Getting a green card after marriage

Residency process is daunting but manageable when taken slowly with help and organization, say students and advisor

BY KILLIAN CANTO

KE ALAKA’I 18 Married couples with an international spouse on a visa said going through the U.S. green card process can be overwhelming because of the cost, amount of forms, and stress of importance. However, by communicating with those who’ve completed the process, saving money, and taking the process step-by-step cautiously, those who’ve experienced the process said getting a green card is achievable. U.S. citizen Melina Sy, a senior from Utah studying marine biology, shared her experience filing for a green card for her husband from the Philippines.

Sy said, “It’s like when you have a big assignment. You don’t want to start it, but once you have, you realize it isn’t too bad.” She shared how it was initially overwhelming, but as they took it step by step, they were able to manage.

Ted Guildner works at International Student Services on campus. After pointing out he has extensive history working with Immigration Services and going through the process with his wife, he said he has the right qualifications to help.

He said students should not be worried because, “You’re not alone.” Guildner said it can be overwhelming for couples “because it is something new and ... a lot at once.”

Teal Baniago, a sophomore from Florida studying communications and political science, married a man from the Philippines, and she said filling out the forms is a lot of work, but it’s necessary. Baniago shared how her husband’s motivation and the campus ISS Department have encouraged her through the process so far.

Sy agreed with Guildner’s sentiment while talking about watching one of her friends go through the process. Sy said, “I [did not] even know what to do to get a green card. I had never thought about it.” She said she was intimidated by all the required information and was nervous about making errors.

Guildner broke down his process with students, saying after he gives them the online of sources they need, students need to read the instructions and fill out the required forms as best they can.

If students get stuck on a question, Guildner offered encouragement, assuring students not to worry if they can’t understand. He said students should write down what they

don’t understand because later he’ll work with the students to fix the forms “when you come in for your review.”

Nedding to get her husband’s green card before they could come to school, Adrienne Miyabe, an alumna from Ohio, married a Japanese citizen, and she said was mainly worried about how long the process took, including filling out the forms and hearing back from USCIS for the biometrics and possible interview.

According to Miyabe, her cousin took two years to get through the process. “We were kind of like freaking out,” Miyabe said. “There’s always the chance of getting declined.”

Baniago explained her fears revolved around rumors of recent changes in the process. She told stories she had heard about spouses being sent back due to mistakes on their application. She said she wondered, “Is this going [to get] difficult?”

Guildner said he gets visits from students who are overwhelmed with the experience. “They don’t know what to do, how hard it’ll be, what it’ll cost.”

He agreed the process is intimidating. “There’s a lot. They look at this piece of paper,

[and] they go, ‘Oh my gosh! It’s going take me forever.’”

Guildner said the hardest part depends on the couple and their circumstances. For some couples, it is the cost. “You’ve got to have, upfront, about $2,000 to cover all these [expenses]. You’ve got two filing fees and you’ve also got a medical fee that can be $200- 400 to get your [medical] exam done.”

For others, he said, it is gathering all of the documents.

“The foreign students have to have a birth certificate, get it translated and notarized if it’s in a foreign language. That’s not so hard, but some of them have trouble just finding it,” he continued.

Guildner said the difficulty of specific forms, “like the I-864, is very important and somewhat complicated.” He said people need to make sure applicants pay attention to every detail and provide all the right evidence the couple is in a real marriage.

Having already gone through the initial two-year green card process and about to start the 10-year-card process, Miyabe said, “Getting all the documents together and making sure that they’re correct [is the hardest part].” She said under the current presidential administration they fear the government changed the rules.

“Before, if you messed up, they would send it back and tell you to fix it and you can mail it back.” She said she believed they can now just deny an application for a small mistake.

According to a policy memo from September 2018 from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, immigration officers now have the option “to deny an application, petition, or request without first issuing a Request for Evidence (RFE) or Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) if initial evidence is not submitted or if the evidence in the record does not establish eligibility.” Advice during the process

Miyabe suggested couples who are about to start the process or who are going through it now, to keep all of their documents together. She uses a binder for their documents.

“We have everything. It’s so easy now.” She also counseled current applicants to be diligent in keeping copies of their forms, documents, and photos of themselves. She explained, “We have multiple copies of our marriage certificate. You will need your taxes, all your taxes. W-2’s, stuff like that.

“They want everything. And take pictures, lots of pictures. They want to know you like each other.”

Sharing the ways she and her husband have endured through the process together, Baniago advised, “Start saving money, and take it slow.” She assured, “You’re not in any rush.” She said it is also important to check each other’s work to make sure everything is correct and talking to others going through the same process to discuss what is going on.

Sy said her biggest advice was to pay for help if you can afford it. “We paid for a service and they helped us fill out all the paperwork, they printed off the papers and sent it to us, so we didn’t even have to print it ourselves and then they have step-by-step instructions.”

However, Guildner warned against hiring help. “The only reason you’d ever want to go to an attorney or a consultant like that is if you hate money.” He said it is comforting to have someone who knows the process helping you walk through it, but he said he has not had a good experience with a paid service. •

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