For certain people, applying for a green card through marriage can create significant, long-term immigration problems. The First Step Toward an Immigrant Visa: Filing the Petition. Then it will walk you through the forms, the documents, how to submit, and finally the next steps after submission. If your adjustment of status application is approved you will receive a conditional green card. Form G-1145 (if you want notification of receipt) If you want confirmation that the USCIS facility receives your application, file Form G-1145 with your application. That is not a good idea. The U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services allows certain immigrants to apply for a green card before their I-130 is approved. If the spouse is outside the US, he/she will have to file for an immigration visa with a US consulate having jurisdiction over their place of residence. You will have to present the official documents to prove that the marriage ended, such as a death or divorce certificate. Form I-485 is the application to adjust your status to a permanent resident of the United States. The next question is how and where you can apply for the green card. Alternatively, you can call to get a paper form mailed to you, and fill that out. This special immigrant category is reserved for the immediate relatives of American citizens. There are no annual limits on K-1 visas for fiancés. Once the petition is approved, the foreign national can apply for a green card through Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence, or Adjust Status. Note: You may file this petition even if the marriage has ended or the spouse has subsequently died. This allows them to legally work in the U.S., as well as receive other benefits. This form demonstrates that the two partners are married and starts the process for a green card. If you have been married for less than two years at the time of issuance of the green card, then your spouse will receive a “conditional green card”, which expires in two years. Take Free Eligibility Quiz . Other Documents to Mail in With Form N-400. Family Preference visas. This is the required form for conditional residents who obtained green card through marriage to apply to remove conditions on their green card. Due to a perceived prevalence of people marrying U.S. residents fraudulently in order to obtain green cards, however, these marriages are closely scrutinized by the U.S. government to ensure that they are genuine. Otherwise, USCIS will wonder whether your first marriage is still your active and real one — making your new marriage just a sham to get a green card. Even letters from marriage counselors and the like can help prove that it was the real thing. To renew your green card, start the process at least 6 months before your card expires by going online to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services website and completing form I-90. This can include a citizen's spouse, parents and unmarried children under 21 years of age. How long does it take to get a green card through marriage? The first step is to file a Petition for Alien Relative, Form I-130, with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Some people get married on paper first (through a registered marriage or court marriage) for visa purposes and then later get married traditionally. You must be able to authenticate the document via the instructions in RM 10210.210. Some reasons are very similar and you will need to read through entire I-90 instructions to ensure you select the appropriate one. 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