My friend has been married to this guy for a little over 3 yrs now. Just recently, they hired an immigration attorney to get things going on his Green Card. Why so long? Is that normal?
2007-11-05 10:41:05 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Immigration
I guess you would have to ask her why she took 3 years to hire an immigration lawyer.
2007-11-05 10:44:41 · answer #1 · answered by davidmi711 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe they are seeking to have the conditions removed? How it works is this:
1. Immigrant enters country.
2. Wedding takes place. This may be a few days or weeks after entering the country but no longer than 90 days.
3. Application is made for Green Card. This might be a week or two after the wedding.
4. Conditional Green Card is approved. This can take 9-12 months after application. The GC is conditional upon remaining in a genuine marital relationship. As you can see, at this point it can easily be a year after the wedding.
5. Two years after the granting of the conditional GC, you have to apply to have the conditions removed. Many people prefer to leave this to a lawyer, especially if they used one for the initial visa - the lawyer will have much of the information needed for the forms.
If the above is a reasonable representation of their situation, then it is perfectly normal. Of course, it may be that the case is stuck in a jam at the moment. Sometimes, fingerprints can cause a problem, as can the background check. If he came from a country where there is less official paperwork (birth certificate, police report etc) then the background check can take much longer. Another possibility is that he came here on another visa (eg, tourist) and never went home. They take extra care in those cases.
2007-11-05 11:00:03 · answer #2 · answered by skip 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, this is normal -- and it should be longer! Marriage is the single most common way for people to get their immigration papers into the U.S.
And, sadly, many of them are fraudulent.
Before a two-year requirement was established in 1986, the government found at least a third of green-card marriages were fraudulent. The numbers are still appallingly high, with many Americans being duped or willingly being paid to get foreigners into the country.
While many foreigners are aware of the system, many Americans walk into this without knowing what's really going on or what the consequences can be for them. They don't have to -- especially if they're just marrying someone they love.
2007-11-05 13:51:18 · answer #3 · answered by laugh more 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Yeah, this is normal. It takes years to get proper visas, green cards, etc, no matter age or marital status. But also I'd ask the same as the first repsonse?
2007-11-05 10:56:44 · answer #4 · answered by Avodah 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They could have applied right after they got married. They would have to tell you why they waited so long. It could have been a done deal by now if they started the process as soon as they got married.
2007-11-05 11:22:39 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋