Chart: What to Expect When Sponsoring a Fiancé or Spouse for a Green Card

If you are married to or planning to marry someone from another country who wants to join you in the United States, there's no easy answer to the question of, "How soon can we get this immigration process done?" A great deal depends on both your and your foreign-born spouse's place of current residence, your own immigration status or history, and more.

However, no matter how proactive you are in preparing the immigration paperwork, you might still find yourself at the mercy of government processing times. This article will break down the various possibilities and summarize what to expect step by step, depending on:

• the family relationship between the U.S. petitioner and the immigrant (engaged or married)
• whether the petitioner is a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident, and
• where the application will be handled (in the U.S. or by an overseas U.S. consulate).

Scenario #1: Immigrant lives overseas; fiancé is U.S. citizen living in the U.S.

Average time -- As of late 2025, between 7 and 34 months to get the fiancé visa petition (Form I-129F, filed by the U.S. petitioner along with documents and a fee) approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS); then another several months to get the K-1 visa from a U.S. consulate; then after the marriage, another 1 to 2 years to adjust status and get the U.S. green card, depending on which USCIS field office is handling it.

Summary of the Process -- The U.S. citizen starts the process by mailing a Form I-129F petition (Petition for Alien Fiancé) plus supporting documents to a USCIS "lockbox." From there, it will be routed to a USCIS service center for processing. After USCIS approves the I-129F petition, the immigrant submits a visa application form online and attends an interview at a local U.S. consulate, submitting various documents and paying a fee at that time. Soon after the interview, the applicant can be approved for a K-1 fiancé visa with which to enter the United States. The immigrant will have 90 days in the United States in which to get married and apply for a green card by filing Form I-485 (Application for Adjustment of Status) with a USCIS lockbox. The lockbox will forward the case to your local USCIS field office. The immigrant will be called in for fingerprinting (biometrics) then to an interview at a USCIS office, at which the green card (lawful conditional residence) should be approved.

Scenario #2: Immigrant lives overseas; spouse is a U.S. citizen living in the U.S.

Average time -- Between 17 and 64 months to get a Form I-130 petition (Petition for Alien Relative) approved by USCIS as of late 2025; another 6 to 11 months or longer to get an immigrant visa to come to the United States.

Summary of the Process -- The U.S. citizen starts the process by filing a Form I-130, with accompanying documents and fee, either online or by mail to a USCIS lockbox (depending on where the U.S. citizen lives). Once it's approved, the immigrant submits a visa application form online and submits documents and fees to the National Visa Center (NVC). When the NVC is satisfied that all documents are available, it sends the file to the U.S. consulate in the immigrant's home country. An interview at the U.S. consulate will be scheduled, soon after which the immigrant spouse should be approved for an immigrant visa. They'll receive the actual green card after arrival in the United States (after paying a processing fee to USCIS).

The "K-3" visa option -- U.S. immigration laws provide the possibility of obtaining a temporary visa (called a "K-3") for the immigrant spouse to come to the U.S. while the application process for permanent resident status is happening. This was designed to reunite spouses sooner. Unfortunately, you will likely find that if you file a petition for K-3 classification on Form I-129F at the same time as or after your I-130 (as you must), USCIS will not act on your K-3 petition. Rather, it will hold it and just work on the I-130. When it approves the I-130, it will forward the petition directly to the NVC, so the immigrating spouse can start applying for an immigrant visa. The subsequent Form I-129F will then be ignored, nullifying the possibility of pursuing a K-3. Because the foreign spouse can apply for the immigrant visa, there is no longer any need (and indeed, under the law, no feasible way) to apply for a K-3.

Scenario #3: Immigrant lives overseas: U.S. spouse is a U.S. citizen living overseas with them

Average time -- Potentially a bit shorter than Scenario #2.

Summary of the Process -- Check with your local consulate, which might allow the entire immigrant visa application process to be done through its office. Only a very limited number of consulates offer this and only in exceptional circumstances, so you probably won't be able to take advantage of this option and will instead have to start the process by sending an I-130 to USCIS in the United States, as described just above.

Scenario #4: Immigrant lives overseas; spouse is a lawful permanent resident living in the U.S.

Average time -- As of late 2025, between 54 and 97 months for approval of Form I-130 petition; then probably some time on a waiting list (the wait in category 2A was approximately 2 years from I-130 submission in late 2025, according to the State Department's Visa Bulletin; though by the time USCIS approves the I-130, you might have worked off most of those years); then another 5 to 10 months or longer to get the immigrant visa.

Summary of the Process -- The U.S. permanent resident starts the process by submitting a Form I-130 (with accompanying documents and fee) to USCIS, either online or by mail. After the petition is approved, the immigrant might be placed on a waiting list to apply, based on "Priority Date." When the wait (if any) is over, the immigrant will submit a visa application form online and submit documents to the NVC. Even though the NVC can accept the application, the State Department cannot actually issue a visa until the Priority Date (according to when you filed the I-130) is current and a visa is available, so there might be a delay at this point. When the visa becomes available, an interview at the consulate will be scheduled, soon after which the immigrant spouse should be approved for an immigrant visa.

Scenario #5: Immigrant lives in the U.S.; spouse is a lawful permanent resident living in the U.S.

Average time -- As of late 2025, between 54 and 97 months to get the Form I-130 approved by USCIS; around 2 years from I-130 submission on the Visa Bulletin waiting list, and the rest dependent on various circumstances too complex to encapsulate here.

Summary of the Process -- The U.S. permanent resident starts the process by filing a Form I-130 with USCIS, together with supporting documents and a fee, either online or by mail to a USCIS lockbox. After the petition is approved, the immigrant is placed on a waiting list to apply (but might by then have worked off much of their wait time while USCIS was processing the I-130 approval). Figuring out whether the immigrant spouse can apply from within the United States or must go back to their home country to get a visa might require an attorney's help, because unless the immigrant has a separate, unexpired visa or other status, they cannot legally wait in the United States (assuming there's a wait for a current priority date at that time, as there usually is). Even after the wait, the immigrant might be unable to apply for the green card without leaving the United States for a consular interview, which might expose them to time-bar penalties preventing return for several years without a waiver.

Scenario #6: Immigrant is living in the U.S. after a legal entry (visa or ESTA); spouse is a U.S. citizen living in the U.S.

Average time -- Eight to 20 months as of late 2025, using the process known as adjustment of status, which is handled entirely by USCIS.

Summary of the Process -- The U.S. citizen and immigrant prepare a packet of documents, including a Form I-130 and an "adjustment of status" application on Form I-485, and submit it and a fee all at once, or "concurrently," to USCIS. (Adjusting status is normally allowed to people who overstayed a visa and married a U.S. citizen, but check with an attorney on this; reports are that USCIS is sometimes less lenient on this matter.) As soon as that application is filed, the immigrant's stay in the U.S. becomes legal—even if they overstayed a visa. The immigrant will eventually be called in to a local USCIS office for fingerprinting (biometrics), and will later need to attend an interview at a USCIS office, at which the green card should be approved.

Scenario #7: Immigrant lives in the U.S. after an illegal entry; spouse is a U.S. citizen living in the U.S.

Average time -- Around 17 and 64 months (as of late 2025) for approval of the Form I-130, and additional time depending on individual circumstances.

Summary of the Process -- The U.S. citizen starts the process by filing a Form I-130 with USCIS, together with supporting documents and a fee, either online or by mail. However, you'll probably need to see a lawyer, because the immigrant might be unable to apply for the green card without leaving the United States, which could expose them to penalties preventing return for up to 10 years. The immigrant might be able to apply for a waiver of unlawful presence to avoid such penalties, but this process will almost certainly require legal counsel.

Getting Legal Help

You can probably tell from the above that there is no quick way through the process of getting a U.S. green card based on a family relationship. And some cases inevitably get denied, as described in Visa or Green Card Denied: What to Do. That's why having an experienced immigration attorney by your side, to help you strategize, prepare the paperwork, and to monitor the progress of your case, can be well worth the cost.