The Situation

Our client and his wife did everything right in the beginning of their immigration journey.

His wife entered the United States on a K-1 fiancé visa, and the two were married within 90 days, ready to begin their life together.

However, they delayed in filing for her green card for many years, resulting in her overstaying her visa and being out of status in the United States.

Not having a green card or a Social Security number meant our client was unable to get insurance, start working, or even begin her education journey.

Moreover, the company they worked with to get the K-1 Visa failed to emphasize the importance of keeping their Form I-797 Receipt Notice, which was needed as proof of their K-1 Visa acceptance.

The client spoke to a Citizenwide case manager, and we began preparing their immigration forms, documents, and cover letter, ensuring a complete and accurate application.

The Application

For our client’s application, we prepared the following forms:

Form G-1650: Filing fee payment

Form G-1145: Request for email notifications

Form I-485: Application for a green card

Form I-864: Affidavit of support

Form I-765: Application for a work permit

Note: Form I-130 wasn’t included since the beneficiary came on a K-1 Visa.

 

For this green card application, we needed to provide documents to prove two things.

  1. Green Card Eligibility
  2. Financial Support

To prove green card eligibility, we included the following documents:

  • Both of their birth certificates
  • Their children’s birth certificates
  • Their marriage certificate
  • Both of their passports
  • Both of their children’s passports
  • The spouse’s I-94 entry letter

Since the spouse lost her Form I-797 K-1 Visa receipt notice, we provided other documents to prove her K-1 visa acceptance.

  • The K-1 Visa stamp in her passport
  • Her DS-160 confirmation letter
  • Her K-1 Visa FTP letter with the receipt number

To prove the petitioning sponsor had enough income to support her financially, we included the following income and tax documents:

  • His 2024 income tax return and W-2
  • His 2023 income tax return and W-2
  • His bank statements for the last 6 months
  • His pay stubs for the last 6 months
  • A yearly sales statement showing an increase in the

We attached a cover letter and filed the application to the designated USCIS lockbox location.

The Result

After the application was filed, the case moved through processing over the next several months.

Around seven months later, our client attended their green card interview, where the officer reviewed the application and confirmed the details of their marriage and supporting documents.

About one week after the interview, she was notified that her green card had been approved. She can now work, obtain a Social Security number, and begin building her life as a U.S. lawful permanent resident.

 

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