Are you married to a Cincinnati-based spouse and are looking to go join him or her soon? Or are you in the U.S. on a temporary visa, got married to a citizen or permanent resident, and want to adjust your status?
Then, you must be thinking about applying for the respective immigration benefit if you have not started the process already. The good news is that applying to become a U.S. resident through marriage is the best option for you.
The not-so-great news is that the process tends to be complex, especially when you don’t have legal assistance, and long. Although the marriage green card application process can be long, it does not have to be intimidating.
By working with an experienced immigration attorney, you will know what questions to anticipate in your application and how to answer them. We, at Herman Legal Group, help instill confidence and reassurance in green card applicants by providing experienced legal assistance.
Who Is Eligible for a Marriage Green Card in Cincinnati?
A marriage green card is a legal document given to spouses of permanent residents and citizens of the United States. The foreign spouse may be resident in the U.S. or outside the country; what matters is that they are legally married.
For instance, undocumented spouses residing in the United States already have temporary spousal visas and only need to adjust their status. For spouses outside the U.S., they will first obtain the two-year temporary resident card before obtaining permanent residency.
However, to be eligible for the marriage green card, the applicant must be legally married to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. If they are already resident in the country, they must have entered lawfully, and there must be documents to prove this.
However, undocumented spouses seeking a marriage green card that did not have a lawful entry into the U.S. can seek legal assistance. The admission of the foreign spouse into the United States is one of the significant factors considered during the process.
Also, the marriage green card applicant’s marriage to the LPR or citizen spouse must be bona fide. The documentation submitted must prove that the marriage is in good faith.
In other words, the consular officer will determine that the couple did not get married to obtain immigration benefits. The final general requirement for marriage green card applicants is that neither spouse must be married to another person.
Being a green card holder in the United States means you can live, move, and work freely in the country without fear of deportation. Additionally, only the citizen or resident spouse of the foreign national can file the petition for the marriage green card.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government determines the legality of the marriage based on the laws of the jurisdiction where the wedding took place. That is, the USCIS will consider your marriage legal if the country where you got wedded does.
What Are the Steps Involved in Filing for Spousal Visa?
Filing for a spousal visa or marriage-based green card is straightforward, provided you follow the right steps. First, you must ensure you meet all the requirements needed for a marriage green card.
Then, you will start the process by downloading, completing, and submitting Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. Then, you will mail the form, along with the supporting documentation, to the appropriate USCIS address.
Next, you will apply for a marriage green card or spousal visa; the method will depend on your location. For instance, if you live abroad, you will use consular processing while you will adjust your status if you live in the US.
Once that is done, you will wait until your green card interview is scheduled and attend on the chosen date. The sole purpose of the interview is to evaluate the authenticity of your marriage.
About Herman Legal Group: How Can They Help?
Herman Legal Group is an immigration law firm with decades of experience defending and advocating for the rights of immigrants worldwide. The group is composed of a team of honest and compassionate immigration lawyers in different states across the nation, including Cincinnati.
With diligent awareness of and appreciation of clients’ values and beliefs, our lawyers offer immigrants a true understanding of immigration perspectives. Furthermore, our immigration attorneys are fluent in twelve languages, which helps them communicate with clients and provide satisfactory, excellent service.
Regardless of where you reside in Cincinnati or outside the U.S., our lawyers will offer personalized immigration solutions to you when you schedule a consultation by calling +1-216-696-617 or you book online. We care deeply and in the same way about all our clients and their families.
We aim to ensure you avoid common and costly errors when completing immigration forms and filing them. These are mistakes that can cost you thousands of dollars, months of delay, or worse, an outright rejection of your petition.
Conclusion
Locally in Cincinnati, there is the need to root for and strengthen the immigrant community. To achieve this, the services of experienced attorneys providing quality service at home and abroad are needed. Apart from ensuring things get done, they must be done in the manner prescribed by law and in the fastest way possible. Herman Legal Group is an award-winning law firm and has been featured as immigration law experts in many publications in the U.S.
