Marriage No Longer a Guarantee for US Green Card, Experts Warn

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Washington: Securing a U.S. Green Card through marriage is no longer a guaranteed pathway as the current administration intensifies its scrutiny of immigration programs. According to prominent immigration attorney Brad Bernstein, federal authorities are moving beyond legal paperwork to focus on the "good faith" of a relationship. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is now placing a critical emphasis on cohabitation, with Bernstein warning that spouses who live apart, regardless of the reason, face an immediate risk of rejection or investigation for fraud. The official stance is that a bona fide marriage requires couples to share a home daily to prove they are not simply circumventing immigration laws.

This heightened vetting comes amid a broader crackdown on immigration under President Donald Trump. Following high-profile violent incidents involving permanent residents, the administration has ordered a comprehensive review of Green Cards held by individuals from 19 "countries of concern." Additionally, the government has suspended the Diversity Visa Lottery and reduced the duration of work permits for applicants to 18 months. These shifts signal a more restrictive environment where even "immediate relatives" must provide extensive proof of a shared life to maintain their path to American citizenship.