Maria, from Mexico City, has been chatting with Paul, from Denver, Colorado, over the Internet. Their relationship reached a level where they decided to get engaged. In March 2009, Paul invited Maria to meet his parents. Maria landed in Houston, Texas and entered Customs as her first stop in the United States. Immigration officer noticed Paul’s letter to Maria indicating his intention to get married. And, to Maria’s surprise, he told her that she could not enter the United States and had to go back to Mexico.

What went wrong? Maria obtained tourist visa from the U.S. Embassy’s consular section in Mexico City. Tourist visa was not the appropriate visa for people who intend to get married as reflected in Paul’s letter. What a big frustration for Maria and Paul!

Now, Paul is working with an immigration attorney to find a solution. Getting fiance visa followed up by a marriage within 90 days seems to be the right direction. Paul will prepare an invitation letter. National Visa Center will send the papers to U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. Maria will submit certified translation of her birth certificate, single status statement, and few other papers to be able to come to the U.S.

Getting Your Green Card

You may apply for Green Card under the following categories: (a) marrying an American citizen; (b) engaging to marry your U.S. citizen fiancé; (c) asking your family relatives (your father, mother, husband, wife, brother, sister, children over 21) who are “citizens” of United States; (d) asking your close family members (your father, mother, husband, wife) of Albanian origin, who have Green Card; (e) receiving employment offer from an American employer; (f) winning Diversity Visa Lottery in your native country; (g) investing your money in United States; (h) qualifying as special immigrant (recognized religious workers, foreign medical graduates, etc.); (i) requesting humanitarian protection (asylum, refugee) from persecution or fearing based on your race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group in your native country.

ACR Language Translation Services, subsidiary of ACR Systems Inc., founded in 1982, provides certified translation for Green Card when you apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS, formerly Immigration and Naturalization Service – INS) for its clients applying for Green Card (permanent resident visa) and U.S. citizenship.