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    Vmr831's Avatar
    Vmr831 Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Dec 11, 2017, 05:36 PM
    Us Citizenship
    My boyfriend is originally from El Salvador and has been in the US illegally for about 7 years we are planning to get married in 2018 but I don't know how to go about of helping to get his citizenship, he's a really hardworking person and rarely has gotten into trouble with the law, any help please.
    Alty's Avatar
    Alty Posts: 28,317, Reputation: 5972
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    #2

    Dec 11, 2017, 06:11 PM
    he's a really hardworking person and rarely has gotten into trouble with the law
    Well, if he rarely gets into trouble with the law, he should have no problem. Being sarcastic.

    He's in the US illegaly, has been for 7 years, apparently has gotten in trouble with the law. You're going to have to contact an immigration lawyer. It's not going to be cheap, and it's not going to be quick, and you may have to accept that he won't be getting his citizenship in the US.
    Fr_Chuck's Avatar
    Fr_Chuck Posts: 81,301, Reputation: 7692
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    #3

    Dec 11, 2017, 08:19 PM
    It does not work like that. Just getting married does not give citizenship.

    And you will have to deal with the illegal status. Getting married does not change that. He would need to leave the country and then bring him back under a fiancé visa to marry (you want to have him leave and come back before marriage)

    Then when he comes back, you would get married and he can get a green card, not citizenship. After a number of years with a green card, he could then later apply for citizenship.

    If he has gotten into trouble with the law, most people say they have never been in trouble. But if he has gotten into trouble and there is a record of him being here illegally, then it will be much harder for him to come back legally.
    newacct's Avatar
    newacct Posts: 321, Reputation: 21
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    #4

    Dec 12, 2017, 09:37 AM
    I am assuming you are a US citizen?

    First key question is did he enter the US legally or illegally? If he entered the US legally, he can do Adjustment of Status in the US after the marriage, and he shouldn't leave the US until he has his green card.

    If he entered the US illegally, then it's more complicated.
    smoothy's Avatar
    smoothy Posts: 25,492, Reputation: 2853
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    #5

    Dec 12, 2017, 10:27 AM
    Be prepared to spend a LOT, and I do mean a LOT of money... and time, lots of it at INS offices.

    Friend spent over $100,000 in legal fees and counting over the last 10 years and STILL has not gotten his wife legal yet. And she has zero arrests on record.

    I spent over $15,000 20+ years ago before all the fee increases for my wife, and she was never Illegal....just foreign born and raised. And in the end it took political connections or it would have been far more and much longer.
    joypulv's Avatar
    joypulv Posts: 21,591, Reputation: 2941
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    #6

    Dec 12, 2017, 10:38 AM
    Save time, money, and grief, and wait til the 2020 election, even though you will always have a tough time with this.

    In this day and age in the US, the one practical reason to get married is to have children together. Any other reason is just emotional, looking good, getting presents, or if you can't wait to have sex, and have been a virgin all this time. A baby will NOT help him any more than marriage will, and in fact it will just hamper you from being able to afford legal help.

    So... why exactly do you want to get married in 2018?
    Don't you want to SPEND EVERY DIME on his citizenship?
    talaniman's Avatar
    talaniman Posts: 54,327, Reputation: 10855
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    #7

    Dec 12, 2017, 10:52 AM
    I highly suggest he does the right things to get legal before a simple, routine traffic stop gets him deported, and such a mark on his name could well bar a legal reentry later. It may be well worth a consultation with an immigration attorney to get you down a good path to get what you want.
    ma0641's Avatar
    ma0641 Posts: 15,675, Reputation: 1012
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    #8

    Dec 12, 2017, 09:28 PM
    "in the US illegally....
    rarely has gotten into trouble with the law". 2 strikes right there, sorry.

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