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What is concurrent filing?
With concurrent filing, Form I-485 (officially called the “Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status”) can be filed at the same time as the initial immigrant visa petition. In this article, we will review, at length, the concurrent filing process for U.S. citizens and their spouses, both of whom must currently reside in the United States.
In what follows, we will refer to the spouse applying for a green card as the “applicant” or “beneficiary” and the U.S. citizen sponsor as the “petitioner.”
The Application Process
There are two primary forms that must be submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as part of the concurrent filing process:
Form I-485 (as mentioned above)
Form I-130 (also known as the “Petition for Alien Relative”)
The latter proves that the relationship is authentic, and the former is the actual visa application. The application process also involves several action-steps and a number of other forms, which we will discuss in this section.
Attend Medical Exam
As a prerequisite, the applicant-spouse must attend a medical exam conducted by a pre-approved physician. The doctor should, at the end of the exam, hand the applicant a sealed envelope, inside of which should be Form I-693 (formally known as the “Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record”). While the price depends on the specific doctor, the fee is usually around $200, which the applicant must pay at the exam.
Note: The sealed envelope must be sent along with the package.
Applying for citizenship or a marriage-based green card
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Assemble Application
As a part of the application process, the applicant and petitioner must pay the required fees, in addition to completing a number of forms and gathering all the required documents. Below we’ll provide a list of the relevant forms and fees.
USCIS Forms
To complete the entire marriage-based green card application, the applicant must include these USCIS forms:
Form I-485 (as mentioned above)
Form I-130 (as mentioned above)
Form I-864 (officially called the “Affidavit of Support”)
Form I-130A (officially called the “Supplemental Information for Spouse Beneficiary”)
Form I-131 (officially called the “Application for Travel Document”) and Form I-765 (officially called the “Application for Employment Authorization”) may also be added to the application package if the applicant wishes to travel abroad or find employment in the United States:
For help finishing and collating all the required documents, take advantage of Boundless’ web platform – designed to simplify the spousal green card application process.
Required Fees
The applicant will need to pay a fee for certain forms, in addition to covering the cost for the biometrics appointment (which we’ll explain in another section). The fees are as follows:
$85 | |
$1,140 | |
$535 | |
Total Fees | $1,760 |
Note: You do not need to pay fees for the travel document application, employment authorization application, or the affidavit of support.
Submit Application
Once all the forms are completed and the fees collected, the applicant may send the application packet to the USCIS address listed for their state. Once submitted, they should receive, within about two weeks, receipt numbers containing 3 letters and 10 numbers (such as EAC1234567890).
In some cases, USCIS may require further proof or documentation substantiating the spousal relationship. If so, they will send what is known as a “Request for Evidence” (or RFE for short). RFEs are generally sent 2 to 3 months following receipt of the application.
The Appointments
Once the application has been sent, the applicant will need to attend a few appointments, namely the biometrics appointment and the visa interview. In this section, we’ll discuss what you can expect with respect to each of these.
Go to Biometrics Appointment
Approximately one month following the submission of the application, the applicant can expect to receive a letter notifying them of a biometrics appointment, which will likely be held at the nearest field office. Only the applicant is required to attend. At the appointment, the USCIS official will collect fingerprints and photos of the applicant-spouse, before running a background check.
Go to Visa Interview
After the application has been processed and reviewed – and all the appropriate background checks have gone through – USCIS will send the application to the local field office, after which the applicant should receive a notification containing the details – location, date, and time – of the upcoming visa interview.
Important: Both spouses will need to go to the visa interview, as the purpose of this meeting is to determine that the marriage is, indeed, an authentic one. If, after asking a series of questions, the USCIS officer believes that the relationship is real, they will likely approve the visa. They may even do it right then and there.
Nova Credit's partner Boundless has a number of useful guides to help prepare for the spousal green card interview, including:
The Green Card
Once they’ve approved the application, USCIS will probably send the green card via U.S. mail within 2 or 3 weeks. The green card holder may travel abroad and work in the United States. They will need to renew their status either 2 or 10 years after receiving it. We’ll discuss each possibility below.
Conditional Green Card
If, when the visa is approved, the spouses have been married for 2 years, the beneficiary-spouse will receive what is known as a conditional green card (or CR1 visa). This means both spouses will need to “remove the conditions” two years after the CR1 is granted. If they can show, once again, that their marriage is real, the beneficiary will be granted a permanent green card, otherwise known as an IR1 visa.
Permanent Green Card
If, on the other hand, the couple has been married for over 2 years at the time of approval, the beneficiary-spouse will receive an immediate relative green card, otherwise known as an IR1 visa (or, alternatively, a permanent green card). Once they receive this visa, they will have 10 years before they need to start the renewal process.
The Takeaway
As you wait to hear back about your spousal visa application, it’s important to start thinking through other logistics, such as how you will find your first apartment and choose a U.S. bank.
In the U.S., accessing these essential services like credit cards, apartment rentals, and even internet plans requires that you have a good U.S. credit score. Fortunately, you can use Nova Credit to use your foreign credit history from certain countries to apply for a variety of products and services from our partners.
This means that you can apply for great credit cards, phone plans, and more from using your hard-earned credit history from back home—rather than needing to start from scratch. If you are approved for these products and manage them responsibly, you will start to quickly build a U.S. credit history.
Currently, Nova Credit services individuals coming from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.K.
Use your foreign credit history to start your U.S credit history
New to the U.S.? Check if you can use your country's credit history in the U.S. to apply for credit cards and start your U.S credit history using Nova Credit.
More from Nova Credit:
The ultimate guide to the F-1 visa
The ultimate guide to the H-1B visa
The ultimate guide to the J-1 visa
The ultimate guide to the L-1 visa
The ultimate guide to the O-1 visa
How to check your USCIS case status
How to build credit after moving to the US
How to get a social security card
How to get an apartment with no credit history
No credit check cell phone plans
How to immigrate to the United States