USCIS Clarifies Marriage Types Eligible for Green Cards and Visas

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has clarified the types of marriages that qualify for Green Card and visa applications. The agency recognizes four types of unions, including civil marriages, religious marriages, common-law marriages, and gay marriages.

Civil marriages, conducted through a government registry or court, are among the most straightforward to assess and are widely accepted. Religious marriages, performed in a church or other recognized faith institution, may also qualify as long as they hold legal weight in the country where they took place.

Common-law marriages, where a couple lives together and presents themselves publicly as married without a formal ceremony, can be considered in jurisdictions where such arrangements are legally recognized. Gay marriages are also included within the scope of qualifying unions, consistent with legal developments that extended federal recognition to such partnerships in the US.

A marriage certificate alone is not enough to guarantee a successful application. USCIS reviews every case individually and places considerable emphasis on whether the marriage is bona fide, meaning the couple entered the union genuinely, and not primarily to secure an immigration benefit.