Question: I am preparing to apply for a green card through marriage. My spouse and I have both written letters explaining how we met and decided to get married. Should we ask our friends and family to write us letters of support?

Answer: Yes, letters from friends and family members attesting to the genuineness of your marriage can help your green card application. When USCIS receives a marriage green card application, one of USCIS’s primary goals is to determine which applications are fraudulent and which are genuine. People who enter into fake marriages solely for the purpose of obtaining a green card usually do not want to tell their friends and family that they are married. Providing a letter from your friends or family is therefore a good way to prove that you are in a genuine marital relationship.

The importance of letters of support in a marriage green card application 

When the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reviews a marriage green card application, one of its primary goals is to root out fraudulent applications, i.e., marriages entered for the purpose of obtaining a green card. People who get married for the primary purpose of obtaining a green card usually do not want their friends or family members to know what they are doing. Therefore, when applying for a marriage green card, if you can provide letters from friends or family members attesting to the genuineness of your marriage, this can help your application. 

Tips for writing letters of support 

In addition to other documentation, letters of support from your friends and family members can improve your chances of a successful marriage green card application. Here are some tips to follow when gathering letters of support: 

• You should attempt to provide letters from two mutual friends or family members who know you and your spouse well. You can provide more than two letters if you want, but keep in mind that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to letters of support. In other words, two strong, convincing letters are enough to help improve the overall strength of your marriage green card application. 

• The content of each letter should make it clear to USCIS that the writer knows both you and your spouse. In previous green card marriage application denials, USCIS has explicitly referenced the fact that a couple’s letters of support provided only basic information and did not demonstrate that the friend or family member actually knew the couple.

• The letter should provide specifics about how often the friend or family member sees you and your spouse together or spends time together with you. For example, the letter should note whether the writer celebrates holidays with you, goes to dinner with you, or participates in other events or activities with you. 

What is a marriage green card?

A marriage green card permits the spouse of a U.S. citizen or green card holder to live and work in the U.S. When applying for a marriage green card, the spouse who is already a U.S. citizen or green card holder is called the sponsor or the petitioner, and the foreign spouse who is seeking a green card through marriage is referred to as the beneficiary.