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Starting a new life and moving the whole family to North Carolina in the United States can take time. Many immigrants come to the United States in pursuit of the American Dream and establish U.S. citizenship or get their green card first before starting the process of sponsoring their spouse. It’s usually less expensive and easier to do it this way versus bringing everyone over all at once.

Unfortunately, there is no predetermined amount of time for a US citizen to sponsor a spouse in Greensboro, and other surrounding areas such as Winston-Salem and High Point. It depends on the spouse’s current place of residence, immigration status or history, and much more. It’s always a good idea to be prepared and understand the resources available to you in  beautiful North Carolina.

Keep in mind that if your spouse resides with you in Greensboro, and entered the country legally, he or she may already be eligible to adjust their status in the US. However, if your spouse entered the U.S. illegally, they might have to go abroad through the consular process first.

 

Contact one of the top immigration lawyers in Greensboro. Let us help you today!

What to Expect When Sponsoring a Spouse in North Carolina

Here are a couple of scenarios

Scenario 1

If you are living in the US and you are engaged to marry an immigrant from another country, it could take six months or longer for a fiancé visa and another three to six months or longer to get a U.S. green card.

The United States citizen must mail a I-129F visa petition (Petition for Alien Fiancé) to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). After the petition gets the green light, the immigrant must submit their visa application form online and attend an interview at a local US consulate in North Carolina.

Then soon after the interview, he or she will know if they’ve been approved for a fiancé visa to enter the United States. The immigrant will then have 90 days in the U.S. to get married and apply for a green card at a local USCIS office. Should the green card be approved, the immigrant will be called in for fingerprinting and an interview.

Scenario 2

Now let’s flip the first scenario around and imagine if the immigrant is married and living overseas while their spouse is a U.S. citizen living in the Piedmont Triad area..

Under this scenario, it would take one to six months or longer to get a Form I-130 visa petition (Petition for Alien Relative) approved by USCIS. Once that’s squared away, it will likely take another three to six months or longer to get an immigrant visa to come to the US. First the U.S. citizen must file a Form I-130 with the USCIS.

Once that’s good to go, the immigrant will then submit a visa application form online and the required documents to the National Visa Center (NVC). When the NVC is satisfied with everything, it will send the file to the U.S. consulate in the immigrant’s home country. An interview at the consulate will be scheduled after the immigrant spouse is approved for an immigrant visa, and a green card when they get to the United States.

If you have more questions of concerns regarding spousal sponsorship or immigration laws, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions to see if you can find the answers you are looking for.

Spousal Sponsorship Help Is Available Here In Greensboro, NC

Attorney Bhardwaj understands the complexity of the spousal green card process. There are many forms that need to be obtained and filled out along with extensive documentation and not too mention all the restrictions that may affect the process depending on your specific situation. To help you get through the process, the Immigration Law Offices of  Neelam Bhardwaj will put their wealth of experience and knowledge to work for you. As a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 1995, you can rest easy knowing you are working with someone who knows Immigration Law better than the back of their hand. 

The process of Spousal Sponsorship can be a long one; however, with Mrs. Bhardwaj’s involvement, the process will progress faster and much smoother than if you attempt to go through the process alone. This is just one of many reasons why our firm has been rated among the top 3 best rated immigration lawyers in Greensboro, NC for the last years running! 

Get Started With Your Application to Sponsor Your Spouse

If you have any questions about the US citizenship process for your spouse, contact Neelam Bhardwaj now. An immigrant herself, Neelam Bhardwaj is a professional, qualified and experienced Greensboro, North Carolina immigration attorney. She can answer all of your questions and can provide you with an initial consultation at a reasonable fee.

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