The Green Card

• 1). Get married in the United States with both families present. Have pictures of family and friends at the reception and your United States Immigration and Citizens Service interview will go smoother. You will need identification in order to obtain a marriage licence. Any other documentation, such as dissolution of previous marriages, must also be produced in order to obtain a marriage licence. After your marriage, you are ready to file immigration papers so your spouse can obtain papers to work and become a permanent resident.
  
  
• 2
  Have a weddingwedding image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
  
  Have proof that the U.S. citizen is able to support the spouse. This is called sponsorship. A successful sponsorship letter includes tax returns, bank statements, proof of medical insurance and any other pertinent information helping to prove financial security of the citizen spouse. This letter accompanies the I-864 USICS form. Your income must be at or above 125 percent of the national poverty level. Sponsorship lasts until the spouse has worked 10 years in the U.S., becomes a citizen, leaves the U.S. permanently or dies. There is no cost to file the I-864 when the application is reviewed in the U.S.
  
  
• 3). Filing for immigration papers after marriage requires the completion of a medical form. This form must be completed by a doctor who is a civil surgeon. Doctors apply to the USCIS for inclusion in this database. This form is the I-683 and the USCIS does not charge to submit this form, but the doctor can and may charge for the examination and the paperwork he must fill out.
  
  
• 4
  File the correct paper work.paperwork image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com
  
  You must also submit the I-130 form. You will need to include a cover letter explaining exactly the documentation and papers included in your filing. The citizen spouse must include a birth certificate or a copy of every page of the passport. The G-325A form included in this packet for both you and your spouse and passport size photos of both parties. You must also validate your marriage by providing the licence, a lease or other documentation of common residency, sworn statements from other parties who can testify to the validity of your marriage. Your photos from the wedding and reception are be helpful at this point in filing for immigration papers. The cost of filing the I-130 packet is $355, as of November 2010.
  
  
• 5). As of April 2005, the USCIS will accept a personal check for fees associated with filing immigration papers. A money order that can be tracked is also accepted.