Petition With Marriage

For immediate relatives (spouse, children and parents) of U.S. citizens, there is an unlimited number of immigrant visas and approval can be obtained in approximately 5-9 months.

Fees. The fee for an I-130 petition is currently $535.

While the exact waiting time fluctuates from year to year, individuals applying under this category should expect to wait 9-10 years after first filing the initial petition to receive their visa.

Overall you should expect that it will between 8 months to one year to receive an immigrant visa based on marriage to a United States citizen, and it may take over a year. The wait could be considerably longer if you receive a request for evidence or you have difficulty in obtaining the required documents.

The processing time depends on whether the petitioner is a lawful permanent resident or U.S. Citizen and the relationship between the child and the petitioner (parent or sibling). It could range anywhere between 6 months - 18 months give or take some time.

The total wait time for a marriage-based green card ranges between 10 to 38 months, depending on whether you are married to a U.S. citizen or green card holder and where you currently live (not including possible delays).

After filing Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, the approval process can take anywhere from 5 to 12 months for immediate relatives and could take several years for family preference categories.

Average time - Seven to 32 months to get a Form I-130 petition (Petition for Alien Relative) approved by USCIS as of early 2021; another six to ten months or longer to get an immigrant visa to come to the United States.

The unmarried child, over age 21, of a U.S. citizen, receives an approved I-130 petition in the Family First Preference category (for which only 23,400 green cards are available each year). The child waits around seven years until a visa becomes available in that category, during which time the child gets married.