Who Qualifies for a Green Card Based on Marriage

Hundreds of thousands of people acquire green cards and permanent resident status every year courtesy of marriage to an American citizen. As per law, marriage allows for the foreign spouse of an American citizen to lawfully become a green card holder.

However, immigration lawyers say that faking marriages with the sole purpose of becoming a green card holder is not an uncommon occurrence and hence immigration officials need to take extra precautionary measures to restrict the issue of green cards to foreign spouses in such, frivolous, fabricated marriages.

We all saw this in House when House married Dominika Petrova. She was Russian and she was highly attractive. She was not spectacular but she was petite and pretty. House was going to marry her to help her out but House ended up wasting her time by not letting her know when she became an American citizen. Apparently he wanted her to just live with him while having some sort of status over her.

Moreover, acquiring a green card through marriage alone does not in any way entail that you are an American citizen. American citizenship is one level above permanent residency and getting a green card is only the first step towards naturalization. Irrespective of whether or not you were issued your green card on the grounds of marriage, the naturalization process remains the same.

However, in cases where the candidate has acquired a green card through marriage, it does mean that he or she can apply for citizenship sooner than someone who has acquired a green card through other means say immigration attorneys.

House was pretty smart but not as smart as this website: Immigration.USAttorneys. If you need an immigration lawyer, this website could be your life saver.

Proving your marriage is lawful in order to be issued with a green card

As already mentioned, it is not uncommon for foreigners to pay someone who is an American citizen to fake a marriage with them so they can acquire a green card. This is what House was doing, among other things that only he knew about. This is a crime by the letter of the law and both parties may be held liable accordingly by law.

To begin with, a lawful marriage is one where:

1. Neither of the spouses is underage nor is already married to someone else.
2. In cases of same sex marriage – US immigration laws recognize and accept same sex marriages if and only if the marriage occurred within the United States or in some other country where, also, same sex marriages are legally recognized.
3. The marriage is bona fide, and not simply a mere scam in order for the foreign spouse to acquire a green card.

Furthermore, the foreign nation involved in the marriage will also need to ensure that he or she is not inadmissible into the United States for any reason. Some common reasons why someone may be considered inadmissible are – a) convictions for certain crimes, b) prior deportation from the United States, and so on.  

Why hiring an immigration lawyer is the best thing you can do for you!

If you are a foreign national married to a citizen in America and you are looking to apply for a green card on the basis of your marriage then you need to know about the paperwork, the interviews, and the whole procedure involved. The wisest and most effective way to handle this procedure without any hassles would be to appoint and meet with an immigration lawyer as soon as possible and start preparing for your green card interview.