CLEVELAND — For immigrants, marrying a U.S. citizen and obtaining a green card is nothing new in the United States. However, as President Donald Trump pushes for stricter immigration policies, experts say the process has become more rigorous. Some immigration offices are now requiring extensive documentation and conducting in-depth interviews for all applicants.
When a married couple applies for a green card or adjustment of status, there is a standard process.
"Background checks have been done, a medical exam has been performed, there's proof that they are able to financially support themselves or have someone who can support them in the U.S. That's all filed with the immigration paperwork, and all of their joint documents are submitted," said Immigration attorney Stacy Cozart Martin with MJB Immigration.
Then comes the interview. During the Biden administration, many of these interviews were waived.
"They're waiving applications that look approvable on their face. So, if you send in the appropriate documentation, you don't have any criminal convictions or even arrest, everything looks good," said Martin.
However, a number of Martin's clients have seen their waived interviews no longer waived.
"The Trump administration, for whatever reason, doesn't believe that the officers at the service center can adjudicate these applications just on the face of what was submitted," said Martin.
She says that now, nearly everyone is being called in for interviews, which are longer and feature more intense, targeted questioning.
"I feel like it's become a lot stricter. I feel like officers are a lot more apt to feel like there's fraud involved when it's just life circumstances, right? And I think, now, in this day and age, not everybody's marriage looks the same as it did," said Martin.
The shift in green card marriage interviews is part of a broader immigration crackdown, which State Representative Tom Young of the 37th District supports.
"I don't see what the big deal is. If you want to stay in this country and pursue the American dream, I would do anything I could to do that, anything to be able to have the opportunities we have here," said Young.
While Young agrees with thorough vetting, he believes the system could be made more efficient by incorporating technology, such as Zoom.
"It's still an antiquated system, and are we really using the technology we need to? To assist those that want to become U.S. citizens legitimately. My suggestion would be, why not use the technology for the interviews?" said Young.
The reversal of interview waivers is adding to a backlog of cases. Under Biden, the process took about 14 months. Under Trump, Martin says it could take nearly two years.
"They've been married waiting, no green cards, now they could have work authorization. But also work authorizations are taking forever, so they're just waiting, literally just waiting," said Martin.
Martin recommends that anyone submitting an application prepare all documentation thoroughly before their in-person interview. She adds that while the number of green card applications being approved remains steady, they are taking significantly longer to process.
