Sponsoring a spouse takes time under US immigration law

For many Louisiana residents and others across the United States, finding love in their local area was not in the cards for them. Instead, they found love while traveling abroad, while overseas for work or maybe even online when talking to someone from another country. While this is not an unusual turn of events, it does mean that individuals will need to follow certain steps in U.S. immigration law if they marry and want their foreign spouses to live in the country.

Like many other immigration processes, sponsoring a spouse involves many steps and can take a considerable amount of time to complete. For instance, the citizen spouse can file a petition for an alien relative, or form I-130, for the foreign spouse to come to the country, but it can take approximately five months for that petition to be approved. Even after approval, the spouse coming to the United States will need to work toward an adjustment of status, which includes additional steps and paperwork.

In efforts to help the process along, couples may need to prove three aspects in particular. Those aspects include proving that the marriage is legitimate, that the foreign spouse is healthy, and that there are no criminal or security concerns regarding the foreign spouse. Though there is no policy in place that could result in speeding up the process by proving these elements in specific ways, individuals can still help themselves by providing all necessary information in their applications.

Of course, the process may also go more smoothly if individuals have the right help. Gaining assistance with spousal immigration cases could help Louisiana residents better prepare their applications and understand the process ahead. Working with attorneys who understand U.S. immigration law is typically the smartest approach.