A good number of people living in America have conditional residency permits. Many of these are granted to immigrants who find love during their stay in the country and end up getting married. This temporary license will put them on the path to attaining permanent residency and later a citizenship. If a foreign national gets married to a US citizen, they file an immigration petition for a foreign relative and an application to adjust status in the US together with the relevant documents and evidence of a bona fide marriage. USCIS reviews all documentation upon receipt and then schedules an interview with the immigration officer. The goal of the interview is to determine that the marriage was consummated in a good faith and not solely for the immigration benefits. If no red flags appear during this interview, a spouse, who is a foreign national, received a conditional green card (otherwise known as a temporary green card). This is a grant of a temporary 2-year residence in the United States that is conditioned on staying married to the same person.
Before the expiration of a 2-year period the couple must file an application to have the conditions removed and requesting that permanent documents be issued to the spouse. This is a joint application and require the help of the spouse to be considered for permanent residency. The extensive evidence of a good faith marriage should be submitted with the application to remove conditions even if it was submitted before or at the initial interview. Such evidence may include, but is not limited to the common bills for services, co-signed lease agreement, insurance policies, pictures at various events and locations, joint bank accounts and credit cards, affidavits of friends, neighbors and relatives that can testify to the authenticity of the relationship between the spouses, and much more. Gathering this evidence may be a challenge to those who do not specialize in this field because the applicant may not understand what evidence qualifies for this purpose. The best way to collect the necessary proof is with the help of a proficient immigration lawyer.
Having the guidance of a skillful immigration attorney is vitally important. Losing your due to become a US permanent resident can be extremely destabilizing to your intended plans and it would be an absolute injustice. It is difficult to reverse but easy to avoid, thus a good immigration lawyer is particularly crucial in helping the applicants attain the necessary proof of goodwill to complete the path to the US residency and citizenship.
