Marriage is one of the most common ways for people to seek a green card in the United States. It can also be one of the fastest. The government does prioritize issuing green cards to married couples so that both people are allowed to stay together in the United States.
However, there are some cases in which a person will only get conditional approval. One example is if you apply for your green card, but you have only been married to a U.S. citizen – who is petitioning on your behalf – for less than two years. You can still file Form I-485, but you may only be granted conditional approval based on the short duration of your marriage.
How long will this last?
Your conditional status will last for two years after the green card is issued. You can then take steps to have that status removed.
In order to do this, you need to file Form I-751. There are important deadlines that must be met. Typically, you need to file this form 90 days before the expiration of your conditional residence.
As with other immigration issues, meeting these specific deadlines is important, as you may lose the opportunity to file or have your claim denied, even if you otherwise would have made a valid request that would have been approved.
Filing the proper paperwork
To ensure that you know exactly what forms to file and when to do so to streamline your immigration process, it can help to work with an experienced attorney, whether you are interested in obtaining a visa, going through naturalization, adjusting your status or any other aspect of this process.