{"id":27181,"date":"2017-12-04T14:58:14","date_gmt":"2017-12-04T22:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.us-immigration.com\/blog\/?p=27181"},"modified":"2024-11-28T04:23:43","modified_gmt":"2024-11-28T12:23:43","slug":"green-card-from-marriage-to-us-citizen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/blog\/green-card-from-marriage-to-us-citizen\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Card from Marriage to US Citizen"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Green<\/a>One of the fastest and most efficient ways to obtain permanent residency, and later citizenship, in the United States, is through marriage to a U.S. citizen. However, a green card is not awarded automatically upon marriage, and the application process must be followed precisely. In addition, USCIS can scrutinize applications based on a marriage relationship, so it is important for an applicant and their spouse to have proper documentation in place.<\/span><\/p>\n

The application process begins with the U.S. citizen spouse filing <\/span>Form I-130, the Petition for Alien Relative<\/span><\/a>. This petition declares the existence of a valid, bona fide marital relationship between the U.S. citizen and the non-citizen, non-permanent-resident spouse. This form is usually filed as part of a larger package of forms to adjust the status of the spouse. If the spouse is already in the United States, they may be able to apply at the same time to adjust their status to that of a permanent resident or green card holder. The spouse can file Form\u00a0I-485, the Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status<\/a>, at the same time along with <\/span>several other forms and supporting documents<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

This process<\/span> is the one followed for couples who are already married; there is a different, alternate process for fiances who are engaged<\/a>, but not yet married. Eligibility for a green card based on marriage to a U.S. citizen requires that the spouses be legally married in any country. In addition, both spouses must not be married to any other people at the same time. However, USCIS generally also requires additional information that confirms the validity of the marriage and a bona fide relationship between the partners. <\/span><\/p>\n

Evidence to this effect includes:<\/span><\/p>\n