how can my bf become a usa citizen?

Question

i love my bf but he is not a citizen its hard for him to get a good paying job bc he is not a usa citizen. we would love to get married bc we love each other. how can we do this? how long does it take? what are some helpful websites

Answer 1

First, you have to get married.

Second, if he's an illegal alien he needs to go home and you need to petition him. The process will take about two years.

If he came here with a visa, legally, and the visa expired he can stay while you petition him. This process will take about a year.

You need to post more information and I'll give you the exact process.

Answer 2

If he is legally in the US and has a green card then he can become a citizen three years after you marry him. If he is here illegally there is nothing you can do. Marriage to a USC won't change his status and depending on the time he has been here illegally when he goes back to his own country he will be subject to a ban from the USA of up to 10 years.
If you are determined to marry him then he will have to leave the country after the wedding and you will have to apply for a spousal visa to bring him back. He will automatically be denied this visa but it may be possible to then file a waiver to prove that you, as the USC, are suffering because you are separated. You would have to prove severe danger to yourself if you went to live in his country. Americans do not have the automatic right to have foreign spouses live with them in America.
To fond out more you can ask questions at http://www.visajourney.com but many people there have little patience with illegal immigrants as they have spent a long time waiting and doing things legally to bring their souses or fiance(e)s here.
If you decide to take legal advice before you do anything call your local Catholic Social Services. They have good quality, low cost immigration lawyers there and you don't have to be Catholic to use them.

Answer 3

There's a good reason why your b/f has a hard time getting a good job. He's not supposed to work in the U.S. You didn't mention how he entered the U.S.

Did he go through inspection or enter without inspection? Did he have a visa if he went through inspection? If he had a visa, what kind? These details are important.

If he does not have permission to work in the U.S., employers are not supposed to hire him. It is unlawful to hire an alien, to recruit an alien, or to refer an illegal alien for a fee, knowing the illegal alien is unauthorized to work in the United States.

If you are a U.S. citizen, and you marry your b/f, and if he entered the U.S. in a lawful manner, you could petition for him, and he could apply for permanent resident status.

If he is not eligible for adjustment of status to permanent resident, then, as others said, he would have to leave the U.S. and try to get a visa outside the U.S. based on a petition that you would file with Immigration in the U.S.

Whichever way you choose, it involves a lot of paperwork, and fees.

Answer 4

Careful ... many people do nice things for people they're dating, just to get screwed over later.

Before you consider really marrying this guy, make sure you consider the other side of what can happen. I wish people had told me this before I married my foreign boyfriend.

There's not enough information out there for U.S. citizens regarding the ups and downs of marrying foreigners. Not all of these marriages go bad ... but many more turn out hurting the U.S. citizen than one might imagine. The U.S. immigration laws are even structured to work in favor of the immigrant spouse instead of the citizen spouse.

If you think this guy really loves you, he should be willing to wait -- or just propose the idea of you going to HIS home country. Only then will you see whether he might be worth it or not.

Answer 5

You don't have to marry your boyfriend to become a U.S. citizen. If he is out of the country, he can apply for permanent residency under the K-1 fiance class with you as his sponsor. If he is already in the country, you might want to take into consideration his current status with the government. There are only certain classes that can stay and change their status from within the country (Tourist visas do fall under this class, but anyone here on the Visa Waiver Program does not, they must return home to apply for residency). If your boyfriend is in the U.S. on a tourist visa and you are married when he arrives, there is a chance he could be denied based on his "intent" for originally entering the country.

I recommend playing it safe. Apply for a K-1 class (fiance) for permanent residency while he is out of the country. You can do this yourself or appoint a lawyer. From what I hear, it can take up to 20-30 days for his application to be processed, but its better he be legal!

**Edit: I just read that the current processing times for the K-1 class is 3 - 5 months for the paperwork, and an extra 2 -3 months working with the consulates.***

Answer 6

He needs to go back to his own country and apply to come here legally. He is a criminal illegal alien and is subject to deportation at any time, and then will face a ten year ban at even applying to come back into this country legally.

Answer 7

Marry your boyfriend so that he will have more chances of becoming a US citizen.

Answer 8

try usgov.gov and follow the links to immigration