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Citizenship/Naturalization for married couples born outside of the United States.?
I'm writing a story about an immigrant couple coming to the United States from Guatemala in search of a better life. What happens in regards to Green Cards/Naturalization/Citizenship/etc when a couple immigrates to the United States but was married prior to the pursuit of being legally identified by the United States? Are they automatically assumed as being spouses? Can ICE deny, deport, etc just one of them upon entering the country, or will they both be sentenced to the same thing, or would they both be granted citizenship given their marital status? Are they treated as one couple, or two separate people?
2 Answers
- FoofaLv 711 months agoFavorite Answer
A civil marriage in Guatemala would be valid in the US. But the specific paperwork involved would depend on how this couple was getting into the US. Family sponsorship (by a US citizen parent, sibling or adult child) results in a green card (permanent residency) right away. Entering on a work visa is a different procedure, requires an employee sponsor and much of the time never results in permanent residency.
The only reason ICE would be involved is if these people skipped the normal legal immigration procedures and just walked in without inspection or overstayed their visas. In that case if they were both illegal or out of status they'd both be deportable. No, illegal entries have no way to ever gain citizenship unless they happen to marry a US citizen then return to their nation of origin to undergo processing. Just showing up is usually a dead end in terms of ever becoming legal. But they'd each be treated as the individuals they are and not as one single unit.
