How Can a Spouse of a Green Card Holder Successfully Navigate Adjustment of Status?
If you’re married to a lawful permanent resident and living in the United States, adjustment of status may let you apply for a green card without leaving the country. This overview focuses on what spouses of green card holders need to know about adjustment of status, including eligibility, forms, proof of marriage, and what to expect after you file.
By anticipating the government’s questions and tracking your Visa Bulletin category, you can reduce surprises and keep your case moving. Because every family situation is different, it’s smart to map out a filing plan that fits your facts and your goals.
As a Texas immigration lawyer, I routinely help spouses understand timing, documents, and interviews so they can move forward with confidence. At M Mathew Law Firm, PLLC, I proudly serve clients in Dallas, Richardson, Lewisville, Irving, Farmers Branch, Grand Prairie, Garland, and Mesquite, Texas. Contact me today to get personalized legal assistance.
Eligibility and Visa Bulletin Timing
A spouse of a green card holder must fit a specific visa category before pursuing adjustment of status. You’ll fall under the family-based F2A preference, which is subject to annual limits. The key is whether your priority date is “current” on the Visa Bulletin. If the Visa Bulletin retrogresses, you may need to wait before filing some forms or receiving a final decision.
Timing affects how you structure the case. Some spouses can file the immigrant petition and the adjustment of status application together when the F2A chart is current; others file in stages. During any waiting periods, it’s important to keep your status lawful, track travel limits, and discuss work authorization options once you’re eligible to apply.
Key Forms and Filing Costs
Before you send anything, it helps to organize the packet around the forms the government expects and the typical supporting documents you’ll attach. Think of the packet as telling a clear story about the relationship, eligibility, and admissibility, and build it with these components in mind:
Form I-130 petition: This establishes the qualifying marriage and starts the immigrant classification process, supported by your marriage certificate and proof of a shared life.
Form I-485 application: This is the core adjustment of status filing for the spouse applicant, with civil documents, photos, and admissibility evidence.
Form I-864 affidavit of support: The green card holder spouse, and sometimes a joint sponsor, shows sufficient income or assets to support the applicant.
Form I-765 work authorization: Many spouses request employment authorization while the I-485 is pending so they can work lawfully.
Form I-131 travel document: Some spouses apply for advance parole to re-enter the United States if they must travel during the case.
Medical exam (Form I-693): A sealed medical from a civil surgeon addresses vaccinations and health-related grounds.
You’ll also account for government filing fees, which vary by form and age, and for the medical exam cost, which is paid to the doctor. Because fee rules can change, double-check current amounts before you file and keep receipts for your records. If you’re packaging several forms, use a contents sheet, tab sections neatly, and include tracking for each mailing.
Proving a Real Marriage
For a spouse of a green card holder, the government will look closely at whether your marriage is genuine and not primarily for immigration benefits. When you curate your evidence, think about financial ties, shared residence, and the way you present yourselves to family and community:
Joint residence proof: Lease agreements, mortgage statements, property tax records, or letters from a landlord can show that you live together.
Shared finances: Bank statements, joint credit cards, car titles, or insurance policies demonstrate financial responsibility as a couple.
Household bills: Utilities, internet, and phone accounts in both names help illustrate a unified household.
Life moments: Photos over time, trip itineraries, and messages with family and friends provide a fuller picture of your relationship.
Children’s records: Birth certificates, school forms, and medical records are strong indicators of a family unit when applicable.
Quality matters more than quantity. Choose documents that cover different time periods and contexts, label them clearly, and avoid sending originals unless the instructions say to do so. Bring updated evidence to the interview, too, so the officer sees how your shared life has continued since filing adjustment of status.
What Happens After You File
After you submit the packet, you’ll receive receipt notices with case numbers you can use to check status updates online. Next, most applicants attend a biometrics appointment for fingerprints and a photo, which feeds into background checks. If you applied for work authorization and advance parole, those documents may arrive several months later.
An interview at a local field office is common for marriage-based cases. You and your spouse should plan to attend together and bring originals of civil documents, updated relationship evidence, and any items listed on the appointment notice.
If the officer approves the case and you’ve been married less than two years at the time of approval, you’ll receive conditional permanent residence, which lasts two years and requires a later joint filing to remove conditions.
Interview Preparation and Medical Exam
Preparation reduces stress during the interview. Review your forms so answers are consistent, practice straightforward responses to common questions, and organize your documents in a simple binder. Officers often ask about daily routines, dates, and shared plans. Honest, concise answers go a long way, and it’s fine to say you don’t recall an exact detail rather than guess.
If you didn’t submit a sealed medical with the initial adjustment of status packet, bring it to the interview if requested. Make sure vaccinations are current according to the civil surgeon’s guidance and confirm your name and A-Number are correctly entered. Review everything carefully and keep copies of what you submit to the officer.
Comparing Adjustment of Status and Consular Processing
Some spouses wonder whether adjustment of status or consular processing makes more sense. If you’re in the United States and eligible, adjustment of status keeps you here for the interview, lets you apply for work authorization, and may be more convenient for family life and employment.
Your choice can affect travel, employment, and how you manage status during the wait. If the Visa Bulletin retrogresses, you might face pauses regardless of the route, so factor timing and personal obligations into your decision.
Avoiding Delays and Addressing Requests
Government requests for evidence (RFEs) or notices of intent to deny (NOIDs) usually focus on gaps in documents, inconsistency in answers, or insufficient financial support. When addressing relationship questions, add a short cover letter that explains how your new documents fill the gaps and reference the tabbed exhibits clearly.
It also helps to maintain clean, consistent records while your case is pending. Keep your address current with the government, update your adjustment of status file with any material changes, and save new proof of shared life. If you receive an RFE, view it as an opportunity to strengthen the record rather than a setback.
Travel and Work While Your Case is Pending
Many spouses need to keep working and may have to travel during the process. Work authorization tied to the pending I-485 provides a path to employment while you wait. If you expect to travel, apply for advance parole before leaving the United States, and don’t depart until it’s approved. Leaving without it can abandon the adjustment of status application.
If you’ve maintained valid nonimmigrant status, talk with the firm about how that status interacts with your pending case. Some categories allow continued work or study, while others don’t. The goal is to keep your daily life stable while the government reviews your file, all while protecting your eligibility for a favorable decision on adjustment of status when your interview arrives.
Contact an Experienced Immigration Lawyer Today
If you’d like personalized help structuring your adjustment of status case as a spouse of a green card holder, M Mathew Law Firm, PLLC is ready to assist from our Dallas office.
I proudly serve clients in DFW, Richardson, Lewisville, Irving, Farmers Branch, Grand Prairie, Garland, and Mesquite, Texas. Call my office to schedule a consultation, and I’ll help you plan each step, prepare strong evidence, and move your case forward with clarity.