Marriage-Based Immigration

Nobody knows when and where they find their match on this planet and thus, Transnational Marriage has become very common in today’s world. If you are a U.S. citizen and wish to bring your spouse i.e., wife or husband to the United States to live then there are a set of laws that need to be obeyed and fulfilled.

What does it mean?

Marriage-Based Immigration program lets a foreign spouse of a U.S. citizen apply for and live in the United States with “Permanent Resident Status”until he/she fulfills the U.S. Citizenship criteria.

Who is called a Spouse?

A spouse is a legally wedded wife or husband.

●        Living together only does not qualify for Marriage-Based Immigration.

●        Spouses bound by common law may qualify for marriage-based immigration depending on the laws of the nation in which common-law marriage occurs.

●         In the case of polygamy, only the first spouse qualifies for marriage-based immigration.

Filing a petition

●        Form I-130

o   For Marriage-Based Immigration, you, that is the petitioner/ sponsor has to file a petition for Alien Relative (Form I-130) for the immigration of your spouse to the United States. The main purpose of the I-130 form is to verify that a valid marriage exists or not.

o   The documents for the I-130 form include "Proof for spouse sponsoring", that youare a U.S. Citizen (a birth certificate or passport or any other documents validating U.S. citizenship), Marriage Certificate, etc.

●        Form I-485

o   This form enables a foreign spouse to get a green card and physically live in the United States with "Permanent Resident Status". The form is primarily filed with USCIS and its primary goal is to establish the eligibility of the spouse for the green card.

o   Critical elements of Form I-485 includes proof of nationality of the foreign spouse (birth certificate or passport photo page), proof of lawful entry into the United States by the spouse seeking a green card, Medical examination which was performed by a USCIS -certified doctor, and proof of financial support.

●        Form DS-260

o   The DS-260 form is for those foreign spouses who are living abroad and seeking for a green card. The application is filed with the NVC which decides whether the foreign spouse is ready for an interview or not.

o   The documents supporting the DS-260 form include Proof of nationality, Copy of Police clearance certificate for the spouse seeking a green card and proof of spouse’s ability to financially support the foreign spouse.

Application filed under any of these categories is charged along with a fee in USD as $535, $1,225 and $445, respectively.

Immigration Support Services and Role of SKJ JURIS

Applying for Marriage based Immigration visa needs a lot of time to explore all clauses, laws, application process, etc. which is time-consuming. So, it is better to hire an Immigration Support Services Company which substantially reduces the time needed for the process.

We at SKJ Juris are there to help you out. An immigration Support Company, like SKJ Juris, guides you regarding the appropriate type of marriage visa program you should apply, the necessary documents needed, application fees, the best time for the application, etc. With a highly qualified Immigration Support Team, SKJ Juris promises its customers with quality assured service at an affordable price.