Immigration Site

Hi,

My girlfriend moved here at the age of 11 with her family from Lebanon. She has been through school and recently graduated in August from college. Now that her student Visa has expired, she has been on an OPT Visa since October in hopes of finding a nursing job. She has had no luck so far... but my question is this: We want to get married between January and June of next year... Can someone tell me how long it might take once married for her to apply/receive a GC, and what troubles we may run into during this process? Her OPT Visa expires October 2011 and we do not want her to have to leave the country. I forgot to mention that I am a USC.

Thanks in advance. Please let me know if I need to provide more details.

She made a lawful entry and will be an immediate relative of a USC, therefore she can adjust status without leaving the U.S. After you get married you file an I-130 petition for her as the spouse of a USC. She concurrently files an I-485, I-765 and I-131 adjustment package. Find the forms at www.uscis.gov the fees go up on Nov 23rd.

You will need to file an I-864 on her behalf, if your income is insufficient, you can get a co-sponsor. Filing fees are not cheap, but if she has no criminal record, you dont need a lawyer. If you need help filing out forms, there are non-profit agencies all over that help. The better ones have been approved by the Board of Immigration Appeals. Check the list at: http://www.justice.gov/eoir/statspub/raroster.htm

Thank you so much. You have been more than helpful. I am so grateful for your response!

What worried me so much was the following sentence that I read from an immigration lawyers website:

"Alternately, marriage to a permanent resident is very problematical and often results in the recently-married spouses living apart for many years."

I didnt understand why they made that statement in their article regarding marriage to USC???