How To Get Marriage Residency?

In the United States, there are thousands of citizens who marry citizens of foreign countries and apply for them to acquire permanent residence status in the U.S. In this concern, marriage residency is supposed to be the fastest way to obtain permanent resident status for those people who are not the original residents of US.

According to the Immigration Laws, fiancees of U.S citizens are called immediate relatives because these relatives are relieved from all numerical quota restrictions.

If anyone marries in the U.S, the citizen spouse should first submit a visa application form I-130 to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Center. All important documents (that prove the marriage is bonafide) should be attached with the I-130 form. The foreign national has the authority to submit petition form I-485 for the adjustment of the status.

For the I-130 form, the submission fee is $110; the application for work authorization charges a fees of $100; for an adjustment of status application, the submission fee is $220; the application for registration of fingerprints $25 and for a travel permit $95.

In case of a marriage outside the US, the alien spouse can not enter into the United States till he or she acquires a residency card. After submitting a visa application form I-130 to INS office, the foreign-born (alien) spouse can start the process of getting a permanent resident status in the US. The INS has the full authority over the U.S citizen spouse's residence. The alien spouse can also submit this form straightly to the U.S Embassy of Consulate in the country where s/he lives.

While the visa petition is approved, the National Visa Center (NVC) provides a packet to the alien spouse. This packet includes all the important documents (Police clearances, passport, results of medical examinations, etc.) that must be submitted by the alien spouse at the immigration visa interview held abroad. Some documents in the packet also request biographic data that should be completed and signed by the foreign-born spouse. These documents are sent abroad to the U.S Embassy of Consulate.

Within three to six months, the alien spouse is interviewed and provided an immigrant visa. The immigrant visa fee is $325 that is charged by the State Department.

Within two years after getting married, the foreign-born spouse receives the green card that enables him/her all the entitlements and rights through which he/she can stay as a permanent resident. This means, he/she has a right to work anywhere and travel in and out of the U.S. without any hassles. Moreover, he/she gets the time to obtain naturalization for U.S citizenship.

In case of death of the U.S citizen, the spouse can be considered as an immediate relative, if he/she is still married to the U.S citizen after two years of their marriage. Another condition is that within two years of the U.S citizen's death, he/she should have applied for permanent marriage residency. At the time of filing the petition form, the spouse must not have remarried. The spouse can also hire INS law firm to prepare their application.