The Myth of Marrying for a Green Card

Lots of backwards laws in this country

I knew that about not getting a green card just cause you marry a citizen. The person who is applying for the permanent resident alien status (marrying a citizen) must also prove that they make a living somehow. They HAVE to have an income. Now that you mention it, here's another facet to the problem. My ex was here on a student visa. But, he never went to school. Although he jumped through the hoops and came here legally, in a way, it was fraud, huh?

I knew that it was illegal to marry just to get someone a green card, but I didn't know it was a felony. So, just being an illegal is a misdemeanor? Or what is it classified as? If it were a felony, wouldn't we have to put them in prison and take care of them? Not really sure what the choices are there, but I'm trying to process why the inequity.

Jessie I am not sure how they clasify illegals now. It isnt a felony. There are several bills pending to make it a felony. Not that it matters anyway. What other countries...like Mexico do....and BTW illegal immigration in Mexico is a felony. They charge you, convict you and deport you...pretty simple.

interesting article!!

I know for a fact of a couple that met in Poland, married in Poland and then the "alien" husband tried to come across. It took over a year to bring him over with his wife, who was by then quite pregnant after a recent visit to Poland! It's rather odd, indeed, but I have to admit I understand the issues.

It is not a backwards law.

I believe there was a time when becoming the spouse of a citizen was enough to qualify an alien for citizenship and it was a pathway to citizenship that was abused. I also believe the law making it a felony for a citizen to enter into a fraudulent marriage for such purpose was originally designed to discourage those who valued being an American citizen so little that they were willing to marry a non citizen for the right price.

Myself, I find no inequity in placing the greater burden on the citizen who values being an American so little that they would in a manner of speaking place the right to become an U.S. citizen on the auction block.

I understand what you are saying Carol but my point is we make it illegal to marry just for citizenship status...and BTW I agree with that....it is fraud...that is why it is a felony. But on the other hand we reward the illegals with amnesty. That is the part that I find ironic.

Beverly their mistake was trying to do it the legal way...lol. I wonder if the process of granting legal citizenship could be speeded up by enforcing the laws on illegal aliens. If the INS wasnt spending so much time on illegals they could work for those trying to gain green cards the legal way.

strange laws whatever happened to love

Most aliens who enter this country illegally do it for the same reason many of our ancestors came to this country, to have the opportunity at a better life.

The difference is our ancestor's from Europe, or other continent across the sea simply had to supply their name, country of origin and destination when they got off the boat and often that was done for them via the boat passenger manifest. Some of them didn't even have to get off a boat. If they entered this country by land they could simply walk across the nearest border, take up residency and after being here for the requisite number of years apply for citizenship if they so desired and many never took that step.

It wasn't until 1940 that alien residents were even required to register with the government, and given those times I suspect the reasons behind that requirement were not unlike the reasons many are today concerned about so many undocumented aliens being in this county. Allowing them to remain undocumented allowed the few who were here for more nefarious reasons to hide among them.

As long as we have a poverty stricken nation on one of our borders or even in close proximity, the problem of people seeking to gain entry to escape poverty or other intolerable circumstance will not disappear and we must cope with the problem that they exist, are encouraged to come here and as long as they remain undocumented will be used by non-Americans to hide among and used by Americans seeking to violate our labor laws.

The only reason we don't have a problem with our northern border is that most Canadians are happy living in Canada and cross that mostly wide open border for the same reasons Americans cross it and if I am not mistaken for some of them that includes getting to and from work.

I could continue, but well past my bedtime so I will close this comment and get some sleep.

thanks for the information..

You pointed things out great. So much double talk going on. And we're so much easier to find and crack down on than illegal aliens, so it takes less effort to go after your own people; legal citizens of the country who have nothing to hide for; living their life out in the open for all to see saying, here I am if you need to find me. You don't see illegal immigrants standing on the four corners drawing attention to themselves. Look everyone...I'm here illegally...and my name is Juan/Hiro/Mohammed/Ngyeun/Dmitri/Pog/Mtete/...or fill in the blank for any nation someone has come here illegally from. I don't want to offend any of the criminals we've allow to sneak across our borders and stay here against our laws. Have to be "P.C."...gag!

Absolutely, why not; they are committing crimes. Just because you are a citizen doesn't give you the right to pick and choose what crimes you want to commit and decide which ones suit you. "If you don't want to do the time, don't commit the crime."

Carol if their contries are so deplorable they need to stay and fight to clean them up. I have no sympathy for criminals....which these people are.

I found your article interesting. And, although I'm on the other side than you are, Lori, on this topic, I found it interesting that you note these discrepancies. Where I work, NASA, there are many foreign nationals working. Technical jobs often require skill sets and expertise that can only be found with world-wide searches. One of my colleagues, a very articulate and intelligent lady, lived in Mexico just south of the border from El Paso, went to school in El Paso, fell in love with and married a US citizen (of Latino descent) - more than seven years ago. To ensure there were not conflicts, they married in Mexico (two ceremonies there, legal and religious) and again in the US. She has been following every rule, filed every piece of paperwork and done everything by the book, works for NASA (as does her husband). Not three years, but SEVEN years later, she still is still on the waiting list.

She now has three American children and nearly lost her job right after 9-11 as we worked to get her clearance on-site. It's hard for me to feel angry with illegal aliens as we make things so very very hard by those that are trying to do things properly. This, in my opinion, is part of the problem.

Most of us know the main culprits are our goverment, big business and the mexican goverment.

Thank you for letting us know about the three to 10 years lag after marrying a U.S. citizen. I was very unclear about the green card rules, and this helps clear up a lot of things related to recent discussions here on Gather. Thank you again Lori.

Stephanie again I feel for the people trying to do things the legal way. BTW 2 of my uncles worked for NASA....and one really was a rocket scientist.

I have said it before and I will say it again. If the INS didnt have so much to deal with the ILLEGALS it could focus on the more positive aspects of immigration...like getting your friend legal.

"Carol if their contries are so deplorable they need to stay and fight to clean them up. I have no sympathy for criminals....which these people are."

Lori: I understand that, like many people, you are concerned about illegal immigration. However, I think the above comment badly misses the point.

Most illegal immigrants come here for one thing -- jobs that pay enough to feed their families. If they could find jobs in Mexico and other poor countries, they would stay there. Unskilled workers don't have what it takes to "stay and fight to clean things up" -- they don't have the capital needed to create jobs for themselves. If they did, they wouldn't be coming here.

We could do a lot to curb illegal immigration by providing economic development aid to help poor countries create jobs that would pay a living wage. The foreign aid we currently provide is ridiculously puny relative to what we spend on our military, economic subsidies for our own farmers, and many other things. Most people think we spend a lot on foreign aid, but if you look at the actual numbers, it is very, very small.

The so-called "amnesty" that some favor is simply a matter of recognizing that it would cost more to deport the millions of illegals already here than to just let them stay, perform jobs that in many cases others don't want to do, and pay their taxes. Finally, illegal immigrants may be criminals, but the US immigration system is in many ways arbitrary and sets unrealistically small quotas which make it impossible for the most desperate people to get in legally -- so they resort to breaking the law.

Personally, as a second generation descendant of immigrants who came here from Finland looking for a better life, I have a lot of sympathy for these "criminals." Whatever happened to: "Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, ..." Did we mean only those poor, huddled masses from Europe?