How long does it take for the spouse of an American citizen to apply for a US green card?

Due to the scheduling constraints, the current waiting time is about 3 years, with 4-5 years. If a foreign spouse wants to wait for a green card in the United States, he/she must always maintain his/her legal non-immigrant status while waiting for the green card, otherwise he/she will not be able to apply for adjusting his/her status in the United States at the scheduled time. Legal status includes student visa (F does not allow immigration tendency) and work visa (H visa allows immigration tendency). Sometimes applying for a non-immigrant visa may be in danger of being refused.

Due to the serious backlog of relatives' immigration visas during the trial, in order to enable the foreign spouses of green card holders to come to the United States to reunite with their families while waiting for the immigration schedule, on February 65438+2 1, 2000, former US President Bill Clinton signed the Legal Immigration and Family Equality Act (LIFE), adding "V" visas for overseas spouses of permanent residents and underage unmarried children. The spouses of permanent residents married overseas and their underage unmarried children are allowed to enter the United States while waiting for a green card, and they are allowed to apply for a work permit in the United States until they obtain legal status.