Many people fall in love quite unexpectedly. Sometimes, people meet over the internet or while on vacation and fall in love with someone from another country. Fortunately, there are options.
Immigrants may be able to receive permanent residence and citizenship by marrying someone who is already a U.S. citizen. After providing evidence that a marriage is valid and the relationship is truthful, an immigrant can earn a marriage green card. With a marriage green card, immigrants can seek work and education on U.S. soil.
However, divorce is just as prevalent as marriage. When an immigrant who received a marriage green card faces a divorce, many people fear they’ll be deported. Is it a real possibility to lose your immigrant status after divorce? Here’s what you should know:
The chances are low, but not entirely gone
If an immigrant is through their immigration and naturalization process, then they likely have a low chance of being deported after a divorce from a U.S. citizen. However, if the immigration process is still ongoing, then an immigrant may have a higher chance of deportation.
Likewise, there may be an investigation into a marriage to see if it happened for only the green card. This is likely because a lot of nonimmigrants take fraudulent measures to earn citizenship, such as through sham marriages.
Some people do fall in love, however, and then divorce. This shouldn’t be a reason for a nonimmigrant to be deported. If you’re facing deportation, then you may need to know your legal rights.
