U.S. citizenship through marriage
Visa for the spouse of a U.S. citizen or Green Card holder, whose marriage has lasted more or less than two years.
- Visa Category – IR1
- Visa Category – CR1
- Visa Category – K-3
- More details
Additional fees apply
- +160$ – consular fee, payable at the embassy rate
- +50$ – additional legal consultation
- +950$ – filing of Form I-130 petition with USCIS in the USA
We begin our work by reviewing the case, consulting, and developing a strategy.
plus 50% for urgency – if within two business days
plus 100% for urgency – if within one business day
Since 2011, we have been assisting clients in obtaining U.S. citizenship through marriage, securing fiancé(e) visas, spouse visas, Green Cards, and all services related to immigration law.
Marrying a U.S. citizen usually implies relocating to the partner’s country of residence. We advise you to carefully study the country’s legislation to clearly understand the rights you will have after relocation. The peculiarity of U.S. immigration law is the establishment of a specific list of grounds for obtaining permanent or conditional resident status in the United States.
Obtaining U.S. Citizenship Through Marriage
It is very important how you entered the territory of the United States. Essentially, there are several options for immigration through marriage to America.
The first option is entry into the United States on a tourist visa and applying for a Green Card. In this case, it is necessary to file documents for a change of status without leaving the United States, based on the fact that the spouse is in a legal marriage with a U.S. citizen. The Green Card acquisition stage consists of the following: if you are in the United States and have married a U.S. citizen, an immigration petition must be filed for you at the U.S. Embassy.
The second option is your partner is a U.S. citizen, and your relationship is not officially registered, but you plan to enter into a legal marriage in America. You can start the immigration process by applying for a K1 visa. The K1 visa is issued under certain conditions:
- the future spouse is a U.S. citizen,
- at least once in the last two years at the time of filing the petition, the couple must have had a personal meeting.
To remain in the U.S., the couple must formalize their legal relationship within 90 days after entry and file a petition for a Green Card. If during the specified period you do not marry the petitioner, you will not be able to change your status to any other or obtain a Green Card, even if you marry another U.S. citizen.
The third option is an official marriage is concluded (outside the U.S. or in America, it does not matter) and the wife/husband is outside the U.S. To enter the United States as a spouse for permanent residence, a spouse visa must be obtained. For the visa to be issued, the classic principle applies – the spouse must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident.
It is important to remember that the mere fact of marriage is only a confirmation of your relationship from a legal point of view. If you want to obtain citizenship through marriage, you need to change your status in this category, not just get married. When changing status and obtaining a Green Card, two forms must be completed:
- Form I-130 petition for reunification with the person you are married to,
- Form I-485 change of immigration status is used for status change, an interview is conducted, and a Green Card is issued.
The duration of the process depends on the specific state where you file the documents and consists of the following stages:
Marriage + list of necessary documents for submission to the immigration service + biometric data submission + issuance of taxpayer card and work permit + waiting for an interview (case review may take from 18 to 36 months) + interview. The most important thing at the interview with the visa officer is to prove that your marriage is genuine. If the interview is successful, you will receive a Green Card within a certain period, and the countdown to obtaining an American passport begins.
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