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How to become permanent resident without marriage fraud?


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I am French. I enjoyed a good life there and the country itself offers decent living conditions. I immigrated to the United States for two reasons (1) cultural attraction and (2) economic opportunities as a businessman.

 

In fact, at an entrepreneur level I believe that America has more to offer than France whereas as an average middle-class worker I would rather live in France.

 

So far, I could not find a way to get a green card easily. I am pursuing my undergraduate education at an Ivy league school and I work legally for a public college. I never thought nor supported marriage fraud nor I ever thought to think to do so one day. Unfortunately, recently I have been looking to marry U.S citizen to have permanent residency and eventually give her path to French/European citizenship. It was a kind of citizenship exchange since immigration to France is tough for an American as well but I have never intended to pay someone or lie.

 

I know it's wrong but I do not know what to do. I feel immigration laws are really tight and it's really difficult for Europeans to immigrate out here.

 

What should I do to have a better status without threatening my status?

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Citizen Erased

Which visa are you here on?

 

If you're going to marry an American citizen to adjust your status to a permanent resident you should make damn sure you can prove that you didn't come into the country with that intention. They'll deny you for sure.

 

I'm not going to encourage you to do anything illegal, it's a difficult enough process when you're actually in love with the person. Just be careful, if they find out you married someone just for a green card you'll be lucky if you're ever allowed back into the country.

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soFrench,

 

Actually, believe it or not... nobody has it easier than us Europeans to immigrate to the US. The process is incredibly more simple for us! We don't have to deal with eternal waiting lines due to immigration quotes and the suspicion that citizens from other countries are unfortunately subjected to. This is because we are part of the "Visa Waiver Program", which includes a number of mainly European countries which have a high degree of trust with the USA and require no visa to travel between them.

 

I'm Spanish and I met an American back home. After two years, I simply moved to the US and we got married. We processed all the paperwork for my permanent residency once I was already on American land. Nobody bat an eyelash. We had been carrying on a long-distance relationship for two years prior though, and we had to prove it. It wasn't difficult because it was a legitimate relationship. We did it all ourselves without any lawyers and encountered no issues.

 

Marrying somebody just for this would be possible, but extremely involved and require a high degree of trust. You will be expected to share bank accounts, have pictures and proof of time spent together, signed affidavits from people that know you both, rent/own together, and all sorts of things that a normal couple would do. I would steer clear from this option.

 

However, since you are European and attending school, you have a better option. Use school to get a visa to stay until you're finished with it. Since you're going to school, chances are you will easily find a job here before graduation. At that point, your employer can sponsor you to become a permanent resident. After ten years as a permanent resident, you may apply for citizenship.

 

If you follow this path, it's even possible that during the course of your studies you might meet somebody who you actually fall in love with and want to eventually marry. Either way, for you, there is no reason to resort to fraud! You have it easier than many.

 

Good luck,

 

-A

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