There are different stages involved in application for a marriage-based U.S. green card, also known as a lawful permanent card. First off, this process is known as adjustment of status and requires that the immigrant go through a visa interview.
Thus, you should expect the district office of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to call you for a personal interview. In this article, we will give you a checklist of items you need to bring with you for the green card interview.
What Documents Do I Need for My Wife’s Green Card?
The documents you will bring for your wife’s green card will vary by situation. For instance, what the green card holder petitioning spouse brings may not be required for the U.S. citizen spouse. Nevertheless, the general documents required include birth certificate, marriage certificate, financial documents, and proof of sponsor’s permanent residence or U.S. citizenship.
It will also include proof of lawful U.S. entry and status, police clearance certificate, and prior-marriage divorce or termination papers. Other documents include court, prison, and police records, military records, current or expired U.S. visas, immigration violation records, and any medical examination document.
What Documents Do You Need to Complete Form I-485 Green Card Application?
Form I-485 is formally called the Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, and completed by the foreign spouse resident in the U.S.
To complete this application, you are required to bring the following documents:
- Proof of nationality with birth certificate and passport issued in another country,
- Proof of lawful status and entry into the U.S. with U.S. visa and I-94 travel record,
- Records of prior interactions with law enforcement with prison, police, or court records,
- Deportation document to show records of previous immigration violations if applicable.
What Immigration Forms Are Required if Both Spouses Are in the U.S.?
If both the sponsor and foreign spouse are in the United States, they need to physically file the following forms:
- Mandatory I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative),
- Mandatory I-130A (Supplemental Information for Spouse Beneficiary),
- Mandatory I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status),
- Mandatory I-864 (Affidavit of Support) under Section 213 of the Immigration and Nationality Act
- Mandatory I-693 (Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record),
- Optional but recommended I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization), and
- Optional but recommended I-131 (Application for Travel Document).
What General Supporting Documents Are Required for Marriage Green Card Application?
Apart from the documents we listed in the first section of this article, other documents required include proof of income and proof of assets. Also required are official IRS transcripts, foreign passport, foreign photo ID, and United States proof of credit score if any.
Additionally, other acceptable documents include two identical passport-style color photographs of both spouses, and U.S. health insurance proof, public benefits usage proof. You will also submit bankruptcy records if any as well as immunization or vaccination records and educational records.
What Documents Do You Need to Bring to Your Marriage-Based Adjustment of Status Interview?
Essentially, the documents you bring to your scheduled interview for your marriage-based adjustment of status application are to prove your marriage’s validity.
Thus the following documents are required to do that:
- You and your spouse’s photo identification and passport, including passport or driver’s license,
- Original work permits (Employment Authorization Document) or travel permits (Advance Parole),
- Original documents of the copies you mailed to the USCIS for the consular officer to review,
- Proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status, including birth certificate, naturalization certificate, passport, green card, or passport stamp.
What Documents Are Required to Prove a Valid Marriage?
The USCIS officer uses the interview to establish a bona fide marriage, this requiring the following documents:
- Leases, rental agreements, or mortgages to prove you live together, have leased, or bought a property,
- Spouses’ mutual child’s birth certificate or official pregnancy report from a doctor,
- Joint bank statements, joint credit card statements, and utility bills in both spouses’ names,
- Proof of naming the other spouse as the beneficiary of a will,
- Spouses’ photos taken before and during your marriage, including un-doctored wedding photos.
What Documents Will You Submit with Form I-864 Affidavit of Support?
The sponsoring spouse and co-sponsors (if any) will submit the following documents with Form I-864:
- Proof of ability to provide financial support with copies of U.S. Federal income tax returns no older than three years. Also required are pay stubs from at most six months and a letter from the employer showing proof of employment.
- Proof of asset value through bank or investment accounts and the ownership document of properties.
What Supporting Documents Are Required for Form I-765?
The foreign national spouse will present the following documents when applying for work authorization:
- I-94 records, valid U.S visa, and passport issued in another country to prove lawful US entry and status,
- Proof of pending marriage green card application with receipt notice or the form I-130 you are concurrently filing,
- Proof of nationality or previous U.S. work authorization with birth certificates, visa issued by another country’s consulate, or other national identity document, and
- Two 2×2-inch passport-style photos.
What Documents Are Required for Family Sponsorship Form I-130?
The documents required here depend on who is filing the form:
- For proof of U.S. citizenship or that you are a lawful permanent resident, the U.S. citizen sponsoring spouse needs this. The documents required with the green card include U.S. certificate of birth, valid U.S. passport, consular report of birth abroad, naturalization certificate, certificate of citizenship, and passport style photographs.
- For proof of green card holder, the permanent resident spouse needs this. The supporting documents required the green card and passport bearing stamp of temporary residence and issued by any other government agency.
- Both spouses will provide proof of valid marriage (see the documents above) and proof of termination of prior marriage. They will also provide proof of official name change if any; the marriage certificate is usually enough for this. However, you can also provide adoption papers or court order of name change.
What Supporting Documents Are Required for DS-260?
To complete online green card application Form DS-260, Immigrant Visa Electronic Application, you need the following documents,
- Proof of nationality or proof that you are a lawful permanent resident – birth certificate and passport issued in a foreign country,
- Proof of valid marriage – marriage certificate,
- Proof of annulment of previous marriage if applicable – certificate of annulment, death certificate of former spouse, or divorce papers,
- Military service records if applicable – DD-214 for U.S. military, military service records from a foreign country, and other U.S. military service records.
- Deportation document, and
- Police clearance certificate.
What Supporting Documents Are Needed for I-131 for Applicants Resident in the US?
The supporting documents required for the travel permit application, Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, include:
- Green card, photo page of passport, current work permit, and valid government-issued driver’s license to prove identity.
- Valid U.S. visa or any USCIS-issued document like I-797 (Notice of Action) to prove the applicant’s present immigration status,
- Receipt notice to prove pending application for green card through marriage, and
- 2” x 2” passport-style photographs as an added proof of identity.
What Supporting Documents Are Required for I-130A Supplemental Information for Spouse Beneficiary?
The USCIS does not require any special supporting document for Form I-130A because you are submitting it with Form I-130. The required documents you submit for Form I-130 will cover the Form I-130, so ensure they are complete.
The spouse seeking this immigration benefit will fill the form out, sign, and file it. However, if the foreign is not in the U.S., their citizen spouse can fill and file it on their behalf; no signature will be required.
What Documents Are Required for I-693?
The foreign spouse applying for the green card visa will provide the documents needed to file Form I-693. The documents required to file the Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, include photocopies (only) of:
- Latest Form I-693 version,
- Beneficiary spouse’s medical history,
- Vaccination records if available,
- Previously-conducted chest X-rays if you have them, and
- An official letter from your doctor discussing health problems or treatment for current health issues.
Does a Permanent Resident Card Holder Need Reentry Permit?
While LPRs are not restricted from traveling abroad, spending more than a year abroad can create problems for their temporary residence status. Thus, they need to obtain a reentry permit to maintain their U.S. residence when they travel abroad for up to two years.
What Are the Purposes of the Advance Parole and Refugee Travel Documents?
A foreign national with asylum or refugee permit desiring to travel outside the U.S. needs the refugee travel document to return. Meanwhile, the Parole document allows an alien to enter the U.S. physically for a specific purpose.
However, some other immigration status holders can use the Advance Parole document as permission to reenter the U.S. after traveling abroad.
What Is Form I-944 and What Supporting Documents Are Needed to File It?
Form I-944, officially called Declaration of Self-Sufficiency, is a Public Charge form filed by the beneficiary spouse.
The supporting documents required to file the form include:
- Proof of income – IRS tax return transcripts for the most recent tax year for people whose income is being considered. Form W-2 and social security statement for applicants not required to file taxes in the last three tax years. Also, child support records, pension or retirement benefit checks, unemployment benefits, and other pieces of evidence of non-taxable income.
- Proof of assets, including proof of ownership and valuations for liquidated assets, account statements for the last twelve months, and a recent appraisal.
- Contracts or loan agreements, account statements, and letters from a government agency or financial institution to prove liabilities and debts.
- Proof of good U.S. credit score and ability to pay for medical treatment
To ensure all these documents for the immigration process are detailed, you will need an immigration attorney to vet the entire process and provide professional attorney services where needed
What Is the Checklist of Initial Evidence for Special Immigrant Juveniles?
Supporting documents for special immigrant juveniles include:
- Two passport-style photographs,
- Government-issued photo ID,
- Birth certificate,
- Immigrant category documentation,
- Disposition on arrests, convictions, or criminal charges,
- Waiver of inadmissibility (Form I-601),
- J-1 and J-2 exchange visitor status documentation, and
- Waiver of Diplomatic rights, Privileges, Exemptions, and Immunities (Form I-508) if any.
What Mandatory Application Forms Are Needed for Marriage-Based Adjustment of Status?
The forms mandated by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to prepare and put in a sealed envelope a marriage-based green card application include:
- Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative,
- Form I-485, Application needed to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status,
- Form G-325A, Biographic Information, and
- Form I-864, Affidavit of Support
Herman Legal Group Can Help You!
Whether you need a temporary permanent residence or a green card through marriage, one thing is certain – you need professional help. Herman Legal Group is an experienced immigration firm in the United States that offers quality immigration services. From our years of experience, you can be sure we can advise you and help review documents needed for marriage green card application.
If you want us to review your documents or advise you or the appropriate documents, you can schedule a consultation by calling +1-216-696-6170 or by booking online.
You may need a separate attorney agreement from a good law firm to help with this green card through the marriage process. The spouse seeking such application should build a healthy attorney-client relationship even before you obtain blank immigration forms to be filled out.
Nevertheless, the USCIS provides written instructions for the U.S citizen spouse, permanent resident spouse, and immigrants for the entire marriage based green card application process of the spouse seeking it.
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