will USCIS be suspicious about anything if we marry and adjust?

[CluelessAmerican 0]

I'm a US citizen. My fiancée and I are planning to marry and adjust in about a month, shortly before her J-1 visa expires. She is not subject to the 2-year home residency requirement, so we are able to do this. Our relationship is real and serious, but this is sooner than we had planned to get married, so I'm wondering if USCIS might be suspicious, and in general how we can present the best possible case.

 

I read this page listing possible red flags for USCIS. Below is a summary of how it fits our situation. I would really appreciate any advice on what, if anything, we actually need to worry about, in particular the timing of the marriage, shared address, and joint accounts/assets. Many thanks!

 

• No shared language. Not an issue. We actually share two languages. 
• Vast difference in age. Not an issue.
• Difference in religion. Not really an issue. I'm nominally Jewish but not observant. She's Catholic, but somewhat casual about it.
• Difference in social class or cultural background. About as minimal as it could be, given that I'm American and she's Mexican. We come from similar backgrounds in our respective countries.
• Difference in race. I'm white by US standards. Um, what race are Mexicans?
• Unequal educational background. Not an issue.
• Different addresses. We don't live together yet, but plan to do so after getting married. Should we do this as soon as possible, or can we afford to wait a month or so?
• Same house, but no actual interaction. Not an issue.
• Secret marriage. Probably not an issue. Our families and close friends will definitely know. We'd like to not announce it more widely for about a year (approximately the time we would have gotten married, had immigration issues not intervened) via a proper reception/party.
• All-too-convenient timing of marriage. Guilty as charged.
• Attempts to manufacture evidence of shared life right before the interview. How important is it to have joint accounts and assets? Should we make sure not to delay retitling cars, creating joint bank accounts, etc.? We rent, so there is no house.
• Marriage soon after you met. We've known each other for a year and a half, but we've only had a serious relationship for about three months. We feel a bit pressured in getting married this soon, but want to do it because we both feel the relationship is very special and there's only a small chance it won't work out.
• Marriage soon after a divorce. Not an issue.
• History of U.S. petitioner sponsoring other spousal immigrants. Not an issue.
• Noncitizen comes from a country with a history of immigration fraud. Well, yes.
• No children if woman is of childbearing age. Not really sure why they'd expect children already a few months after the marriage. We'll most likely have kids someday, however.
• Impoverished U.S. citizen or resident petitioner. Not an issue.
• History of crimes, fraud, or lies by either spouse. Not an issue.

[millefleur 5,047]

No, they shouldn't be suspicious. People marry and adjust all the time. It's really common for people to marry and adjust. There are cases where it takes forever to adjust and you're stuck in some kind of limbo without a a green card for ages (can even take years) but this is very rare and usually just caused by bureaucratic bad luck. Most people marry and adjust without issues.

 

 

[CluelessAmerican 0]

8 hours ago, millefleur said:

No, they shouldn't be suspicious. People marry and adjust all the time. It's really common for people to marry and adjust. There are cases where it takes forever to adjust and you're stuck in some kind of limbo without a a green card for ages (can even take years) but this is very rare and usually just caused by bureaucratic bad luck. Most people marry and adjust without issues.

Thanks for the reassurance. So basically, we shouldn't stress too much about making sure to check all the boxes on the list and just do things in our life in the way we otherwise would?

[-Trinity- 513]

My husband and I have some of the things listed that are supposedly red flags:
We married a half year after we met and he got his divorce a couple days before we got married ( they were separated for 4 years though but no actual divorce until he met me)
I am 9 years older 
We are from different races 
He is republican, I am a leftie :-)
I'm not worried about it cause we know that our marriage is genuine as can be despite all the "red flags".
 

I think you guys will be fine, try to get as much evidence as possible: joint bank accounts, car insurance on both of the names, utility bills.
 

[CluelessAmerican 0]

4 hours ago, Dutchie2016 said:

I think you guys will be fine, try to get as much evidence as possible: joint bank accounts, car insurance on both of the names, utility bills.

Thanks for the information and sharing your experience! We plan to do some/all of these things in the next few weeks -- maybe before we get married or maybe after, but well in advance of the interview. She won't be able to move in with me for a few weeks after the marriage, but I could probably still put her on the lease and make the utility bills in both our names.

 

This whole thing is kind of a stressful process but it's also very exciting. 

Edited June 26, 2017 by CluelessAmerican

[-Trinity- 513]

It is very exciting and sometimes nerve wrecking but in the end everything will be fine :-)

 

Good luck and congratulations with your upcoming marriage!