# Marriage Green Card for a Military Spouse A guide to the timeline, cost, and requirements for a military spouse green card ## Timeline Depending on whether or not you apply from within the United States or abroad, you can expect to wait **8.2 months**, not including possible delays. The process generally takes longer for spouses of green card holders — who must [wait for a “visa number”](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/how-to-read-the-visa-bulletin) before applying — than for spouses of U.S. citizens. ## Cost You’ll pay $ [1340–$3005](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/green-card-cost) in government fees, depending on where the spouse seeking a green card lives. A required medical examination will cost an _additional_ $100–$500. ## Eligibility **Congratulations on your marriage!** The first step toward a marriage green card is to [make sure you qualify](https://explore.boundless.com/) for one. Couples generally must meet a number of requirements, such as proving the authenticity of their marriage, earning _at least_ 100% of the [poverty guidelines](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/income-requirements-for-green-card) for your household size. ### USCIS Military Spouse Green Card Requirements **For sponsoring spouses on active duty:** - Be a U.S. citizen or green card holder (permanent resident) - Earn _at least_ 100% of the [poverty guidelines](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/income-requirements-for-green-card) for your household size - Accept [financial responsibility](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/what-is-an-affidavit-of-support) for your spouse - Not have previously committed [certain types of crimes](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/green-card-sponsors-with-criminal-records) **For spouses seeking a green card:** - Prove your identity, nationality, and current U.S. immigration status, if any - Not have previously committed certain types of [crimes](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/green-card-applicants-with-criminal-records) or [immigration violations](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/About%20Us/Electronic%20Reading%20Room/Applicant%20Service%20Reference%20Guide/Inadmissibillity_and_Waivers.pdf) (or seek a waiver) **For both spouses:** - Demonstrate marriage [authenticity](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/how-do-we-prove-our-marriage-is-real) - Prove termination of previous marriage(s) - Submit [supporting documentation](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/what-documents-for-marriage-green-card) (including [military service records](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/get-military-records)) ## How to Apply Before starting the paperwork, it’s important to understand which process to follow. The [right process](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/guides) — [some couples can choose](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/adjustment-of-status-vs-consular-processing) — depends on: 1. Whether the sponsoring military spouse is a U.S. citizen or green card holder 2. Whether the spouse seeking a green card lives in or outside the United States. Your situation determines which forms to complete, how much you’ll pay, and how long you’ll wait. **What’s the right process?** - **When both spouses live in the United States:** You’ll file an “Adjustment of Status.” The spouse seeking a green card won’t need to leave the United States. This is true for spouses of green card holders as long as they maintain a valid student or work visa while waiting for approval. But spouses of U.S. citizens need _not_ maintain a valid immigration status while waiting. They can also file all required forms at the same time, a process called “concurrent filing.” - **When the spouse seeking a green card lives abroad:** You’ll go through “ [Consular Processing](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/green-card-consular-processing).” The spouse seeking a green card must apply through a U.S. consulate or embassy. - **When both spouses live abroad:** You can complete the [first step](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/form-i-130-explained) through an [international U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office](https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-uscis-office/international-immigration-offices) — if available in your current country — to [speed up the process](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/how-to-expedite-marriage-green-card). This is only an option until [all international USCIS offices close by October 2019](https://nyti.ms/2IppDJk). Alternatively, you can file with a U.S. consulate or embassy. ### How to apply for a military spouse green card Getting a military spouse green card is a four-step process: 1. [Establish marriage validity.](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/how-do-we-prove-our-marriage-is-real) 2. Apply for the green card (from [within the United States](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/form-i-485-explained) or from [abroad](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/the-ds260-and-ds261-online-forms)) and [prove the sponsoring spouse’s ability to financially support their spouse](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/what-is-an-affidavit-of-support). 3. [Attend an interview.](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/marriage-green-card-interview-explained) 4. Wait for approval. ## Interview The U.S. government conducts an [in-person interview](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/marriage-green-card-interview-explained) to evaluate the authenticity of your marriage. If it’s legitimate, you shouldn’t worry. **Where’s the interview?** - **If applying from within the United States:** You’ll go to a [local USCIS office](https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-uscis-office/field-offices). Both spouses attend unless the sponsoring military spouse is deployed, in which case their spouse (attending alone) should bring evidence of the overseas military assignment — a photocopy of the official orders or letter from the commanding officer — to the interview. - **If applying from abroad:** You’ll go to a U.S. consulate. In most cases, only the spouse seeking a green card will attend. ## Next Steps The physical green card arrives 2–3 weeks _after final approval_ (if applying from within the United States) or _after arriving in the United States_ (if from abroad). But not all green cards are created equal: - **If you’ve been married less than 2 years:** You’ll receive a [“conditional” (CR1) green card](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/cr1-ir1-spouse-visa) that expires in 2 years. At that time, both spouses will need to apply to “ [remove conditions](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/conditional-permanent-residency)” and [attend a second interview](https://www.boundless.com/blog/new-interview-requirement-for-many-spouses-of-u-s-citizens-green-card-holders/) with USCIS to re-authenticate the marriage. - **If you’ve been married at least 2 years:** You’ll receive a “permanent” green card valid for 10 years. Renewing is usually a simple process and doesn’t require [proving the authenticity of your marriage](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/how-do-we-prove-our-marriage-is-real) a second time. In 3–5 years, you can [apply for U.S. citizenship](https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/naturalization-explained). You’ll qualify for expedited or overseas naturalization if you meet [certain requirements](https://www.uscis.gov/military/citizenship-family-members) and if the sponsoring spouse is stationed abroad.