One of the most common ways to legally immigrate to the U.S. is through marriage to a U.S. citizen. Immigration through marriage is generally simpler compared to employment-based immigration, but it is still relatively complex, as the immigration process can take many months.

There are basically three ways for someone to legally immigrate to the U.S. through marriage and obtain permanent resident status (green card). The methods are generally as follows:

• Method 1: The U.S. citizen marries the foreign citizen in Greece (or any other country). Then, the U.S. citizen files an immigrant petition with USCIS to sponsor the foreign spouse to come to the U.S. In about 3-5 months, the petition is approved, and shortly after it is forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC) in New Hampshire. The NVC processes the information and several months later sends it to the U.S. embassy in Athens, where an interview appointment is scheduled for the foreign spouse. If the interview is successful, the foreign spouse will receive an immigrant visa stamped in their passport allowing them to travel to the U.S. and stay permanently, with the right to work from the first day of arrival.
• Method 2: The foreign citizen travels to the U.S. using the visa waiver or tourist visa with the intention to marry their U.S. partner there. The marriage takes place, and the U.S. citizen files an immigrant petition with USCIS just like in the first method. The foreign citizen leaves the U.S. before exceeding the allowed stay limit under the visa waiver or tourist visa and waits several months until the interview appointment at the U.S. embassy, exactly as in the first method. Essentially, the second method is identical to the first, with the only difference being that the marriage happens in the U.S.
• Method 3: The third method uses the fiancé(e) visa (known as K-1). The U.S. citizen files a petition for a fiancé visa before marrying the foreign partner. This petition is forwarded to the U.S. embassy in Athens 4-8 months later, and the foreign fiancé, equipped with the fiancé visa, travels to the U.S. Upon arrival, the foreign fiancé must marry the U.S. citizen who petitioned for them within 90 days. Unlike the second method, after the marriage, the foreign spouse can apply to adjust status to permanent resident (green card) without having to leave the U.S. This process takes about 4-8 months. The advantage of the fiancé visa is that the couple can live together immediately after the marriage. The disadvantages are higher costs (due to bureaucracy before and after the marriage) and a long wait time of several months before the fiancé visa is issued.

From the above, it is clear that the immigration process through marriage to a U.S. citizen is anything but quick, and in many cases the married couple must remain apart for an extended period. Additionally, there are several other potential hurdles to overcome for the foreign spouse to successfully immigrate, such as any criminal record, the U.S. spouse’s inability to prove sufficient income to sponsor the foreign spouse, lack of evidence that the marriage was made in good faith, and so on.