{"id":4731,"date":"2026-07-06T09:39:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T09:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=4731"},"modified":"2026-07-06T09:39:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T09:39:11","slug":"marriage-used-to-be-a-glide-path-to-citizenship-now-there-are-more-speed-bumps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=4731","title":{"rendered":"Marriage used to be a glide path to citizenship. Now there are more speed bumps"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div><\/div> <p>The Trump administration&#8217;s sweeping effort to slow down the rate of legal migration has affected a group traditionally immune from such efforts: spouses of U.S. citizens.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=4723\">These Medicare beneficiaries thought their drug plan was free. Then they lost it<\/a><\/p> <p>The administration has implemented a slew of policy changes since President Trump returned to the White House last year, ranging from pausing immigrant visas for people from 75 countries to imposing greater scrutiny of applicants at green card interviews and widening the scope of who is a target for deportation. The changes have hit all immigrants hard, including those who sought to enter and stay in the country through marriage.<\/p>\n<p>Some non-U.S.-citizen spouses have been separated from their American loved ones and are afraid to engage with the U.S. immigration system, according to lawyers and NPR interviews with affected families.<\/p> <p>&#8220;Life has become a lot more difficult for Americans who are married to somebody who is not born in this country,&#8221; said Ashley DeAzevedo, executive director of American Families United. The organization advocates for U.S. citizen spouses and immediate family members of those engaged in various immigration processes.<\/p> <p>The organization&#8217;s membership has grown over the last year as more people are affected by the rapid policy changes, she said. Now there are about 1.4 million people seeking the group&#8217;s support in the U.S., and about 300,000 outside the country \u2014 made up of people who have left the U.S., as well as those who want to come in.<\/p> <div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A person tries to use the CBP One app on their phone.\" class=\"wp-image-4728\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/50f37a83349775894939530e09992073-768x512.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/50f37a83349775894939530e09992073-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/50f37a83349775894939530e09992073-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/50f37a83349775894939530e09992073.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n <div>\n<h3>Immigration <\/h3>\n<h3>Immigrants now have fewer legal options to stay in the U.S. under Trump<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5850322-100\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" -->\n<p>&#8220;We saw so many of our members make the decision to self-deport, to leave the country for fear of this indefinite detention,&#8221; DeAzevedo said. &#8220;We saw some members who had their spouses detained \u2014 and that was something we had not experienced previously because there was always this prioritization of who was going to be detained.&#8221;<\/p> <p>Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the United States government has always vetted and scrutinized immigrants who sought to stay in the U.S. through marriage.<\/p>\n<!-- END ID=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" CLASS=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" ARIA-LABEL=\"RECOMMENDED STORIES\" -->\n<p>However, while applying to stay, spouses of U.S. citizens were generally not swept up in broader immigration enforcement efforts.<\/p> <p>&#8220;This group of individuals have always had a special place under the law,&#8221; Dheini said. &#8220;Spouses of U.S. citizens aren&#8217;t subject to the immigrant quotas. They don&#8217;t have to have a cap. Spouses of U.S. citizens don&#8217;t [have to have maintained] their legal status here in order to adjust. And so the law has considered them to be a privileged class.<\/p> <p>&#8220;But this administration is treating them like all other immigrants.&#8221;<\/p> <div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Inside the coordinated strategy to radically reshape U.S. immigration\" class=\"wp-image-4265\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/72344b31877c10a17e0a3c8d5c4b8b85-768x432.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/72344b31877c10a17e0a3c8d5c4b8b85-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/72344b31877c10a17e0a3c8d5c4b8b85-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/72344b31877c10a17e0a3c8d5c4b8b85.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n <div>\n<h3>Immigration <\/h3>\n<h3>Inside the coordinated strategy to radically reshape U.S. immigration<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5850322-101\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" -->\n<p>The administration says prior presidents should also have scrutinized such marriage-related applications more closely, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is just complying with the law.<\/p> <p>In a statement to NPR, USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler said verifying identities and personal histories of all people seeking immigration benefits, like a green card or citizenship, requires a rigorous process \u2014 &#8220;one that prioritizes the safety of the American people by more thoroughly screening and vetting all aliens.&#8221;<\/p> <p>He said just marrying a U.S. citizen and beginning the petition process does not protect someone from deportation.<\/p> <p>&#8220;A pending or approved Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, does not confer any immigration status. All aliens are expected to comply with U.S. immigration laws,&#8221; Kahler said. &#8220;Those who entered without inspection or who remain in the United States beyond their permitted stay are illegal aliens who may be subject to immigration enforcement action.&#8221;<\/p> <h3>Family and fianc\u00e9 petitions make up nearly half of green card approvals<\/h3> <p>Immediate family sponsorship, including for spouses and fianc\u00e9s, is one of the top ways U.S. citizens interact with the immigration system.<\/p> <p>The latest data released by the Homeland Security Department, from 2024, shows that about 343,000 people received their green cards through their spouses \u2014 about a quarter of all green card approvals. For about a decade, the number has hovered somewhere between 200,000 and 340,000 people.<\/p>\n<p>The number of approved green cards doubles when accounting for other immediate family members who can provide sponsorship for immigrants, like children and parents. That suggests how important this pathway is for U.S. citizens and their immigrant family members.<\/p> <p>The average processing time for each petition was 13 months for family members, and seven months for fianc\u00e9s \u2014 largely in line with wait times from early 2025, before Trump&#8217;s policies took effect.<\/p> <p>In the first quarter of the 2026 fiscal year, 167,401 immediate family relative petitions were approved, and 8,612 fianc\u00e9 petitions were approved.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=4711\">The U.S. faces Belgium in the World Cup on the heels of Trump-Infantino red card call<\/a><\/p> <p>The number of petitions approved has generally increased and decreased across administrations.<\/p> <div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Stuck in limbo: millions of professionals risk losing legal status under Trump pause\" class=\"wp-image-324\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3ccf5035b42f987223952d4fc99346b6-768x432.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3ccf5035b42f987223952d4fc99346b6-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3ccf5035b42f987223952d4fc99346b6-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3ccf5035b42f987223952d4fc99346b6.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n <div>\n<h3>Immigration <\/h3>\n<h3>Stuck in limbo: millions of professionals risk losing legal status under Trump pause<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5850322-102\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" -->\n<h3>Chaos for U.S. citizens, including military members<\/h3> <p>The data may mask other ways non-citizen spouses could be affected. That&#8217;s particularly true for those from one of over 70 countries that face holds for a wide range of travel and immigrant visas.<\/p> <p>One such case is Es&#8217;s, a green card holder married to a U.S. citizen. She was born in one of the 39 countries subject to a travel ban to the U.S., which was implemented last year. The pause means that although she has been in the country for three decades, her application for citizenship filed last year has not yet been reviewed.<\/p> <p>There is no exception to the travel ban, even for spouses of U.S. military members.<\/p> <div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Earlier this month, immigration authorities gave Sae Joon Park an ultimatum: leave voluntarily or face detention and deportation. He departed for South Korea on Monday morning.\" class=\"wp-image-4729\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2247e14b1250302251022fc907d5b876-768x432.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2247e14b1250302251022fc907d5b876-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2247e14b1250302251022fc907d5b876-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2247e14b1250302251022fc907d5b876.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n <div>\n<h3>National <\/h3>\n<h3>Purple Heart Army veteran self-deports after nearly 50 years in the U.S.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5850322-103\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" -->\n<p>The last few months have thrown the couples&#8217; lives into chaos.<\/p> <p>&#8220;We are due to [move] to Germany,&#8221; Es said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because her husband is in the Army and her immigration case is pending. &#8220;We were actually due to leave in July but had to push it to October to see if we can get [my citizenship] done.&#8221;<\/p> <p>The couple is now grappling with what to do with the house they own, whether they would have to travel separately, and what Es&#8217;s lack of citizenship means for their two young U.S. citizen children \u2014 as well as their belongings.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That&#8217;ll mess up his readiness [for military service],&#8221; Es said in an interview. &#8220;He&#8217;ll be thousands of miles away and he has to think about his job and will be worried about us and that is just not fair.&#8221; A federal judge ruled the pause was unlawful, but her case has still not moved.<\/p> <p>&#8220;This is not impacting people who have done anything wrong. This is impacting everyone,&#8221; she said.<\/p> <div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"President Trump holds up a bill funding immigration enforcement after signing it in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Washington.\" class=\"wp-image-4039\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/bcace109e06945bee200f7e8e23142a5-768x512.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/bcace109e06945bee200f7e8e23142a5-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/bcace109e06945bee200f7e8e23142a5-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/bcace109e06945bee200f7e8e23142a5.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n <div>\n<h3>National <\/h3>\n<h3>As Supreme Court expands Trump&#8217;s immigration power, experts warn of steeper U.S. population decline<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5850322-104\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" -->\n<p>It&#8217;s not just the bans and pauses. Several people told NPR that delays at the consulates are also contributing to strain, and leaving some spouses or fianc\u00e9s without any legal status at all.<\/p> <p>&#8220;People who are marrying U.S. citizens often are no longer in status, whether they came in legally and then their status expired or their status was terminated, like if they had [temporary protected status],&#8221; Dheini said.<\/p> <p>&#8220;And then there&#8217;s extra scrutiny being applied to them now,&#8221; she said, in reference to the USCIS approach to all applications.<\/p> <h3>Chilling effect on engaging with the process<\/h3> <p>Advocates say recent policy changes have amped up scrutiny of all immigration applications and chipped away at families&#8217; willingness to engage with the government.<\/p> <p>USCIS officers are instructed to conduct more interviews. A memo last month encouraged officers to consider if someone had returned to their home country to apply for a green card when reviewing their application; those who stay in the U.S. may face longer and more intrusive vetting. Trump has also asked financial institutions to review the bank accounts of those in the U.S. without permanent status.<\/p> <div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"An information packet and an American flag are placed on a chair at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Miami Field Office on Aug. 17, 2018, in Miami.\" class=\"wp-image-4730\" height=\"487\" src=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8eeb35f628707ce36118afcbc8bceca4-768x487.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8eeb35f628707ce36118afcbc8bceca4-768x487.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8eeb35f628707ce36118afcbc8bceca4-300x190.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8eeb35f628707ce36118afcbc8bceca4.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n <div>\n<h3>Immigration <\/h3>\n<h3>Trump administration to force foreigners in the U.S. to apply for a green card abroad<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n<\/div>\n<!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5850322-105\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" -->\n<p>Eric Welsh, an immigration attorney in California, said clients must prepare for questions about when and how they applied for a green card, including providing evidence of &#8220;good moral character&#8221; and other information \u2014 something that previously wasn&#8217;t required for those seeking to gain permanent residency or U.S. citizenship through marriage.<\/p> <p>&#8220;What&#8217;s important to keep in mind is that spouses are vulnerable,&#8221; Welsh said, noting that while there are some pathways to be granted something like a green card or citizenship, it&#8217;s not guaranteed. &#8220;There&#8217;s no absolute right to remain and there&#8217;s no absolute right to be afforded adjustment to status. And so I think that&#8217;s something that most people don&#8217;t commonly understand, especially not the U.S. citizens.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He and DeAzevedo have seen some families hesitate to move forward in their immigration cases.<\/p> <p>&#8220;[This] has had an absolute chilling effect on many people in this country and their desire to put their spouse in that position,&#8221; DeAzevedo said.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=4705\">Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine\u2019s capital kills at least 10<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spouses of U.S. citizens have traditionally had a special place in immigration law. That&#8217;s no longer the case, according to the administration and immigration lawyers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[114],"tags":[411,1077,412],"class_list":["post-4731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-immigration","tag-citizenship","tag-marriage","tag-u-s-citizenship-and-immigration-services"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Marriage used to be a glide path to citizenship. Now there are more speed bumps - Best USA Movers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=4731\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Marriage used to be a glide path to citizenship. Now there are more speed bumps - Best USA Movers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Spouses of U.S. citizens have traditionally had a special place in immigration law. 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