Green card application mistakes – 3 things to avoid

Many people think that a green card application through the normal routine would be too much of a hassle, and instead go for a shortcut - to marry a US citizen for the same. Although this might be true that the process is indeed faster, it is certainly not any easier, to the point that many realize after applying through marriage that they would have been better off doing it on an individual basis.

Following are some of the mistakes US citizens and their spouses make while passing through the green card application process.

First, many applicants think that subway citations and similar incidents do not require disclosure during the application process.. However, only later do they realize the mistake of hiding or ignoring such details, since the incident(s) are found out sooner or later and become a point of rejection of application. It is a genuine practice that the applicant must specify all citations, detentions or arrests, irrespective of the age when the same happened, or the city or country where that happened. The only information that is not required is speeding and parking tickets.

The second point which is another major mistake applicants make is not understanding the importance of the affidavit of support. This document is used by government authorities to confirm if the applicant's financial standing is enough to sustain his stay in the country. The sponsor, in this case, errs in this process by not providing the correct documents to support the person's green card application. Another mistake in this case is to not understand when the immigrant's income/assets can be included, as well as failing to provide a joint or co-sponsor when the applicant does not meet the eligibility criteria.

Lastly, another mistake committed by applicants is that they forget or ignore certain facts during the interview, apart from the arrest case as mentioned above. This might not be intentional, but keep it in mind that you need to explain everything that is asked of you, to increase the chances of getting your green car application approved.


College ParkHigh is a retired immigration professional having an experience of more than 30 years in the industry. These days, he runs his own consultancy firm and writes to guide people towards the right path to migrate to the US, Green card application.