Marriage Green Card Lawyer for UK Citizens
If you are a UK citizen looking to obtain a Marriage Green Card, then OTS Solicitors in London are the US Immigration Lawyers for you.
Our dedicated team of Marriage Green Card Lawyers can help you on your journey to life in the US.
US Immigration and Marriage Green Card Lawyers UK
For US immigration and Green Card advice call OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online. Appointments are available for phone, Zoom or Skype consultations and for consultations at our offices in London.
Green Cards and spouse sponsorship
A Green Card allows you to permanently live and work in the US. As a UK citizen, the nearest equivalent in the UK is Indefinite Leave to Remain or ILR status. All our London Immigration Lawyers agree that a Green Card sounds better than ILR status.
What a Green Card doesn’t give you is US citizenship. Just like with ILR, you can go on to change your nationality or, if you prefer, you can take dual US and British nationality because the US and UK are countries that allow dual nationality.
The first step in your move to the US is spouse sponsorship on a Green Card. Many of our UK clients are familiar with the UK immigration system, having met their US spouses whilst their partners were living in the UK on Skilled Worker Visas or were spouses who entered the UK on Spouse Visas, but the decision has now been made to relocate the family to the US for career reasons. Alternatively, you may be heading back to the US because the beaches in California are bigger and warmer than the ones we can offer in the UK.
Spouse sponsorship is akin to the principles of sponsorship for the UK Family Visa. It involves a great deal of paperwork production by your US husband or wife to prove that they meet the USCIS financial requirement. However bright and articulate your spouse is, few have the patience to work out what they need to help you secure your Green Card. That’s not denigrating their capabilities or their commitment to you but just acknowledging the complexities of USCIS rules. That’s why so many US – UK families choose to place their Green Card in the hands of OTS Solicitors and their team of Green Card Attorneys. We will navigate getting your Green Card for you with the minimum of stress and fuss.
Spouse sponsor’s financial requirement
Every sponsoring spouse must prove that their spouse seeking the Green Card won't be a financial burden on the US government. To prove this, your spouse needs to show that they can provide you with financial support. This is akin to a UK sponsoring spouse having to prove that they meet the minimum income requirement to enable their husband or wife to meet the UK Spouse Visa eligibility criteria.
With a Marriage Green Card, your US sponsoring spouse must complete Form I-864, Affidavit of Support. Proving their income or assets are sufficient for sponsorship involves showing that they can maintain their spouse and dependant family at 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
Unlike in the UK immigration system, Form I-864 is an enforceable contract between the sponsoring spouse and the US government. That means that technically, the government could recover money spent on the Green Card holder.
Our US Immigration Lawyers in the UK can provide you with specialist US immigration legal advice on the spouse sponsor’s financial requirement and the documents required to prove the eligibility criteria are met.
Applying for a US Green Card from the UK
Applying for a Marriage Green Card from the UK is a two-step process:
- Application by filing Form 1-130
- Consular processing
The Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, must be completed by the US spouse. Together with the supporting paperwork, the form must be filed with USCIS.
The focus of the documentary evidence is proving the identity and nationality status of the sponsoring spouse (they need to be a US citizen or have a Green Card or permanent status) and the status of the relationship. A marriage certificate is required, but a certificate alone is not sufficient. Evidence that the relationship is genuine must be lodged. The best evidence will depend on your circumstances. For example, if you have a child together, the child's birth certificate is great evidence.
If you are applying for your Green Card from within the UK, then once Form 1-130 is approved, the next stage is to proceed to consular processing after sending a visa application to the National Visa Center or NVC. The second stage involves an interview at the US embassy.
If you are applying for your Marriage Green Card from within the US, then a slightly different process applies, but it still involves lots of form filling and evidence.
The length of a Marriage Green Card
A Green Card is permanent, but there is a contradiction to that statement as you may only get Conditional Permanent Residence status, or your Green Card will expire ten years after issue.
Let's look at what we mean by that.
Conditional Permanent Residence status is granted if your marriage is less than two years in length on the date you secure your Green Card. It’s the date of your marriage that’s important rather than the date you met or started living together. CPR status isn’t a reflection of the state of your marriage or your spouse’s commitment to you but a fact of US immigration law. You can move from CPR status by applying to remove the conditions. This is done through filing Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, during the 90 days before your second anniversary as a conditional US resident.
Green Card expiry applies to all marriage-based Green Cards and isn’t a reflection on your application or relationship. The Green Card expires similarly to a UK or US driving licence. The process to renew it is to submit Form I-90 to USCIS.
Marriage Green Card Lawyer UK
Our top US visa lawyers in London provide legal assistance for US immigration. We are proud to say that our attention to detail is second to none. That’s vital when USCIS insists on correctly completed paperwork and has precise guidance to follow on what documents you and your sponsoring spouse need to supply. If that isn’t enough, you also need to undergo an interview as part of the Green Card application process.
Our US Visa and Green Card Lawyers in the UK will ensure you and your sponsor are supported throughout the Green Card application process. We know the application and interview will still be stressful for you, but we believe that the support of an experienced US Immigration Attorney can help you navigate the complex USCIS processes and help you secure your Green Card without delay to enable you and your family to start your new life in the US.
Immigration Lawyers for Green Cards in London
For legal assistance for US immigration call OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online. Appointments are available for phone, Zoom or Skype consultations or at our offices in London.
Related Posts
OTS Solicitors Celebrates its Inclusion in the 2024 Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession
UK Visa Opportunities for US Citizens Wanting to Work or Set up a Business in the UK