Blog — marriage green card columns by attorney Jin D. Cho
Columns attorney Jin D. Cho wrote for a daily newspaper on the marriage green card. New columns are added as they run.
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Facts Left Off Your Citizenship Application Can Surface When You Sponsor Family
When a U.S. citizen files a family petition, USCIS also checks how that person got citizenship. What the September 14 denaturalization guidance changed.
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Tourist Visa Marriage Green Card: Entry Statements Outweigh 90 Days
Married a U.S. citizen after a tourist visa or ESTA entry? Whether entry statements match later records matters more than waiting 90 days. What USCIS…
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Government Assistance Received From September 18 Can Affect Your Green Card Review
From September 18 only the new edition of the green card application is accepted. Three lawsuits did not stop the rule from taking effect, and both the…
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Court Postpones the Four-Year Limit on F and J Status
A federal court postponed the rule giving F and J status a fixed four-year end date one day before it was to take effect. Learn which form editions USCIS…
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When One Receipt Notice Never Arrives After an Online Filing
When an online filing produces fewer receipt notices than applications, here is what to check and in what order. Receipt notices come one per fee-bearing…
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Past Visa Answers Can Put a Green Card Application at Risk
When old visa answers differ from the facts, review intent, materiality, preparer errors, timely retraction, and whether a misrepresentation waiver is…
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If You Receive Government Assistance Now, Sort It Out Before You File. It Gets Risky From September 18
From Sept. 18, 2026 the public charge review changes. How a spouse''s past benefits, a child''s benefits, and the applicant''s own are treated, plus…
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If the Sponsor Has a Credit Freeze, the Green Card Review May Be Delayed
New Form I-864 (08/24/26) adds a credit check consent; a credit freeze can delay review. Old edition accepted through Sept. 30; new only from Oct. 1.
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Couples Waiting for a Green Card: A Short Trip Abroad Just Became Risky
For couples waiting on a marriage green card, travel on advance parole now risks a 3- or 10-year bar if unlawful presence accrued. How to check first.
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Married to a Student? Set Your Filing Date Before September 15
Student status gets an expiration date on Sept. 15, 2026. What a student married to a U.S. citizen must decide this month, plus I-765, I-485 and I-864…
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Real Couples Are Now Asked More at the Marriage Interview
On August 12, 2026, federal prosecutors announced the indictment of 11 people accused of running an organized marriage fraud scheme for more than a…
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Starting September 15, Filing With the Old Edition Gets You Rejected Outright
On September 15 and 18, 2026, USCIS is switching three forms to new editions: Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization), Form I-539…
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Starting September 18, Having Received Medicaid Will Count Against Green Card Applicants
On August 18, 2026, USCIS issued Policy Alert PA-2026-09, containing new public charge review standards. This guidance takes effect on September 18, 2026…
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Miss One Document Now, and Your Case Gets Denied Outright
On August 5, 2026, USCIS issued Policy Alert PA-2026-05, amending the Policy Manual. If an application is filed missing initial evidence that the form…
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Indian employment immigration has stopped, and visa pathways for permanent resident spouses have opened significantly
August Visa Bulletin — The final two months of the fiscal year brought both visa backlogs and family-sponsored advancements
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Medicaid and Food Stamps Back on the Green Card Review Table
Effective September 18, the receipt time is the baseline.
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The era when marriage made obtaining permanent residency easy is over.
Verification from Couple Separation Interviews to Reason for Procedure Selection – Changes in Marriage-Based Green Card Review
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Immigration documents to disclose 10 years of social media history — Green card and citizenship forms to be revised
Includes closed accounts and expanded family information items
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If your application is denied, you will face deportation proceedings
Meaning of Notice to Appear (NTA) and the Changed Structure After the 2025 Policy Change
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Things to do in the first year after receiving permanent residency
Address Reporting, Taxes, Re-entry, and Citizenship Preparation Often Missed by New Permanent Residents
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What Has Changed Within a Month of Applying for a Green Card in the U.S.
Policy PM-602-0199: Enhanced Discretion in Adjustment of Status (AOS) - What H-1B Applicants with Citizen Spouses Need to Know
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Two Address Change Notifications to Handle When Moving — USCIS and the Immigration Court Are Separate Systems
Confusing a USCIS address change (AR-11) with an immigration court (EOIR) address change will result in hearing notices being sent to the wrong place.
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Recalled fingerprints, redrawn schedules
USCIS-FBI Enhanced Background Checks Implemented on April 27th and What's Happening to Applicants with Pending Cases
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K-1 and K-3 Visa Social Media Checks — What Changed on March 30, 2026
Since March 30, 2026, K-1, K-2 and K-3 applicants are told to set every social media profile to public. What is new, what is not, and where couples'…
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Before the Interview Room on a Spring Day
Long preparation for a 30-minute permanent residency interview