​We often get questions about the Green card through marriage timeline. There are several ways we approach responding them. First, you have to look at the what the green card process actually entails and how various milestones may affect your particular timeline. Second, you have to understand that this “average process” is exactly what it means, “average.” And third, you have to take responsibility for ensuring that your process does not get derailed by incorrectly filled out forms, incomplete documentation or improper evidence. Otherwise, the most optimistic timeline is going to be thrown out of the window. 

​The summary of the green card process is actually pretty straight forward. You must follow the green card through marriage process steps. First, you fill out the paperwork, provide supporting documentation for bona fide marriage and file your document package with the USCIS. Second, you receive a formal acknowledgement from the USCIS that your Application has been received and accepted. Unlike other communication from the USCIS, this may be of critical importance because it starts the clock on your application. Third, you receive an invitation to attend the biometrics appoint (an appointment which is used to take your picture, your finger prints and signature) and you actually attend the biometrics appointment. (Click here to review a green card through marriage case study.) Fourth, you receive an invitation to attend your immigration appointment, which, after the actual filing of the package, is the most important milestone to your green card. It is quite unlikely that your application for marriage based green card without interview can be approved at all. Thus, you must attend the green card marriage interview. Depending on how you do during your interview, you will succeed or fail at securing the green card. Fifth, depending on the decision, you will receive your green card in the mail or you will receive the notification that your application is denied. At any step of these process, the USCIS can send you a request for additional evidence (RFE). You have to respond to the USCIS within the timeframe that the USCIS gives you. And you must provide the documents they are seeking.

​Please keep a few things in mind. The averages presented below may change over time as USCIS’ work load changes. It also varies between various USCIS offices because different offices have different workloads. Last but not least, this timeline may reflect certain delays to applications due to lack of completion or thoroughness. Put this differently, your specific circumstances will certainly affect your green card through marriage application timeline. So it is our recommendation to look at this timeline as an approximation of what your green card process would look like, but it is not an exact predictor of your timeline.

This green card through marriage timeline is not the end of the line if your adjustment of status application results in the so-called conditional green card. In that case, you will be required to file to remove conditions on green card through I-751 within two years of your green card being approved. That application will involve providing evidence of bona fide marriage and attending an I-751 interview. You should approach submitting your application for the removal of conditions very seriously. If you application is incomplete, you are likely to be invited for another in-person green card through marriage interview. And some people report that their green card interview experience is less than comfortable. 

​“Can you change this green card through marriage timeline?” is the question we often get. While the following is a speculation, it is based on sound logic and experience of dealing with the USCIS. The USCIS is pretty backed up. It is clearly overwhelmed and appears to be underfunded. As you may be aware, select green card categories experience significant backlog and wait times for such visas is extremely long. If you check out the green card processing times post, you will realize that some have to wait 15-20 years to get their green cards (this is because of the concept known green card priority date). All of a sudden the six month wait does not sound that bad, does it?

​The bottom line is that we don’t see any improvement from the six-month timeline as possible or realistic. When it comes to the green card through marriage applications, the USCIS treats them with priorities. It is the internal routines of the USCIS established bureaucracy that limit any possible time improvement. And in our opinion, the USCIS will not change its ways any time soon. Thus, the timeline is unlikely to change in the near future. And there is very little you can do to shorten it.

​There are things, however, that you can do to make the timeline longer. This is, obviously, a very undesirable outcome, but the possibility is there. And this outcome can become real if your application is incomplete, it lacks evidence or does not have signatures or fees included with the forms. While some items can be relatively benign and not affect the timeline significantly, others may cause substantial delays. For example, if you fail to include a processing fee with your application, there is a chance that the USCIS will contact you and request you submit the payment. If this occurs, your application may be delayed by a week or two. Obviously, this delay is insignificant.
 

​However, another example may include lack of supporting evidence for your marriage case. For instance, you don’t include marriage certificate or fail to prove that your spouse is a U.S. citizen, which is a requirement for the application to be accepted in the first place. While the USCIS may choose to reject your application outright, a more likely scenario is that the agency will send you a request for evidence (RFE). 
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​While not a deal breaker from the application process by any means, RFEs can cause delays by several weeks or sometime months. It may take a week for the RFE notice to arrive to your mailbox. RFEs typically include a set of specific documents that the immigration officers would like to review. They must give you a reasonable amount of time to respond, which may be 3-5 weeks. While you don’t have to take the entire allotted time to respond, there is a chance that the requested documents are not readily available. And you will have to take some time to prepare a proper response to the RFE. Your mail response may take anywhere from one day to one week to get into the USCIS processing center to be sorted and assigned to the proper person to review. Last but not least, the person who is to be reviewing your paperwork is probably backed up, so technically your set of documents go to the back of the queue for the review. And all of a sudden, you are looking at 2-3 month delay that occurred simply because of the RFE.
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​So, submitting a complete application, with proper supporting documentation and fulsome evidence is one of the ways to ensure that your own actions don’t cause unwanted delays. Green Card Through Marriage Guide is there to ensure you submit your application as fulsome and complete as possible. Don’t waste money on immigration attorneys. Don’t waste time on doing the research yourself. Get the guide and be on your way towards a green card through marriage in under one hour.