Marriage to US Citizen No Green Card Guarantee: Attorney Warns

• Marrying a US citizen no longer guarantees a Green Card, despite "immediate relative status" exempting from visa limits.
• Immigration attorney Brad Bernstein emphasizes that marriage alone is insufficient; cohabitation is crucial for approval.
• USCIS scrutinizes the "totality of circumstances," including shared home, joint finances, and consistent interviews, not just marriage certificates.
• Living apart, even for valid reasons like work or school, raises red flags and can lead to denial, warns Bernstein.
• Many receive conditional Green Cards, requiring further proof of genuine marriage to remove conditions and gain permanent residency.

Why It Matters: Marriage to a US citizen allows qualification but doesn't guarantee a Green Card; genuine shared life is key.