Sponsor spouse for green card

With the rise in number of relationships that started online, there are also greater number of instances of people falling in love with someone who is not in the United States. So when it is time to tie the knot, the next step is bring your fiance/spouse to the United States. Let me just describe how you can sponsor your spouse for a green card (lawful permanent residency or LPR) without using an attorney.

Being a US citizen has many advantages. While of course you can sponsor your spouse (and other family members) for a green card, the USCIS (formerly INS) does not give as much a hard time as it does to the immigrants.

How to sponsor your spouse?

1. I am assuming that you have good command over English, and are educated enough to make sense of documents that are not necessarily very legal but can be somewhat tricky. Plus, I am also assuming that neither you nor your spouse have any complications. This advice works best for simple, straightforward cases. For doubtful cases, it is best to consult an attorney (Related article: How to hire an attorney?)
2. Visit the USCIS website. I will not list what forms you need to fill or what you need to do since the information can become outdated. The best resource for latest information is the USCIS website.
3. Check if you meet all the criteria, particularly the income criteria.
4. Print the forms and instructions and fill the forms by hand using all the supporting documents that you will need.
5. Once a friend or family member has checked the forms then do the final version either online by completing a fillable form or completing by hand.
6. Now put together a packet with all the forms documents neatly arranged in one pile.
7. Let a friend/family member go over everything to make sure that you did not miss anything.
8. Do everything that the USCIS says. There is no need to be creative or to argue that some thing does not make sense. It will only make life difficult for you, not the USCIS. The bureaucrats at any government agency love it when you follow instructions religiously.
9. If in doubt, do a search on the USCIS website or do a Google search, and if you still don't find the answer, give a call to USCIS. The staff, though not always experts in answering complicated questions, are still quite knowledgeable and helpful. You can also use the help of volunteers and voluntary organizations.
10. When you think you are ready, send the packet to the address suggested by USCIS.

What happens next?

1. Just wait for instructions from USCIS and do what you are told.
2. When you are invited for an interview, bring solid evidence of your marriage to prove to an officer that your marriage is not a fraud. Original marriage certificate, taxes filed together, joint ownership of assets, photographs, etc. are sufficient evidence in most cases. If you have a genuine marriage, there is nothing to fear.
3. If everything is in order, you will walk out of the interview room with a stamp in your spouse's passport which is as good as a green card, which will arrive later in the mail.