Another name for a green card is the Permanent Resident Card. It serves as an official document issued to immigrants, which gives them unrestrained permission to reside in the United States of America permanently. The green card functions as an official and permanent resident permit. The possession of the green card does not necessarily make a person a citizen of the United States. The green card entitles its holders to apply for citizenship after presenting proof that they have stayed for a minimum of five years in the United States.
How long does it take to get a green card after marriage?
The question most people ask is, how long does it take to get a green card after marriage? The answer is simple if the person you are getting married to is a citizen of the States, it takes about ten to thirteen months for you to get your green card. You can quickly get the green card once you get married to a citizen of the United States of America or someone who owns it. When you are getting married to someone who is a holder of the green card, it takes over three years for you to get the green card.
So, that’s how long it takes to obtain a green card after you get married. Continue reading to have sound knowledge on the topic!
How To Get A Marriage Green Card?
It is not a new thing today to see a person from one country falling in love with another person in a different country. It happens all over the world today, and the United States is no different. When you obtain a green card gotten through the process of marrying a citizen or a green card holder, one can refer to it as a marriage green card.
The marriage green card will give you the right to reside and work in the State and also give you the eligibility to apply for citizenship. Some other countries would see the green card as a resident permit. It serves the primary function of permitting foreigners to reside and get jobs abroad. It provides residential protection to people in foreign countries.
A person has to go through various outlined processes to acquire the green card. The process will vary for different countries as they all have their different policies governing immigration activities. In this context, we will show you the right procedures to obtain the green card, especially for a person migrating to the United States of America.
Get The Marriage Form After The Marriage
When an intending couple has fulfilled the ceremonial rites of marriage in a religious assembly or a law court, they are to get a form known as Form I-130. It is the ”Petition for Alien Relative.” The couple will have to fulfill all the terms and conditions provided in the form.
The form provides for the details of the couple that will add to the populace database of the State. They also need other essential documents like the Certificate of Marriage that they will attach to the form.
In most cases, they will require you to come along with some documents that we will outline in this article. It is imperative to know that the documentation requirements vary to suit the policy of each State.
Things to note
There are essential points to note during this process. It is necessary to do a wedding in a popular religious assembly or court. They will ask to see a document that shows that you are legally married to your spouse.
A lot of persons have been caught in the act of fraudulent marriage to get a green card to different countries. To prevent this from happening, they will require proof of a joint account or picture of the wedding.
It is advisable to practice before showing up for an interview. The couple should spend time getting to understand themselves and the environment. The couples must have a good interaction, as these are some of the things they will notice. A couple that has poor communication has little or no chances of getting a green card, as poor communication will raise suspicion.
A couple that got divorced recently needs to provide the State with a valid divorce letter adequately documented by a certified attorney. It is a requirement that is necessary to reduce the rate of fraudulent marriages.
Applying For The Marriage Green Card
When you have filled the necessary form, you can now apply for the marriage green card properly. At this stage, there are also processes that you would take in order to apply for the green card successfully.
The processes are different if you are living in the United States already. You will need to pay a fee for the application, and you would have to submit some documents, too, when you get to the Department of State.
The document can be your visa to prove that you entered legally, your medical certificate, also a copy of your spouse’s spouse’s financial statement. In a situation whereby you live outside the United States, the process is also different; you would also need to pay a fee and bring supporting documents that would grant you a visa and even the green card at last.
Go Through Interview And Wait For Approval
Once you have completed the application process, they will invite you for a face-to-face meeting. It is the same as a regular job interview where they measure your performance by your answers.
A poor performance in the interview will lead to denial of your application for a green card. The questions focus on accessing the level of communication between the couple. It helps to facilitate the bond of intimacy in marriage.
Other ways to get a green card
It is not only through marriage that you can get a green card to the United States. There are different other ways you can get hold of the green card. The desire to become a foreign citizen is the first drive to put forward an application for a green card. In this section, we will give a brief detail on other ways a person can acquire a green card.
Green card through family
It is easy to get a green card when you have a close relative or a family member with a green card, and the person is a citizen of the State. You can apply directly, and this is filing a petition to obtain a green card on the basis that you have a family member who is a citizen of the State.
Green card through a job
You can also get a green card to the United States once you get a job from any reputable firm in the country. A role in a company like Facebook, Google, or even in the White House would guarantee you an excellent chance to get a green card.
Green card through asylum
You can gain access to the United States as a refugee or through asylum. A refugee or an asylum patient is eligible to apply for the grant. That is, once they have lived in the country for at least one year.
Once you fulfill the requirement, you can freely apply for the green card. Take note that you will still need to pass through the processes, but in this case that you are an asylum patient or refugee, the process will be different.
The Rights Of A Holder Of A Green Card
Certain rights accrue to you once you have the green card. These rights are as follows. You will have the right to live and work in the United States permanently unless you commit a crime that will make the State revoke your green card. You will also have the right to serve in the Armed Forces.
You will have the full right to work in any state of the country with some exception to high federal positions. The laws that protect the United States citizens will protect you as well. You will have the right to travel in and out of the United States. You could even take a year tourist visit to neighboring countries.
As a holder of the United States green card, you will also have the right to file a petition for a family member or close relative for them to get their green card.
A marriage green card is one of the easiest ways you can get a green card. Once you get yourself a spouse that is a legal citizen of the United States or a holder of the green card, it will then become less tedious to get a green card. Countries have different policies that pertain to the issuing of green cards to foreigners. It helps each country keep an update of its populace database.
Conclusion
The estimated time for a green card to be made available to applicants differs. It also depends on the method followed in applying for it. For people applying through marriage, it will depend on the status of your spouse, whether they are citizens or normal green cardholders. Thus, the answer to the question, how long does it take to get a green card after marriage is straightforward.
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