Marriage & Green Cards
Adjustment of status, consular processing, the marriage interview, and what to do if a marriage-based case gets denied.
How We Help
- Explain whether adjustment of status or consular processing fits your situation before anything is filed.
- Review the bona fide marriage evidence you already have and flag real gaps before an officer does.
- Prepare you for what the interview actually covers, including separate-interview scenarios.
- Assess removal risk and next steps if a case involves an overstay or unauthorized work.
- Lay out real options — including appeal, motion, or a new filing — if a case was already denied.
When You Should Speak With a Lawyer
- You were scheduled for separate interviews or asked to submit additional evidence.
- There is an overstay, unauthorized work, or a prior immigration violation in the picture.
- The case was denied, or you received a Notice of Intent to Deny.
- You are the petitioner or beneficiary in a marriage USCIS has flagged for extra review.
Start with the question closest to your situation
How Do You Get a Marriage-Based Green Card?
There isn't one single process — there are two, and which one applies to you depends mainly on where you live and how you entered the U.S. Adjustment of status happens inside the U.S. through USCIS; consular processing happens abroad through a U.S. embassy or consulate. Both start with the same petition and lead to the same result: lawful permanent residence.
Read moreAdjustment of Status or Consular Processing: Which Path Applies?
Adjustment of status generally requires the immigrant spouse to be in the U.S. after a lawful inspection and admission or parole; consular processing applies when the spouse is abroad, or in the U.S. without an entry that qualifies for adjustment. Beyond basic eligibility, travel plans, current immigration status, and how quickly a visa number becomes available all factor into which path makes sense.
Read moreWhat Evidence Proves a Real Marriage to USCIS?
There's no fixed list of required documents — USCIS is looking for a consistent pattern showing you and your spouse actually built a life together: shared finances, a shared home, and how you present the relationship to others. Newer couples with less paper trail aren't automatically at a disadvantage, but they generally need to be more deliberate about building and documenting that pattern early.
Read moreWhat Happens at a Marriage Green Card Interview?
By regulation, every adjustment of status applicant is generally interviewed unless USCIS specifically waives it; consular applicants are interviewed as a required step abroad. Expect questions that test whether your marriage is genuine through everyday details, not abstract questions about your feelings — and bring original documents, since copies alone usually aren't enough.
Read moreCan You Apply After a Visa Overstay or Unauthorized Work?
It depends heavily on who your spouse is. Spouses of U.S. citizens (immediate relatives) get a specific statutory exception that generally excuses unauthorized work and unlawful status when adjusting in the U.S. Spouses of green card holders don't get that same exception, and entry without inspection is a separate, more fundamental problem that this exception doesn't fix for anyone.
Read moreCan Filing for a Marriage Green Card Put You at Risk of Removal?
Filing itself doesn't create removal risk out of nothing — but it does put your immigration history in front of the government in detail, which can surface issues that were already there: unlawful presence, a prior removal order, an arrest, or a past misrepresentation. Understanding what USCIS is screening for before you file is how you manage that risk rather than get surprised by it.
Read moreWhy Wasn't the Green Card Approved at the Interview?
Not getting an approval at the interview is common and, by itself, is not a denial. USCIS may need to complete background checks, review additional evidence, verify something in the file, or simply hasn't finished processing the case. A written decision — approval, a request for more evidence, or denial — typically follows once that review is complete.
Read moreWhat Can You Do After a Marriage Green Card Denial?
The right response depends on specifics that vary case to case: which form was denied (I-130 or I-485), the stated reason, whether you're already in removal proceedings, and your current status. Some denials can be appealed, some can be challenged through a motion to USCIS, and some are only reviewable by an immigration judge — the paths are genuinely different, not interchangeable.
Read moreVideos on marriage & green cards
A few real videos from the channel that speak directly to this situation.
Not sure what your next immigration step should be?
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