A Green Card Holder’s Spouse Waits Years Longer Than a Citizen’s Spouse — New Report Details the Hidden Toll on Married Couples
Marrying a U.S. citizen and marrying a lawful permanent resident can put an otherwise identical couple on two entirely different immigration timelines, according to a new report from The Mendoza Law Firm examining the hidden toll of the family visa backlog on married couples, one of the system’s most overlooked casualties. A U.S. citizen who marries a foreign national can petition for their spouse as an immediate relative, a category with no annual visa quota and no waiting line once the petition is approved. A green card holder who marries goes through an identical process, filing the same petition, paying the same fees, and submitting the same documentation, yet their spouse is instead placed into the F2A preference category, entering a queue that can mean years of additional separation before the couple can legally live together in the same country. The consequences extend well beyond paperwork, the report finds. Couples routinely delay major life decisions, including...