help with American citizenship and living aboard?

Hi, I have a friend mother who has been married to a guy over over 7 years now aboard. He has american citizenship and is now retire and receives a monthly check from uncle sam but he wasn't born in the USA . He's been aboard now for a long time and married my friend mother and has never applied for papers for the mother. Can anyone tell me what they would need to do to start this? Is he still able to give her this being he doesn't live here anymore or wasn't born here? Thanks for any info!

The Lord Humungus.2014-12-29T09:19:49Z

You never get citizenship for marrying a guy who is a citizen. It isn't some prize they give out to people.

They'd only apply for "papers" if they intended to live in the USA. After living as a resident of the US, she then could apply to be a citizen.

Nobody gives out citizenship to someone who has never lived in the country and has no actual connection to it.

Brother Hesekiel2014-12-29T12:21:07Z

Aboard a vessel or an extraterrestrial space ship?
You mean "abroad," don't you?

The underlying idea of family-based immigration is family relocation. The US citizen who lives in the United States asks his government to allow his foreign wife to join him in the United States, to live with him.
Since the US citizen and his wife are joint, live abroad, no such petition is possible.

Anonymous2014-12-29T09:21:13Z

hE would need to return to the US get a job with a high enough income to sponsor his wife

then he files for as spousal visa

take about a year ..the she gets a green card

spousal visa CR1
http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_2991.html