On June 18, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made a big announcement and introduced a new parole-in-place process for certain noncitizen spouses of U.S. citizens who meet specific criteria. *IMPORTANT NOTE* – As of the date of this blog post, this process is NOT in effect, and there is NO application process for […]
In this post, we will explore two special cases in family-based immigration: fiancé(e) visas and protection under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). If you are a U.S. citizen and engaged to a foreign national, you can file a fiancé(e) petition, so your fiancé(e) can get a visa to come to the U.S., also known
K-1 Fiancé(e) Visa and Protection Under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Read More »
Family-Based Immigration, Green Card, Lawful Permanent Residency, MarriageWorking without authorization in the United States is a serious violation of U.S. immigration law, and can lead to you not being able to get a green card in the future. However, if you are married to a U.S. citizen and you’re getting your green card through your marriage, or you’re an “immediate relative” of
Can Working Without Authorization In the U.S. Prevent You From Getting A Green Card? Read More »
Family-Based Immigration, Green Card, Marriage
I meet with many people who ask me if they should do a fiance visa or spouse visa if their significant other is not in the U.S. and will process at a U.S. consulate. Generally speaking, the fiance visa will be faster if the goal is to be together in the U.S. as soon as
Which One Processes Faster? A Fiance(e) Visa or Spouse Visa? Read More »
Family-Based Immigration, Green Card, Lawful Permanent Residency, Marriage
If you are a U.S. citizen, there are two ways you can bring your significant other to the U.S. to get a green card (AKA lawful permanent residency). You can read more about the difference in a blog post I had written by clicking here. In this post, I am going to talk about adding
What You Should Know About Adding Beneficiaries for the Fiancé(e) Visa Read More »
Family-Based Immigration, Marriage, Visas
On November 30, 2018, USCIS published new guidance on interviews at the I-751 stage (you can read more about what the I-751 is here). This policy went into effect on December 10, 2018, and applies to all I-751s received on or after that date. The significant change that is occurring is that if the principal
New Policy for the I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions Read More »
Lawful Permanent Residency, Marriage, Policy Change
Comparing Spouse and Fiancé(e) Visas Let’s say you are a U.S. citizen engaged to marry someone from Chile and hope to marry them in the U.S. Perhaps you are a lawful permanent resident that has been married to a Canadian for one year. You want to live together in the U.S. but are uncertain about
Understanding the Spouse Visa and Fiancé(e) Visa Read More »
Family-Based Immigration, Green Card, Lawful Permanent Residency, Marriage
When a person obtains lawful permanent residency status (aka LPR status or gets a green card) through marriage, he/she may be considered a “conditional” lawful permanent resident. This means that the green card is good for 2 years versus the traditional 10 years. Why is this you may ask? This is a way for the
The I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions Explained Read More »
Green Card, Lawful Permanent Residency, Marriage