Imagine marrying someone you love, but you are not an American citizen. For many people, this can sound like a dream come true. But without proper guidance & help this may also quickly become a horrible nightmare for many applicants. Just know that the United States of America will offer you a golden chance to live in the country with your spouse by providing permanent residence status based on marriage. It won’t be easy, but it is worth it.
One of the most common questions that Morgan Legal Group PC gets is “What documents do I need for a marriage green card?” Unfortunately, this question does not have a common answer because every case is different and the list of documents required for a marriage green card will vary depending on the case. Here is a list of documents that Morgan Legal Group PC usually expects to be submitted with a marriage green card application.
For the sponsor
The sponsor must have a valid proof of US citizenship & a lawful permanent USA resident status. List of valid documents to prove this are listed below:
Valid documents required to prove your citizenship are:
- Valid U.S. passport
- U.S. birth certificate
- Consular Report of Birth Abroad
- Naturalization Certificate
- Certificate of Citizenship
Valid documents to prove your lawful permanent resident status are:
- Green card (permanent resident card)
- Passports that are issued in any other country but having stamps of temporary or permanent United States residency.
The spouse will need to furnish two photos of passport size (2 inches X 2 inches).
For the applicant
All applicants must have a valid marriage with a US resident & be able to prove it. They also have to prove that their financial capacity can support a foreign spouse.
Valid documents to prove that your marriage is valid are as below:
- Marriage certificate
- Joint leases
- Joint bank account statements
- Photos of you together
Termination proof of prior marriage(s), (if applicable)
- Divorce certificate,
- Death certificate of previous spouse
- Certificate of annulment.
Financial Capacity
- Tax filing status for the past three consecutive years
- Past six months pay stubs
- Letter of employment from your current employer
- If the applicant lived out of the USA and filed a tax return in that country then he must include foreign tax transcripts for the most recent tax years.
- Applicants who were not in the tax slab or didn’t required to file taxes for any reason in the last 3 financial years then must include either a Form W-2 or Social Security Statement.
- Those applicants whose income is not reflected on their Tax transcripts then they must furnish evidence of their non-taxable income.
- Evidence of ownership of your house & any other properties (if applicable)
- Declaration & evidence of any mortgages or loans taken against your properties.
- Proof of ownership of FD, stocks & any other financial instruments.
- Declaration & evidence of ownership & value for other liquidizable financial assets.
- All active bank account statements for the last 12 months.
- Credit score: Credit report from any nationally renowned reporting agency. For further clarification you can also attach proof for continuous payment of bills, credit cards etc. In case, there doesn’t exist any credit score for the applicant then they must provide a declaration from the USA credit bureau confirming the same.
- Copy of IRS Form 1095-B or 1095-C to confirm your capacity to cover the medical requirements for you & your spouse.
- Copy of a health insurance policy, to prove the coverage limitation.
Applicants who are getting benefited from “Affordable Care Act” must provide:
- A copy of Form 8963 from IRS.
- A copy of Form 8962 from IRS
- A copy of Form 1095-A
- Valid visa of the Beneficiary
- Police clearance certificate, if applicable
- Court, police, and prison clearance certificate, if applicable
- Military certificate, if applicable
- Immigration law violation records, if applicable
- Medical examination and Vaccination document – Form I-693, should be submitted with Form I-485.
- Proof of Nationality: Birth certificate/ Password issued by the current country of residence.
- Proof of lawful U.S. entry and status: A valid visa for USA & I-94 travel document.
- The applicant have to provide 2 passport size photographs (2 inches X 2 inches)
We hope you enjoyed our article about how to get a green card based on marriage. As you probably know, a green card is a document that allows you to permanently live in the United States. It makes you eligible for important benefits, such as the ability to work in the United States and the right to travel abroad. The list of documents required for a green card is dependent on the type of marriage. As such, it is important to know what documents you need for the type of marriage you are getting. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us by visiting www.morganlegalny.com. Thank you for reading, we would love to get a response from you.
