Christy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has.
Christy Bieber, J.D. ContributorChristy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has.
Written By Christy Bieber, J.D. ContributorChristy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has.
Christy Bieber, J.D. ContributorChristy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has.
Contributor Jeffrey Johnson, J.D. Deputy Legal EditorJeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or.
Jeffrey Johnson, J.D. Deputy Legal EditorJeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or.
Jeffrey Johnson, J.D. Deputy Legal EditorJeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or.
Jeffrey Johnson, J.D. Deputy Legal EditorJeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or.
| Deputy Legal Editor
Published: May 22, 2024, 3:33am
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Marriage fraud is a serious crime that occurs when two people enter into a marriage for the purpose of helping one of them obtain status as a U.S. citizen.
This type of fraud is common, since spouses of citizens or permanent residents get fast-track access to green cards that enable them to live and work in the U.S. and eventually become permanent residents or citizens themselves.
It’s important to understand what fraudulent marriages are, how they work, how United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) detects them and what consequences come with marrying for immigration status.
Marriage fraud happens when any person knowingly gets married for the specific purposes of evading immigration laws.
This usually involves a marriage between a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident and an undocumented immigrant or foreign national. The couple legally marries, which includes obtaining a marriage certificate and complying with state requirements for becoming legally wed. They often even have a marriage ceremony and exchange vows.
However, the purpose of the marriage is not for the couple to live together as spouses and build a life together. The purpose of the marriage is for the noncitizen spouse to get on the fast track to becoming a U.S. citizen, since speedy immigration is a privilege given to those married to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
Fraudulent marriage is often referred to as “green-card marriage,” and it is a crime.
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ContributorChristy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has appeared on Forbes, CNN Underscored Money, Investopedia, Credit Karma, The Balance, USA Today, and Yahoo Finance, among others.
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