I-130 is legally a self-file form — petitioners file pro se every day. Visaido turns the four bona fide marriage evidence buckets USCIS expects into a structured self-file workflow — auto-drafted I-130 cover letter, evidence builder, I-130 + I-485 + I-864 + I-765 + I-131 form generation, USCIS lockbox routing, and mailing instructions. $99 per case vs $2,000–$5,000+ typical immigration lawyer fee.
U.S. permanent residence obtained through a qualifying family relationship to a U.S. citizen (USC) or lawful permanent resident (LPR). The petitioner files Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative) to establish the relationship. Then the beneficiary either files Form I-485 (Adjustment of Status, inside the U.S.) or completes consular processing with Form DS-260 at a U.S. embassy abroad.
Immediate Relatives — spouse, unmarried minor child, or parent of an adult U.S. citizen — have no annual visa-number cap. I-130 and I-485 can be filed together (concurrent filing) for the fastest possible path.
Preference categories — F1 (adult unmarried child of USC), F2A (spouse / minor child of LPR), F2B (adult unmarried child of LPR), F3 (married child of USC), F4 (sibling of adult USC) — are subject to numerical caps and per-country waiting periods published in the Department of State Visa Bulletin.
Visaido covers Spouse, Parent, Child, Sibling I-130 filings plus K-1 fiancé visa (Form I-129F).
USCIS doesn't apply a single test for marriage authenticity — adjudicators expect a paper trail across all four categories below. The strongest cases over-document each bucket; the weakest cases skip one entirely. Visaido's evidence builder routes every upload into the right bucket and flags gaps before filing.
The strongest single category. USCIS expects evidence that the couple shares financial responsibility — not just account access, but accounts opened jointly with both names on record from the start.
Documentary proof that the couple lives at a shared address. Both names on the lease or mortgage is the gold standard; matching addresses on official records is the floor.
Evidence that the marriage is a relationship, not a paperwork arrangement. Chronological diversity matters: USCIS wants to see the relationship across time, not a single weekend of photos.
Optional for I-130 but high-leverage when joint financial or joint residence evidence is thin. Written by people who personally know the couple and can describe how, when, and where they observed the relationship.
Relationship + visa category lookup
Tailored to your relationship type
Four-bucket organization + RFE checks
I-130, I-485, I-864, I-765, I-131
myUSCIS upload or mail
Marriage GC (already married, U.S. or abroad), K-1 (engaged, fiancé(e) abroad), or preference (parent / child / sibling of USC or LPR). Visaido covers all three.
| Dimension | Marriage GC (I-130) | K-1 Fiancé Visa | Family Preference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical use | Spouse of USC or LPR | Engaged to USC, abroad | Parent / child / sibling of USC or LPR |
| Petitioner | USC or LPR spouse | USC fiancé(e) | USC or LPR relative |
| Form | I-130 + I-485 (or DS-260) | I-129F → K-1 visa → I-485 | I-130 + visa bulletin wait + I-485 / DS-260 |
| USCIS base fee | $675 (I-130) + $1,440 (I-485 AOS) | $675 (I-129F) + $1,440 (later I-485) | $675 (I-130) + future I-485 / consular |
| Wait time | 12–24 months (immediate relative) | 6–12 months to enter U.S. | Months (F2A) to decades (F4) |
| Visaido covers | ✓ Full workflow | ✓ Full workflow | ✓ Full workflow |
Visaido also supports parent (IR-5), sibling (F-4), and adult-child (F-1 / F-3) petitions filed by U.S. citizens age 21+. Same I-130 mechanics, distinct evidence pathways and Visa Bulletin posture.
Immediate relative — no Visa Bulletin wait. Filed by a USC son or daughter age 21+. Typical timeline 12–18 months.
Learn about IR-5 parent petitionsLongest family-preference queue. Worldwide wait ≈18 years; Mexico ≈25 years. File now to secure the priority date.
Learn about F-4 sibling petitions (14+ year wait)F-1 (unmarried, ~9 years) vs F-3 (married, ~13 years). Marital-status changes reclassify the case automatically.
Learn about F-1 / F-3 adult-child petitions14 illustrative marriage green card scenarios showing how different evidence situations come together. Use the filters to find a scenario similar to yours.
U.S. citizen (birth) → F 1 student
Joint lease from month 2 of marriage, 3 years of jointly filed tax returns, shared health plan through petitioner's employer, and 200+ photos spanning 4 countries.
Approved at interview without a single follow-up question.
U.S. citizen (naturalized) → overseas
Consular processing case. Joint bank account opened day of marriage, 4 years of co-habitation in petitioner's home country before immigration, two children born to the marriage.
NVC cleared in 6 weeks. Interview appointment granted within 90 days of documentarily complete status.
U.S. citizen (birth) → H 1B worker
Met at graduate school orientation; applied after 18 months of marriage. Joint lease, 2 jointly titled vehicles, joint credit card opened at marriage.
Work authorization arrived 5 months after filing; green card approved 13 months later.
U.S. citizen (birth) → OPT
Beneficiary transitioned from F-1 OPT to pending AOS. 2 years of joint lease, joint health insurance, and three round-trip flights showing consistent shared residence.
Smooth concurrent filing; interview waived.
U.S. citizen (naturalized) → B 2 tourist
Beneficiary entered on B-2 and married within status. Filed I-130 + I-485 concurrently within 90 days. Joint accounts, joint utility bills, and affidavits from six community members.
Biometrics and interview completed without complications. EAD approved while waiting.
U.S. citizen (birth) → overseas
Remarriage case — prior divorce decree included. Four years of joint bank statements, jointly filed U.S. taxes, and co-parenting records for petitioner's child.
Prior divorce history addressed proactively. No RFE issued.
U.S. citizen (naturalized) → F 1 student
Graduate student beneficiary; petitioner's income well above 125% FPL. Lease, joint checking, shared subscriptions, holiday photos with both families across 3 years.
Application processed without RFE or interview.
U.S. citizen (birth) → H 1B worker
Concurrent I-130 + I-485. Three years of joint lease with both names on utility accounts, jointly filed federal taxes, shared car insurance, and retirement beneficiary designations.
One of the faster fact patterns — under 9 months end to end.
U.S. citizen (birth) → overseas
RFE issued citing limited joint financial history (recent marriage). Response package added joint account statements, insurance enrollment, and four affidavits from wedding attendees. Approved 60 days after response.
RFE felt scary, but the response was straightforward once evidence was organized.
U.S. citizen (birth) → overseas
RFE on I-864 income documentation — petitioner's W-2 from year of filing was lower than prior year. Responded with current employer letter, recent pay stubs, and year-to-date earnings. Approved on merit.
Income RFE resolved cleanly with employer letter. No second RFE.
U.S. citizen (naturalized) → F 1 student
RFE requested additional co-habitation evidence (couple had briefly lived apart during beneficiary's final semester). Responded with lease showing return address, joint utility bills, and phone records. Approved.
The brief separation was fully explainable. Documentation made it a non-issue.
U.S. citizen (naturalized) → other
NOID issued citing potential marriage fraud indicators. Response included sworn affidavits from 8 witnesses, 5 years of joint tax returns, joint mortgage documents, birth certificates of two children, and a 40-page legal brief rebutting each stated ground.
Every allegation in the NOID was addressed with hard evidence. Approved on review.
U.S. citizen (birth) → OPT
Petitioner's income below 125% FPL due to self-employment transition year. Petitioner's parent filed a joint-sponsor I-864. Approved without income-related RFE.
Joint sponsor solved the income gap cleanly. Case proceeded on normal timeline.
LPR → overseas
LPR petitioner married overseas, beneficiary waiting abroad. Priority date current at filing. Five years of joint bank accounts, joint property title, and children. Consular interview waived.
Priority date was current. Consular processing moved quickly.
Showing 14 of 14 example scenarios
These are illustrative examples created for educational purposes — not real cases, clients, or outcomes. They show how evidence and circumstances typically fit together and do not represent or guarantee any result.
I-130 + I-485 forms auto-filled · USCIS lockbox routing · Affidavit invite system · Mailing instructions. Covers the document-preparation work attorneys typically charge $2,000–$5,000+ to assemble by hand, generated in hours instead of weeks.
Marriage Green Card DIY
TurboTax for I-130 + I-485
30-day pre-filing satisfaction guarantee
Not legal advice. Cases with complications (overstay, criminal history, prior GC marriage) require an attorney.
USCIS filing fees (I-130 $675, I-485 $1,440 adult AOS, NVC ~$445 consular) are separate from Visaido's $99 platform fee.
Step-by-step walkthroughs of evidence, forms, fees, and processing times — each written from official USCIS sources.
U.S. permanent residence obtained through marriage to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. Two-step USCIS filing: Form I-130 establishes the qualifying marriage; Form I-485 (Adjustment of Status, if the beneficiary is inside the U.S.) or consular processing (DS-260, if abroad) issues the green card itself.
Yes. I-130 is legally a self-file form — petitioners and beneficiaries successfully file pro se every day. The hard part is evidence (the bona fide marriage paper trail), not procedure. Visaido's $99 Self-File Kit auto-drafts the I-130 cover letter, builds the evidence portfolio in the four bona fide buckets, generates I-130 + I-485 + I-864 + I-765 + I-131 forms, routes to the correct USCIS lockbox, and provides mailing instructions. Visaido is self-help software — you prepare and file the petition yourself using its tools. If you'd prefer attorney representation, you can hire a licensed U.S. immigration attorney independently.
Four buckets: joint financial (joint accounts, joint tax returns, beneficiary designations), joint residence (lease/mortgage with both names, utility bills), joint life (photos and travel across time, shared accounts, social-media history), and testimonial affidavits (from friends, family, employers, or clergy who personally know the couple). Visaido's evidence builder organizes uploads automatically and flags gaps that commonly trigger RFEs.
For an immediate-relative spouse of a U.S. citizen filing inside the U.S. (concurrent I-130 + I-485), expect 12–24 months from filing to green-card approval, depending on USCIS field office. EAD (I-765, work authorization) and AP (I-131, Advance Parole) typically arrive 5–7 months after filing. Spouses of LPRs (F2A) currently have short waits. Consular processing from abroad (DS-260) is typically faster but separates spouses for several months.
Two tiers. Free ($0): Family-based eligibility check (relationship verification, visa-category lookup, required-document checklist, cost-and-timeline estimate). No signup required for the first analysis. Self-File Kit ($99 per case): auto-drafted I-130 cover letter and all USCIS forms (I-130, I-130A, I-485, I-864, I-765, I-131, G-1145), bona fide marriage evidence builder, affidavit invitation system, USCIS lockbox routing, mailing instructions, and case-tracking dashboard. Compare to typical immigration-attorney marriage-GC representation of $2,000–$5,000+. USCIS filing fees ($675 I-130 + $1,440 I-485 adult AOS + $445 NVC for consular) are separate from Visaido's platform fee. 30-day pre-filing satisfaction guarantee: full $99 refund anytime before you submit your petition to USCIS — this is a customer-satisfaction policy, not a representation about USCIS outcomes.
Start with the free eligibility check. Five minutes, no signup. If you qualify, upgrade to the $99 Self-File Kit — I-130 + I-485 forms auto-filled, USCIS lockbox routing, affidavit invite system, and mailing instructions. Auto-draft your full package in hours.
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