How easy is it to get a green card by marriage? Is it a long and costly process?

Answer 1

read this
http://www.path2usa.com/immigration/k3visa/index.htm

Answer 2

The cost is listed in USCIS.gov.
THe following are REQUIRED applications and the charge:
I-130 $ 190
I-485 $ 325
I-765 (if you want to work while wainting for residency) $ 180
Fingerprinting $75

Also, ALL green card applicants no matter through which channel you apply, need to get a USCIS authorized medical exam. And the doctors on their list can charge for this service between $ 150-$400. You best shop around.

Every jurisdiction has a different backlog. In NY, for example, you can easily end up waitind 22 months while in Maryland ussually only 4 months. You can not choose where to file, it depends on the USC state of residency... The good thing about being interviewed after 24 months of marriage is that you only have to be interviewed once. If you file right after marriage and get a promt interview, they give you a temporary green card good for 24 months. The regulations state USCIS needs to interview you again after you have been married for 2 years. This will mean higher costs for the applicant and more paperwork too. In that case, 90 days before the expiration of the temporary green card you need to file
Application I-751 which costs right now $ 205.

If your case seems suspicious, or gets audited for whatever reason, USCIS can come to your house or place of work to investigate. If applying outside the US, the consulates can be quite brutal depending on what country you come from. For example, if you are from Phillipines, Nigeria, or Pakistan, expect a hard time. Those are considered high fraud stations. If you come from Norway, Ireland or Switzerland. Your interview should be a breeze.
My husband is Swiss and he got asked by the interviewing officer why the heck he wanted to live in the USA coming from Switzerland. He said he fell in love with me!

Answer 3

My wife is going thrugh that now as I am a US citizen and she is not. It takes about a year and does not cost much; only about 100$ if you do it yourself. You can use a lawyer to speed up the process though, which may cost about 500$. Once you are married you will have to file for permanent citizenship, but you will automatically be given a new type of visa, and any old visa you have will automatically expire. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

It depends on the country.
Usually there are also intermediate steps you can take, like a fiancee visa.
It also depends whether you marry in the USA or their country and the status of that country with the USA.
Favored nations will of course be easier to get things processed than other countries.

Answer 5

Marriage by operation of law makes the spouse a citizen of the country of the spouse if the latter applies in her behalf. The period is not long if the marriage is confirmed to be valid and the cost is just minimal.

Answer 6

Its extremely easy. A family member used to work at a dance studio and the owners would ask the american dancers to marry the dancers who needed a green card so that they could stay in the country. They tried to pressure her so bad that I finally contacted INS and was told they would look into it, when nothing happened I contacted the FBI to let them know that this was going on and they said its INS department and they could do nothing so in the end, she quit dancing for them and they found a replacment bride for the guy they wanted her to marry. Our goverment sucks.