Marriage-Based Green Card Lawyer in Richmond, Virginia · All 50 States

You married a U.S. citizen. Now make it permanent.

You built a life with someone, and now you want your status to match. A marriage-based green card is how the spouse of a U.S. citizen becomes a lawful permanent resident.

Because immigration law treats you as an "immediate relative," there is no visa line and no years-long wait. What actually decides a green card through marriage is simpler: where you are now, how you entered the United States, and whether your file tells the honest story of a real marriage.

Why couples wait longer than they should

Many couples who call us have been "about to file" for months. One of you overstayed a visa years ago, or has a ticket you never dealt with, and you are not sure whether it matters. So the application sits in a folder while you keep living on borrowed time.

Almost every one of those worries has a clear answer, and none is a reason to keep waiting without knowing where you stand.

Which path your marriage-based green card takes

Every marriage-based green card starts the same way: your spouse files Form I-130 to prove the marriage is real.

You are in the United States and entered legally

If you came in on a visa, a visa waiver, or parole, you can usually adjust your status without leaving. We file the I-130 and your Form I-485 together, with Form I-864, the affidavit of support, and optional forms for a work permit (I-765) and travel permission (I-131).

USCIS takes your fingerprints and then schedules an interview the two of you attend together. Our guide to adjusting status versus consular processing explains the difference.

You are abroad, or you entered without inspection

From abroad, your spouse still files the I-130 first. After approval, your case moves to the National Visa Center and ends with an interview at the consulate in your country.

If you are inside the United States but crossed the border without being admitted, you usually cannot finish the process here. Many spouses still reach a green card through consular processing, with a waiver filed first. That waiver is where a marriage-based green card lawyer earns their keep: the timing and the hardship evidence have to be right before you leave. Our overview of family-based immigration waivers explains how that works.

You have been married less than two years

If your marriage is under two years old on the day USCIS approves you, you receive a two-year conditional card. In the 90 days before it expires, you and your spouse file Form I-751 to remove the conditions. Our page on the conditional green card explains what that means and how we handle it.

What USCIS is really checking

The officer has one real question: is this a genuine marriage, or one entered to get a green card?

They answer it by looking for a life built together: a shared lease or mortgage, joint accounts and insurance, photos across the years, and people who know you as a couple. You do not need a perfect file, just an honest one, assembled so the story is easy to follow. See the questions couples are asked at the marriage-based green card interview.

Overstays, old orders, and arrests

Three situations could potentially change your green card plan.

If you overstayed a visa but entered legally, the overstay is usually forgiven for the spouse of a citizen.

A past removal or deportation order is different and often needs its own waiver before anything else is filed.

And if you have ever been arrested or charged, even for something old or dismissed, it has to be disclosed, and a few charges can affect the outcome. Our article on how a DUI affects a green card application covers the most common one.

None of these means no, but each means talking to us before you file, not after.

How we handle your marriage-based green card case

We start by reading your whole history, both of yours, before a single form is filled out. We build the evidence around your actual marriage, not a checklist, prepare every form so the answers agree with each other, and file the package as one clean case. Before the interview, we sit down with you and practice it. After filing, we track the case and stay with you through approval.

Couples nationwide, roots in Richmond

Spouses in all 50 states hire us for this step. The process is federal: the forms and the evidence are the same in every state, and your interview happens at whichever USCIS office or consulate is nearest you. You do not have to be in Virginia to work with us.

Our office is in Richmond, Virginia, and the couples who first trusted us live nearby. If you are looking for a marriage green card lawyer Richmond VA families recommend, you have found us too. This page is one part of the family-based green card work we do.

Wherever you are, start with our free eligibility check or schedule a consultation.