Marriage to a U.S. citizen continues to be a legitimate avenue for many foreign-born U.S. residents to achieve long-term immigrant status via a marriage visa, or green card. However, too many couples approach this process without the care and attention to detail it deserves. Despite popular belief, marriage is not an automatic pass to obtaining a green card and truly securing a legitimate immigrant status requires vigilance and, in many cases, the counsel of a reliable immigration attorney.
Some of most common green card mistakes include:
- Entering the country illegally. To be eligible for a visa from the USCIS, an immigrant needs to have entered the country legally. This means that their entrance to U.S. was properly recorded at a port of entry. Many couples are dismayed to find that when they apply for a green card without legally recorded U.S. entry, USCIS may move forward with removal proceedings.
- Using a tourist visa shorten the process. Many times, green card petitioners know that they will be marrying a U.S. citizen before relocating to the U.S. To do this, petitioners must usually endure a months-long process that involves filing Form I-130 and correspondence with the nearest U.S. consulate. To skip this process, many apply for a tourist visa to enter the U.S. ASAP and then quickly seek to adjust their status with a marriage visa once they're in the U.S. Because these petitioners entered the U.S. under false pretenses (the tourist visa) this can be seen as visa fraud—which does not bode well for any effort to establish a legitimate visa status of any kind.
- Making mistakes on the application paperwork. Many legitimate and eligible marriages that deserve green card status are delayed or barred from achieving that status due to simple paperwork issues. Were questions left blank? Untranslated? Are the submitted photos up to USCIS standards? There are countless ways to leave your paperwork incomplete, suspicious, or improperly filled out.
If you want to ensure that your marriage visa petition process goes as smoothly as possible, do not hesitate to contact us at Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP Immigration Law. Our dedicated and knowledgeable Louisiana immigration attorney has helped countless couples navigate this process and secure good standing as they build their lives here in the U.S.
- Related Reading: Who Can Apply for a Green Card?
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