USCIS Implements Stricter Rules on Green Card Marriage Applications
The Trump administration is introducing stricter regulations to curb the practice of immigrants allegedly bribing citizens to obtain legal status through fraudulent marriages.
Under this new policy, the USCIS is intensifying its examination of marriage-related green card applications. This applies to both new submissions and those already in progress.
“Fraudulent, frivolous, or otherwise, family-based immigration visa applications undermine trust in the pathways to legal permanent resident (LPR) status and threaten family unity in the U.S.,” stated USCIS in announcing the revised rules.
The agency emphasized that these updated rules are designed to verify that declared family relationships are genuine, can be substantiated, and comply with existing laws.
For instance, one of the new requirements mandates that U.S. citizens submit financial documentation confirming a close relationship with the immigrants they claim to have married. USCIS will be looking for bank statements, joint living arrangements like mortgages or leases, utility bills in both names, photographs of the couples together, and letters from family and friends.
Additionally, the agency plans to increase in-person interviews to evaluate the legitimacy of the marriages. During these interviews, questions will focus on how well the applicants know each other, and the agency will conduct thorough investigations into the immigrants’ histories, including past immigration applications and associated records.
“We are dedicated to protecting American citizens by identifying individuals with potentially harmful intentions so they can be appropriately processed for removal from the U.S.,” said USCIS.
The issue of marriage fraud has persisted for many years, leading to the rise of an entire criminal enterprise aimed at blending foreign nationals with American citizens under the guise of marriage.
Last year, an official in Connecticut was arrested on charges related to an immigrant marriage scam.
Wanda Getter Pataky, a peace justice in New Haven, is alleged to have orchestrated a number of suspicious weddings that appear designed to fraudulently assist immigrants in gaining legal status.
Reports indicate that she hosted over 100 of these marriages within just a month during the Biden administration.
In another instance in 2022, several foreign nationals were indicted for administering a marriage fraud operation that involved soliciting over 400 illegal immigrants for green cards.
Charges were filed against 11 individuals, claiming that they were running an organization that paid American citizens to marry undocumented clients purely for the purpose of securing their green cards and eventually applying for U.S. citizenship from October 2016 to March 2022.
