Short answer: seven steps, one envelope. This is the "do this, then this" version for the most common case: the spouse of a U.S. citizen who is in the United States after a lawful entry and qualifies to apply here. If your spouse is a permanent resident, the petition usually goes first and the application waits for a visa number, unless the category is current that month; see our article on filing the two forms together.

Does this apply to me? Free eligibility check →About 5 minutes. An email address is needed to see your result.

Step 1. Confirm the path before you fill out anything

Three questions decide the route: Is your spouse a citizen or a permanent resident? Did you enter the United States with inspection? If not, this route is generally not available without a special exception. Is there anything in your history that needs a closer look, such as an overstay, work without authorization, a prior marriage, an arrest, or an earlier immigration filing? None of these automatically ends a case, but each can change whether, when, and how you can apply. Our free eligibility check asks exactly these questions.

Step 2. Collect the civil documents

The marriage certificate from the civil authority, proof that every prior marriage of either spouse ended, the applying spouse's birth certificate, passport, visa and arrival record, and proof of the citizen spouse's citizenship. Add evidence that the marriage is real, such as a joint lease, joint accounts, or photos with family, and the sponsoring spouse's tax return and proof of income. Anything not in English needs a full English translation with the translator's signed statement that it is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate. Copies, not originals: USCIS may destroy originals it did not ask for. Where it goes wrong: a prior marriage with no divorce decree, or a birth certificate that is not the kind USCIS accepts for that country.

Step 3. Get the medical exam done before you mail

A USCIS-designated doctor does the exam and seals the completed Form I-693 in an envelope. Do not open it. The sealed envelope goes in the package with the green card application; without it, the application may be rejected. Where it goes wrong: booking the exam after the package is otherwise ready, and then waiting weeks for vaccination records.

Step 4. Fill out the forms, current edition

A typical package has five forms: the petition, the applying spouse's biographic form, the green card application, the financial sponsorship form, and, optionally, the work permit and travel document applications. Each form has an edition date at the bottom of every page, and USCIS rejects a form whose pages come from an edition it no longer accepts. Editions are changing this month: for the green card application, anything postmarked or submitted online on or after September 18, 2026 must be on the new 09/18/26 edition, with no grace period, and the earlier editions are rejected from that day. Where it goes wrong: a form printed months ago, and answers that do not match from one form to the next.

Step 5. Pay each fee separately

Each application or petition that carries a fee is paid separately, by card or from a U.S. bank account on the USCIS payment forms; the biographic and sponsorship forms have no fee of their own. Checks are no longer accepted for paper filings except under a narrow exemption. The current government amounts, and the total range of $2,115 to $3,005, are in our fee article; the medical exam and translations are extra. Where it goes wrong: one payment for the whole package, or an amount from an old fee schedule, either of which gets the package rejected.

Step 6. Assemble the package and send it to the right place

Single-sided letter-size pages, no binders or albums, and a short list on top of what is inside. The mailing address is not one address: USCIS uses several lockboxes and assigns each state to one of them, so New York and New Jersey, for example, mail to different places, and the assignments change. Look up the current chart, and check the form editions again, on the day you mail, and use a service with tracking. Where it goes wrong: a package sent to the wrong lockbox or to a local office.

Step 7. After you mail it

Receipt notices arrive first, one for each application or petition that carried a fee. Then the biometrics appointment, then the interview, which USCIS can sometimes waive. Keep your address current with USCIS after any move, and do not leave the country until the travel document is in hand. Even then, the document does not guarantee re-entry, and whether travel is safe depends on your own record. How long each step takes is in our timing article.

The online route

USCIS also accepts this application online, with the petition uploaded together with it. The rules differ in small ways, for example the medical envelope is opened and uploaded rather than mailed sealed, and the choice between paper and online is worth a conversation before you start.

FAQ

Can we do this ourselves? Yes. The forms are public and no law requires a lawyer. How much work it is depends on Step 1: each of those questions that applies to you changes which forms go in, what evidence goes with them, and sometimes whether this route applies at all.

Do we need a cover letter? It is not required, but a one-page list of what is in the envelope helps you check that nothing was left out.

Can we send original documents? Send clear copies. USCIS says it may destroy originals it did not request and will not return them automatically.

General information only — not legal advice for your case. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

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