Dear Parents of Brides and Grooms Living the World Over!

First of all, my congratulations to your son/daughter on his/ her receiving the most "coveted" prize that all Indians "throng" to get ~ a priceless possession ~ " U.S.A. The Green Card".

While the Green Card relieves an Immigrant the "mental agony and anguish" that most of us go through, in seeking it and while being in different "uncertain" visa status until we get it, it also brings certain challenges in boys/girls seeking to get married, in that one cannot marry any one of her/his choice from anywhere in the world freely, any more!

UNLESS OF COURSE HE/SHE IS CLOSE TO GETTING HER CITIZENSHIP! Which process takes about 5 years in being on a “Green Card” status.

GREEN CARDS are Immigrant visas that are granted to many eligible dependents of U.S. citizens under various preferences, their children besides those who filed for H1B visa holders transitioning into Green Card, usually sponsored by their employers. These Green Card Holders are also called Permanent Residents. Availability Green Cards is limited on the "Quota" of Green Cards granted to each country every year, so the prospect of one getting a Green Card as a dependent of U.S. citizens stretches out to almost 15-20 years now. Since the total number of Green Cards is limited in numbers by quota to every country, every year, different for different countries, and since everyone from India is lumped into that pool of "quota for GC for India", sometimes the availability of the visa numbers extends the time as to how soon one can get them; often, H1B visa holders transitioning into the Green Card category are limited by visa availability number under Green Card category, which I understand is about 3,000 ~ 5,000 or so per year! Reportedly there was a provision included in the 2013 Immigration Reforms Bill introduced and passed by the Senate to hand out Green Cards to those who have graduated with a M.S. Degree from the U.S. but the House of Congress has decided to not move ahead with Immigration Reforms Bill of the Senate version! There is no knowing, if and when this Bill will move through the House this year!

GREEN CARD HOLDERS cannot be away from the U.S. for an extended period of time, beyond 6 months, without obtaining a parole ~ otherwise their re-entry is becoming an altogether difficult with a different procedure to reapply and seek re-entry. It is an inconvenience that Parents of children who have become Green Card holders go through, because they have to be back in the U.S. every six months to keep their GC "alive"!

For you the brides from India and other countries, seeking bridegrooms who are Green Card Holders or Permanent Residents, from the U.S., our advice would be: You can NOW get married Green Card holders from the U.S. and can join your spouses in the U.S. on Green Cards under the Second Preference F2A category visa (granted for Spouses) and (unmarried children under 21) soon, as the F2A category visa has moved to "Current" Status as of September 9, 2013, in so many years! and is stalled there right now! This means that those Green Card Holders can get married to brides from India and Other Countries and expect their Spouses to join them quickly! My guess is the wait could still be for about a year to year-and-a-half! based on current date of September 9, 2013. If it does not move from there quickly, the wait for brides from India joining their Green Card Holder spouses could take much longer!

About 21 months ago, F2A category visa (granted to spouses of Green Card Holders) came onto the "Current" Status on the radar screen of the Department of Immigration for a week or so and then it "blinked"! moving back to "backlog" situation, pushing back the "waiting game" for the spouses of Green Card holders into a few years! I am keeping my "fingers crossed" that, that is NOT the situation this time! Parents of brides from India have been very "wary" of "giving away" their daughters in matrimony to Green Card Holders, because of the huge backlog! and waiting time involved for their daughters to join their husbands in the U.S. With the 2FA category moving to "Current" status recently, the waiting time to join your spouses in the U.S., has been greatly reduced. For those on F1 and/or H1B status in the U.S., you can marry Green Card Holders and seek a change of your visa status and get a Green Card soon! Be sure to talk to your Immigration Attorney on your specifics! 2FA spouses joining their husbands on a Green Card can take up jobs right away upon arrival! they do not face a situation like the H4's marrying H1B's.

DISCLAIMER: In the U.S. only a practicing Immigration Attorney can give advice on immigration matters; I am not a qualified and practicing Immigration attorney, thus cannot give specific advice on immigration matters! What has been discussed above, by way of sharing immigration information, is based on broad general guidelines obtaining (only) and may not apply to specific individual cases ~ you should contact an Immigration Attorney for your specifics.