Getting married to a U.S. citizen is just one way that some immigrants try to gain access to the country and obtain permanent residence status or even citizenship. immigrantion laws are very strict, however, regarding gaining certain statuses through marriage. Marriage fraud is a real thing, so anyone in California or elsewhere who is seeking to gain citizenship, green cards or any other immigrantion status through marriage needs to be ready to deal with questions about his or her relationship.
Numerous people tend to believe that an immigrant marrying a U.S. citizen will automatically be granted permanent residence. This is not necessarily true. While it may help in some cases, there are no guarantees that one’s immigrantion status will be affected by the marriage.
There is a problem with marriage fraud in the United States. Common types of marriage fraud include marrying as a favor, marrying for money, mail-order marriage and fraudulent marriage. Before one’s immigrantion status is changed based on marriage, immigrantion authorities will want to make sure that the couple has a real relationship. This is usually done by have couple and individual interviews to discuss the relationship with an immigrantion officer.
Dealing with the accusations of marriage fraud can be rather disheartening, but sadly, the actions of some have made it a necessity. Those in California who are seeking changes to immigrantion status through marriage do not need to go it alone. An immigrantion attorney can assist such individuals with immigrantion applications, preparing for interviews and tackling any other issues that may arise.
Source: FindLaw, “What Is Marriage Fraud?“, Accessed on April 11, 2016
