The length of time it takes to get a green card varies depending on several factors, including the type of application you are submitting and current USCIS processing times. A marriage green card or spousal visa, for example, can take anywhere from 10–35 months.
A marriage green card or spousal visa, for example, can take anywhere from 10–35 months. Even if you're confident that you qualify for a family-based green card, you're probably eager to finish the process and actually hold the green card in your hand.
The U.S. citizen spouse establishes the marriage relationship by filing Form I-130. Apply for the green card through adjustment of status (Form I-485) if you're living in the U.S. or Form DS-260 if you're a foreign national living abroad. Attend the marriage-based green card interview and await approval.
Spouse Visa Summary The CR1 visa processing time is an approximate average of 12 months as of December 2024. The IR1 visa processing time is an approximate average of 17 months as of December 2024. The spouse visa application costs $1,220. The main form needed to apply for a CR1 and IR1 visa is the I-130.
Marriage-based green cards are processed the quickest for candidates living in the United States and married to United States citizens. This is because the green card interview and approval take 1-2 months, while the application process takes 9-11 months.
To solve that problem, USCIS uses the 90-day rule, which states that temporary visa holders who marry or apply for a green card within 90 days of arriving in the United States are automatically presumed to have misrepresented their original intentions.
The first step is to file a Petition for Alien Relative, Form I-130, with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for your spouse (husband or wife) to immigrate to the United States.
Ing to the USCIS website, the current estimated processing time for an I-130 petition is approximately 10.8 months for a U.S. citizen sponsoring a spouse or child, and 25 months for a green card holder sponsoring a spouse or child.
Getting a green card through marriage is a 3-step process: The U.S. citizen spouse establishes the marriage relationship by filing Form I-130. Apply for the green card through adjustment of status (Form I-485) if you're living in the U.S. or Form DS-260 if you're a foreign national living abroad.