Getting Married As Permanent Resident to Overstayed Visa Immigrant
Hi Everyone,
Currently I am engaged to my fiancee, our wedding is on the 29th of November and I am very excited and nervous :). As of right now my status is that of a Permanent Resident. I am about to complete my fifth year of permanent residency in Feb of 2010, so therefore I am about to send all my paper work to apply for citizenship. I obtained my permanent residency through petition on the behalf of my mother when she married a citizen. Now, my fiancee is currently undocumented:(. She has been in the U.S. since she was about four years old and has been residing here since 1992 without leaving the country. She came on a tourist visa and overstayed. While here in the U.S. she worked illegaly, but paid her taxes, and has also attended college on scholarship based by the state of Florida. She claimed to be a permanent resident while working and going to school, not as a citizen. Okay, so a little bird told me that I would be able to pettition her as permanent resident. How would me becoming a citizen affect the application process, will it slow it down? Or speed it up? Could it be problamatic? Or should I just wait until I become a citizen? Would her previous unlawful employment and college credits or scholarship be affected? Would the petition my mother filed on my behalf affect my fiancee's petition?
(Sorry for the all the questions, I'm just worried about us.) THANK YOU =D
Re: Getting Married As Permanent Resident to Overstayed Visa Immigrant
Generally speaking, it's better to wait until you're a citizen to try to adjust your fiancee's status.
If your fiancee's parents still have some documentation of their lawful entry, including a passport stamp, have your fiancee get it together in case you need it.