The USCIS will normally presume the validity of a foreign marriage upon presentation of a marriage certificate, duly certified by the custodian of the official record. As a general rule, the validity of a marriage is judged by the law of the place of marriage celebration. If the marriage is voidable but no court [...]
Family Preference categories are available for specific, more distant, family relationships with a U.S. citizen and some specified relationships with a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR). Congress has provided for fiscal year numerical limitations on family preference immigrants, shown at the end of each category below. The family preference categories are: Family First Preference (F1): [...]
Immediate relative (IR) visa types are based on a immediate family relationship with a United States citizen. These categories all fall within the Immediate Relative (IR) designation, for which there is currently no limit on the number of visas available, unlike family and employment preference categories. This means that Congress has not limited the [...]
Obtaining a spouse visa to immigrate to the United States is a two-step process. The first step is the spouse petition, filed with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services or USCIS. The second step is the immigrant visa application, filed with the National Visa Center or NVC, a branch of the U.S. Department of [...]