the US Department of State’s National Visa Center (NVC). After that, National Visa Center (NVC) sends you the notice through mail based on your request while filing Form I-130. This will be important notice that will update you about when you can proceed with your next of submitting your NVC filling package:
Your NVC package will require the following things as mentioned:
- Require to submit a Government filing fee of $445. You will pay this amount online. Also, you will have to keep updated yourself with the instructions from the NVC or the Consulate or Embassy handling your case.
- Your Form DS-260. This will be the actual green card application that you need to file online.
- Proof of your nationality. In these documents, you require to submit a copy of the passport photo page and birth certificate.
- Clearance certification by the police of the country where you were living since the age of 16.
- Present the proof that your spouse is capable enough to financially support you. In this category, you will require to submit a Form I-864, called “Affidavit of Support,” also proof such as returns and pay stubs.
Step 3. Attend your Green Card Interview and receive your Green Card
The last step that is involved in the marriage green card application process is your green card interview. The aim behind this interview is that the government needs to check whether the application that your provided is legitimate and whether you are liable to get a green card or not.
During the interview, the office will ask you about the relationship with the spouse, plans, and daily activities. In addition, they might ask some of the extra questions if they find any clue of the immigration fraud. Some of the things such as:
- Different cultural background than that of your spouse.
- The address might not match for you and your spouse.
- Or if you might you know your spouse few than two years before marriage.
- The place and arrangements of the interview depend on how you applied for the marriage green card.
How long does it take to get a Marriage Green Card?
The duration of the marriage green card process depends on where you are living in the United States and whether you are married to a green card holder or a US citizen.
This thing needs time, so several people start preparing for the forms with their fiancé 90 days before getting married. Visit the certified translators for the green card translation service to avoid any delay.
Living in the United States with a U.S. Citizen Spouse
The duration of the process of application should be 10-13 months if you are married to a US citizen and situated in the US.
You will have to prove that your marriage is real with Form I-130 and at the same time applying for the green card: 9-11 months.
Undergoing the green card interview and remain to wait for your green card: 1-2 months.
Living in the United States with a Permanent Resident Spouse
If you are in the U.S and you are married to a green card holder, then USCIS will approve your Form I-130 within 1-15 months. Then you will have to keep waiting until your green card gets available in the visa bulletin, which will take up to another 8-10 months.
After you require submitting your Form I-485 that will again take 9-11 months for the USCIS to process. After that, you will require to undergo an interview and your application approval that will again require 1-2 months. This means the total time taken will be 29-38 months from the date of filing.
Living Abroad with a U.S. Citizen Spouse
If you live outside the US and are married to a US citizen, it will require up to 7-10 months for USCIS to approve your form. After USCIS approves your application, you will again require waiting for 4-6 months for the national visa center to approve your DS-260, which means the total time taken will be 11-17 months after applying for the green card.
Living Abroad with a Permanent Resident Spouse
If you are situated in the 0abroad countries but are married to the Green cardholder, then the time taken to approve your form will be 11-15 months. After approval, you will have to keep waiting for your card to get available in the visa bulletin, which will take up to 8-10 months.
After that, you will need to submit DS-260 and keep waiting for the approval that will require almost 4-7 months. This means the total waiting time will be 23–32 months to receive the green card.