Partner visa how long does it take

Requirements include:. Not sure if you qualify for a marriage-based green card? You can check your eligibility through Boundless without providing any personal or financial information. This part of the process generally takes approximately 7 months. This second part of the process takes approximately 6 months, so the total time from start to green card is around 13 months.

Boundless makes it easy to complete your green card application by turning all the required government forms into simple questions you can answer online. Ready to start? On the other hand, the marriage-based green card process generally makes more sense for engaged couples if:. Both processes result in the foreign partner actually getting the green card about 13 months after the application process starts.

Marriage Green Cards, Explained. What Documents Do I Need? Income Requirements for Marriage Green Cards. Once the petition is approved, the spouse is entered on the waiting list for an immigration visa. The original filing date of the petition becomes their priority date for a visa. The visa application cannot be submitted until the priority date becomes current. The U.

State Department Visa Bulletin is issued monthly, and shows the current priority dates for that month. Form I Instructions and Checklist. To avoid delays in processing, you MUST: Exactly follow the instructions for filling out the form Provide complete, truthful information Include all required supporting documentation You can find the I form on the USCIS website, along with instructions for completing it.

You can add more copies of this page if you need more room. I Checklist for Spouse To complete Form I, you will have to gather the following information about yourself and your spouse: Address information for the previous 5 years Employment information for the previous 5 years Dates any previous marriages ended Information on any petition you have previously filed for this spouse or any other foreign national Any previous immigration proceedings for a beneficiary spouse I Supporting Documents for Spouse When you submit the I and IA forms, you must also include evidence for your answers on the forms.

You will need to include: Proof of your status as United States citizen copy of birth certificate, passport, naturalization papers, or consular certificate of birth abroad or lawful permanent resident copy of both sides of green card.

Copy of civil marriage certificate. If either spouse was previously married, a copy of proof that previous marriage has ended divorce or annulment decree, death certificate. Evidence of name changes court decree, adoption paperwork, marriage certificate, divorce decree, etc.

Evidence to show that you have a bona fide marriage relationship. This can include proof of combined finances, proof of living together and having children together, and proof of ongoing relationship such as photographs, correspondence, travel together, etc.

Form IA. Form IA , Supplemental Information for Spouse Beneficiary, provides detailed information about the beneficiary spouse. If the spouse completes the form, they must sign it. If the spouse is in their home country, the petitioning spouse can complete the form for them and they do not have to sign it.

You can add additional copies of this page if you need more room. I Processing Time for Spouse Spouse Visa Processing Time. Green Card for Spouse Processing Time. Citizen Spouse Green Card processing time currently averages around months. Immigration Resources. Processing times are available for the majority of visa subclasses products, but will exclude a few subclasses such as those closed to new entrants, subject to capping and queueing , or which have a low volume of applications.

Note: Two processing times are displayed in calendar days, indicating how long it is taking to finalise 75 and 90 per cent of applications submitted globally. Applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis, and actual processing times can vary due to individual circumstances including:. Partner visas in particular require a considerable volume of supporting documents to substantive the relationship with your partner. As the visa application charges are significantly higher for family visas, they are not applications you will want to lodge twice so use the time wisely to double-check that you have provided everything needed to secure a favourable outcome.

At No Borders Law Group, we have assisted many clients in having their family visas approved, including parent visas, child visas and partner visas. The "K-3" visa option.

This was designed to reunite spouses sooner. Rather, it will hold it and just work on the I When it approves the I, it will forward the petition directly to the NVC, so your spouse can start applying for an immigrant visa.

Because your spouse can apply for the immigrant visa, there is no longer any need and indeed, under the law, no feasible way to apply for a K Summary of the Process -- Check with your local consulate, which might allow the entire immigrant visa application process to be done through its office.

Only a very limited number of consulates offer this and only in exceptional circumstances , so you probably won't be able to take advantage of this option and will instead have to start the process by sending an I to USCIS in the United States, as described above. Average time -- One to 32 months for approval of Form I petition ; possibly some time on a waiting list though there was no wait in category 2A as of early , according to the State Department's Visa Bulletin ; another five to ten months or longer to get the immigrant visa.

After the petition is approved, the immigrant is placed on a waiting list to apply, based on " priority date. Even though the NVC can accept the application, the State Department cannot actually issue a visa until the priority date according to when you filed the I is current and a visa is available, so there might be a delay at this point.

When the visa becomes available, an interview at the consulate will be scheduled, soon after which the immigrant spouse should be approved for an immigrant visa. Average time -- One to 32 months to get the Form I approved by USCIS; no time on the Visa Bulletin waiting list as of early , and the rest depending on various complicated circumstances.

After the petition is approved, the immigrant is placed on a waiting list to apply. Figuring out whether the immigrant spouse can apply from within the United States or must go back to his or her home country to get a visa might require an attorney's help, because unless the immigrant has a separate, unexpired visa or other status, he or she cannot legally wait in the United States if there's a wait for a current priority date at that time.

Even after the wait, he or she might be unable to apply for the green card without leaving the United States, which might expose the immigrant to time-bar penalties preventing return for several years without a waiver.