If you are a U.S. citizen planning to marry someone from another country and bring him or her to live with you in this country, you should discuss the details of your situation with a knowledgeable immigration lawyer. Depending on your circumstances, it may make the most sense to follow one or the other of these courses of action:
- Bring your fiance(e) to the U.S. on a fiance visa (K1 or K3) and have your wedding here. You must finalize the marriage within 90 days and then petition to have his or her status adjusted to provisional permanent resident status, which will allow for employment in the U.S. Two years later, the provisional green card can be adjusted to be full permanent residency. Five years after that, he or she may petition for U.S. citizenship.
- Marry your fiance(e) in another country and then petition to bring him or her to the U.S. as your spouse.
- Marry your fiance(e), who is currently in the U.S. on a student visa or work-based visa, and then petition to have his or her status converted to provisional permanent resident.
Every case is unique, and regardless of your circumstances, we urge you not to try to take care of your foreign wife's or husband's immigration status without consulting with an immigration lawyer. Perhaps you could submit the proper forms on your own and be successful without an attorney's help — or you may encounter unexpected glitches that could put your plans to live together in the U.S. at risk. In a worst-case scenario, your international spouse could be banned from entering the U.S. for 10 years if he or she is found to have committed immigration fraud.
Law Offices in Orlando | Marriage-Based Green Card | Lawyers at the Law Offices of Fisher & Frommer, PLLC, Can Advise and Assist
Your plans to marry an American — or marry an immigrant, if you are American — could involve complications that you are not aware of. Conversely, you may have opportunities to streamline the process that you don't realize are available. Schedule a consultation with a knowledgeable, detail-oriented Orlando immigration lawyer regarding a marriage-based green card or fiance(e) visa. Contact us by phone or e-mail us to arrange to meet with an attorney in any one of our locations: Lake Mary, Orlando, Tampa or New York City. In many cases, we also meet with clients near their locations elsewhere.
