How to Marry a Foreigner or Non-Citizen
Meeting with a lawyer can help you understand your options and how to best protect your rights. Visit our attorney directory to find a lawyer near you who can help. There is no such thing as a national registration of marriages in the United States, whether they have been officiated abroad or on national territory. That is because marriage is regulated by state law and state and county authorities issue marriage licenses. In this thorough guide, you will get the key facts on getting married in another country and the documents you may need to gather in advance so that you can live happily ever after. Call for Assistance — Once married, we can help to obtain a marriage visa to the U.S.
- Those who enter the UK on a Marriage Visitor visa have to get married within 6 months after their arrival.
- The foreign spouse can then apply to become a permanent resident.
- Duke cannot advise you on personal immigration issues like marriage.
- Passportbe presented; birth certificates, divorce decrees, and death certificates are also frequently required.
- The marriage certificate should clearly show where and when the marriage happened.
- But what if the U.S. citizen must return to the United States before his or her spouse has a green card?
Once married, the foreign spouse must go through a process called “adjustment of status” if he or she wants to obtain a green card. Green card holders and U.S. citizens are at liberty to marry non-U.S.
However, two years of living in Poland should help you learn some of the language. If your spouse is from Ireland and you’re willing to live there for a couple of years, you can apply for a passport after three years of marriage or civil relationship. However, those married to a Portuguese citizen, or even in a relationship with one can apply for naturalization after three years of marriage or cohabitation. Israel has somewhat complicated laws when it comes to living there and becoming a citizen as a spouse of a Jewish person, but they still have a lot to offer passport-wise.
FAQs about Marrying a Non-US Citizen
This final step is required to complete the naturalization process. In some instances, you and your betrothed may wish to enter into a written prenuptial or premarital agreement.
Of note, however, should be the slow speeds at which many citizenship applications are processed. As always, the quoted timelines are the requirements to APPLY, not to be approved and handed your new passport. Similar to Ireland’s program, Poland allows those with a Polish spouse to become a naturalized citizen after three years of marriage and two years of uninterrupted residence in the country. Unlike Ireland, Poland is a conservative country that does not recognize gay marriage or civil unions, so you will need to be legally married. There are two types of marriage fraud from a citizen’s point of view. They went into the marriage knowing it wasn’t legitimate, or they were unaware of the intention of the foreign spouse.
A Step By Step Guide to Get U.S Marriage Green Card
They are able to start the immigration process as soon they’re married, by filing USCIS Form I-130, but that typically only puts the foreign-born spouse on a waiting list. Years could then go by , during which the foreign-born spouse will be accruing “unlawful presence” in the United States and could be picked up and deported at any time. Yes, the immigration law of 1996 outlines financial requirements for U.S. citizens who marry non-U.S. The U.S. citizen will need to fill out a Form I-864 Affidavit of Support, which proves the ability to support the immigrant at a level above the U.S.
Government officials will usually only do the ceremonies at the government offices during usual business hours, as this is their job. In some states, though not in North Carolina, a Notary Public can perform a marriage. Also a “justice of the peace,” made famous in so many Hollywood films, can perform marriages in some states. Generally the U.S. recognizes any marriage that is recognized in another country, and does not permit polygamy in the U.S. If either of you is already married in the U.S. or in another country, you must terminate that current marriage first. Be sure you have legal documents showing termination of any prior marriage.
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