Getting married to a foreigner as soon as I get my Greencard.

[Salmank 0]

Hello, I need some general information. It's like I am hoping to receive my Greencard in like a month.

I wanted to know, how long should I wait in getting married . After I receive my Greencard.

I want to get married in my home town that is Pakistan.

Does getting married just after a month of receiving my Greencard affects my case in any way? Or it's safe to marry when ever I want to

Thanks.

Salman.

[NikLR 13,232]

~~moved to bringing family members of permanent residents to the USA from IR1/CR1 process and procedures as OP is not a USC~~

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

how old are you ? Is your parent who petitioned you a USC ?

[Salmank 0]

how old are you ? Is your parent who petitioned you a USC ?

Hi,

I am 22 and no my parents are Greencard holders not citizens yet.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

You can not marry before having your green card , safest is to wait until it in your hands although not legally required. There is no visas class for married adult children of LPR's. Once you have a green card you can marry and petition your spouse.

[Salmank 0]

You can not marry before having your green card , safest is to wait until it in your hands although not legally required. There is no visas class for married adult children of LPR's. Once you have a green card you can marry and petition your spouse.

No no .. I think I wasn't able to explain my question well .

What I want to ask is,

I am pretty confident I will be getting my Greencard next month inshaAllah.

After which I will have to go to US and stay for sometime to collect my card.

Once I have my card in hand. Can I come back for a few days, get married go back and then apply for my wife.

I just wanted to make sure if there's any legal binding or anything of the sort, that I have to wait until a year or so to get married.

In short.

Can I get married as soon as I have my Greencard in hand.

Sorry for the confusion. And really appreciate your help

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

NO there is no need to wait once you have a green card. As long as you are unmarried the day you get it you can marry immediately after. Beware of anything in your customs that might imply a marriage before getting your card In Nigeria some people have issues with paying dowery when they are single and the consulate giving them a hard time ( but Nigerian consulate officers are known for being insane )

[Mark88 184]

Your visa is your greencard the moment you cross the border and it is endorsed. You wouldn't need to wait for the one in the mail.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Mark88

[Ian H. 207]

Feel free to get married the day after you enter the US with your immigrant visa. You become an LPR upon entry, therefore the requirement of being unmarried no longer applies. You do not have to wait for the actual GC.

I actually knew the wife of a guy who was petitioned by his mom under F2B, came one day just to do POE, and left like the next day to get married to her. Last time I heard they were all living happily in PA.

My point here is that once you are an LPR, you are free to marry whomever you want, whenever you want. The stamp that they place on your visa after POE serves as a GC for travel, employment, and even to petition a family member.

So it's perfectly possible to enter one day, get married the next, and petition your spouse the next day all without having the actual GC in your hand.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Ian H.

[Ian H. 207]

I see people do this all the time in cases of leaving partners behind. It's a perfectly legal immigration loophole. As long as you aren't legally married before becoming an LPR, you can enter on your visa and get married right away in order to be able to petition your loved one.

I have seen a few people lose their place in line for a GC by getting married with a pending petition or before becoming an LPR. A cousin of mine was one of them and she has come to greatly regret it because her marriage failed and now is looking at an 8 year wait for a visa, when she could have been here years ago.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Ian H.

[Salmank 0]

Thankyou Ian, your post really helped me. I sure will wait for the stamp atleast and then get married. Or probably with wait until I get my card in hand to be completely safe.

Thanks again .

Your visa is your greencard the moment you cross the border and it is endorsed. You wouldn't need to wait for the one in the mail.

Thanks mark.

I can make multiple entries with the stamped document they'll give me ?

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Your visa should be fine for a year in case USCIS is slow(er) about printing the actual card.

[Ian H. 207]

I can make multiple entries with the stamped document they'll give me ?

Yes. The stamp is valid for a year from the date you did POE. You can leave and enter the US as many times as you want with it.