# How to bring your spouse to the U.S.

> The consular process for a spouse abroad: the I-130, the National Visa Center, the interview, the I-864 — with real fees cited from the USCIS schedule.

Canonical: https://www.popimmigration.com/guides/bring-spouse-to-us  
Publisher: Pop Immigration (https://www.popimmigration.com)  
Last reviewed: 2026-07-19

When a spouse lives abroad, the case runs through consular processing: a USCIS petition first, then the Department of State. This page describes that path end to end — the forms, the fees, the evidence, and what happens at the embassy — with every factual claim cited to a primary source. It describes the process in general terms only; it is not advice about any individual case.

## The path: petition, then consulate

The case starts with Form I-130, the petition establishing the marriage. After USCIS approves it, the case moves to the Department of State: the National Visa Center collects the civil documents and the Affidavit of Support, and the spouse attends an immigrant-visa interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate.

A spouse of a U.S. citizen is an immediate relative — a visa is always available. A spouse of a green-card holder is in the F-2A preference category and waits for availability under the monthly Visa Bulletin.

## What it costs

The USCIS side is the I-130: $675 on paper, $625 online, under the current G-1055 schedule. The Department of State charges its own fees at the NVC and consular stage; those are published on travel.state.gov. The sponsor's Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, has no filing fee — its weight is the income requirement, generally 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. The full cost picture, including the in-U.S. alternative, has its own page in the related guides.

## The documents that travel with the case

The NVC stage runs on civil documents: passports, birth certificates, the marriage certificate, police certificates where required — and any document not in English needs a certified English translation. Incomplete or untranslated documents are a classic source of delay: USCIS and the consulate both work from what is in the file, and USCIS returns packages over one missing form with the fees not refunded.

## The interview and arrival

The spouse interviews at the embassy or consulate. An approved spouse enters the United States as an immigrant and becomes a permanent resident on admission. If the marriage is under two years old at admission, the residence is conditional, and Form I-751 — the petition to remove conditions — follows in the 90 days before the two-year card expires.

Status along the way can be tracked online, and USCIS publishes current processing-time estimates; this page does not claim any specific timeframe.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the first form to bring a spouse to the U.S.?

Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative — $675 on paper or $625 online under the current schedule. The Department of State stage follows USCIS approval.

### Does the spouse of a green-card holder wait longer?

A spouse of an LPR is in the F-2A preference category, which depends on visa availability under the monthly Visa Bulletin; a spouse of a U.S. citizen is an immediate relative with a visa always available.

### What income does the sponsor need?

The I-864 sponsor must generally show income at or above 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines; USCIS publishes the current figures on the I-864P page.

### Do foreign documents need translation?

Yes — any document not in English must be submitted with a certified English translation.

### Is the green card conditional?

If the marriage is under two years old when the spouse is admitted, yes — conditional residence, with Form I-751 filed in the 90 days before the two-year card expires.

## Sources

- USCIS — I-130; U.S. Dept. of State — Immigrant Visa Process: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process.html
- U.S. Dept. of State — Visa Bulletin: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin.html
- G-1055 (I-864 $0); USCIS — I-864P: https://www.uscis.gov/i-864p
- 8 CFR § 103.2(b)(3): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-8/section-103.2
- USCIS — I-751: https://www.uscis.gov/i-751
- Approved deck card 1; USCIS Processing Times: https://egov.uscis.gov/processingtimes/

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