US Green Card Process Gets Strict for Married Couples: New Immigration Rules Explained

In 2025, the U.S. government has just made stricter rules on marriage-based green card applications. Simply put, the U.S. government is making it harder, but still allowing couples to get permanent residency through a spouse who is either a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident. The changes also follow the shift in focus by immigration authorities away from the things they used to do around systemic protections for global immigration. Instead, they took a more serious approach towards the systemic protections for family members of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. 

As one of the faster forms of immigration to a green card, it is requiring more work than ever from a person applying for a green card to go through a marriage-based application. Simultaneously, there are also longer interviews, increased documentation requirements, unannounced home visits, and now requiring couples to meet more often. For those who are not fraudsters and mean to be genuine couples, things seem to be getting a little more stringent and time-consuming, and they are hiring more legal help. This article will discuss the changes, the process, and misconceptions couples have about the new rules.

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August 2025 Immigration Update: Stricter Green Card Process for Married Couples

As of August 2025, U.S. immigration authorities have formally approved an additional layer of inquiry on marriage-based green card petitions, making this one of the largest and most significant changes in recent policy over the last decade. Incredibly, the scrutiny and requirements placed on the two parties applying for lawful permanent residency via marriage has only increased.

According to the USCIS, they, as well as other immigration and disciplinary authorities, are constantly striving to detect and eliminate marriage fraud. In addition, every petition must have an additional in-person interview, and this interview must be held in person for each applicant regardless of what evidence is submitted, whether there be a large amount of evidence or very little.

These interviews are often lengthy and intense, and tend to emphasize verification of the legitimacy of the relationship. Also, if the applicants are married less than two years, perhaps without prior notice to them, home visits may be less difficult to accomplish.

Key Changes in the Marriage-Based Green Card Process

The new rules regarding immigration introduced in 2025 include multiple important procedural changes surrounding marriage cases that will affect how applications for a marriage-based green card will be reviewed. These new rules will increase enforcement and reduce fraud but will also create issues for the legit couple. Below are the main changes:

1. Mandatory In-Person Interviews for All Applicants

USCIS has removed the ability to have an interview waived for marriage-based green card applications. Every couple must now get interviewed in person, regardless of how rigorous their documentation was and the duration of their marriage.

2. Longer and More Detailed Interviews

USCIS officers are now required to conduct time-consuming interviews and focus on asking personal and sometimes awkward questions about the couple’s relationship history, daily life, finances, and future plans. The interviews are intended to identify inconsistencies or fraud.

3. Increased Documentation Requirements

Couples must submit more and better documents to show that their marriage is bona fide. They will need to create a clear paper trail consisting of the following documents:

• Joint bank statements
• Lease or mortgage with both names
• Utility bills
• Relationship photos from multiple time periods
• Communications from the relationships (texts, emails, call logs)
• Travel history and tickets to support the amount of time they spent together.

4. Surprise Site Visits

USCIS has broadened their ability to make unannounced visits to people’s homes, especially when the couple has been married for less than two years. The officer will be able to inspect the couple’s living situation and will be able to ask questions immediately regarding the situation.