does marriage change citizenship?

[avlena]

Graf has a green card, and is at the point where he can start applying for citizenship, but we heard that he might be able to cut through a lot of the process because he's marrying me (a citizen). Does anyone know if marriage affects the naturalization process at all? I've heard 2 different things - either it shortens it, or he can become an instant citizen. But I can't seem to find anything online about it; most the links are about getting visas via marriage. TIA!

[brainsmile]

well they have to monitor that this wasn't a marriage out of convenience to get citizenship

[Gothic Girl]

From what I understand, if he marries you, he's automatically a citizen.

[ShawnLee]

Don't bother with the marriage on the citizenship forms.

It speeds up the time to be eligible but it doesn't speed up the process. If he's already eligible it doesn't make a difference and may only encourage the INS to make checks on your marriage to be sure it isn't a scam.

The only instant citizenship option out there is for anyone who has served in the military in wartime overseas, specifically Iraq recently or as far back as the Filipinos who did short enlistment.
For speeding up the citizenship process, I only know of one that's also through the military where they'll take otherwise eligible applicants and speed them through because they (or their family) is stationed overseas and therefore need to go through an expedited process. I'm sure there might be others, but I'm no lawyer.

[Jane83]

are you getting paid?
because there are people who would pay top dollars for that citizenship
haha

[Burzhui]

ShawnLee is right, you don't automatically become a citizen, it just gives you a chance to apply. After you marry you have to file all the paperwork and wait .. wait... wait

[WhiskeyPapa]

From what I understand, if he marries you, he's automatically a citizen.Nope. A good friend is from Canada - he married a local girl and they had a baby. Now he can't work, since his work visa expired. It doesn't matter that he married a US citizen. They won't kick him out, he can live here forever, but he just can't legally work. Sucks.

[Grubbie]

Nope. A good friend is from Canada - he married a local girl and they had a baby. Now he can't work, since his work visa expired. It doesn't matter that he married a US citizen. They won't kick him out, he can live here forever, but he just can't legally work. Sucks.

That sucks, his wife and kid are legal and he sorta is but can't work.

Wait on 2nd though, he is a house husband, that would be sweet.... as long as they only had 1 kid...

[InfiniteNothing]

Actually it works in the other direction. After you get married you'll be a UK citizen ;) :P

[Showtime]

Dont take anything for granted. Make sure you talk to someone who knows the current laws and that you guys follow all of requirements to obtain citizenship. I know 2 families that were sent through the ringer recently.

Example 1:
2 Teachers, I know, orginally from Spain. They have 2 teenage daughters and were here for over 20 years. They owned a house by the beach and were your ideal neighbors/good tax paying Americans. They go back to visit Spain and are later denied re-entrance here. The reason is that the husband was of Arab decent. He was raised in Spain, educated and not a terrorist risk. The wife has to come back and sell their beautiful house. The kids are uprooted and have to leave their school/friends.

Example # 2: This guy came here illegally from South America in the 70's. He lived in a car, worked odd jobs and puts himself through college. Through hard work he becomes well off. He marries and has a kid and owns 3 or 4 houses. He does most everything right and pays taxes, but he misrepresents himself on some forms a long time ago. Wrong move. Now he has been detained for the last 3 months and may be deported/ lose a lot of wealth.

In both cases, these are basically good people. No criminal history or previous trouble. People that want to be here and that are good for America.
With the new laws, that doesn't matter and that is very unfortunate. So try to do everything by the book.

[Jihforce]

Since graf already has a GC and can start applying for citizenship, he should just do it. Being married to you does not improve or speed up the process.
I am a GC holder myself and my wife a citizen, I still have to wait a few years to be able to apply for citizenship (since I got my GC by marriage, not beforehand). PM if you have questions. I have my own immigration lawyer.
Oh by the way, the answer to your question is "no".

[Gothic Girl]

Nope. A good friend is from Canada - he married a local girl and they had a baby. Now he can't work, since his work visa expired. It doesn't matter that he married a US citizen. They won't kick him out, he can live here forever, but he just can't legally work. Sucks.
Okay, that explains it a lot better. That really sucks. I thought that if you got married, you were instantly a citizen.

[Kevster]

My cousin married a Swiss woman 14 years ago. The law used to be that once you married a U.S. citizen you could quickly get a green card. They changed the law a year or so before they got married, and the new law then was that they had to be legally married 3 years before she could apply for a green card. They opted to relocate to Switzerland instead and live outside Geneva.

When my brother and I were getting our dual citizenship worked out with Ireland, it took about 12 months for the paperwork to be processed, then we had to apply for Irish passports. Mrs. Kevster could also get dual citizenship with Ireland as well, but she hasn't expressed any interest in it. I think I just have to take her over there a few more times for her to think about it.

[bachviet]

It cut from 5 years (eligibility) to 3 years. If he has his green card for more than 5 years, then it doesn't matter.

[Dave_7]

Nope. A good friend is from Canada - he married a local girl and they had a baby. Now he can't work, since his work visa expired. It doesn't matter that he married a US citizen. They won't kick him out, he can live here forever, but he just can't legally work. Sucks.
Well, that may be the case... until he applies for and gets citizenship. Just because he HAD a work visa doesn't make any difference. If the work visa expires before the citizenship takes effect, then there will be a lapse in the time when he is able to work.

EDIT: I believe you can request employment authorization while your papers are being processed.



Dave.

[cheapchinese]

http://uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm

is the official site if your want to research on your own

to my understanding:
once you two get married, after filing with the county registar, its a quick 3 month wait for probation status (green card)
but for marriage, and he wants to be his own sponsor, he cannot be getting any federal benifits

[Jihforce]

EDIT: I believe you can request employment authorization while your papers are being processed.


Yup, and once you get your GC, you can work. takes about 1 year to get it.