How long will it take for my boyfriend to obtain his citizenship? 10 Answers as of January 25, 2012

Before he is eligible for citizenship, he needs to be a permanent resident for a requisite number of years. In order to get him permanent residence you will either need to marry him and petition for him or he will need to be petitioned by a US employer on the basis of an offer of permanent fulltime employment.

He would need residency for years before obtaining citizenship. *Fiancee Petition or K3 Spouse Petition* A Fiance Petition needs to be prepared. This is a petition that will allow your fiance to come to the U.S. in a relatively short period of time. Usually, it takes around 6 to 9 months for the petition to be approved at immigration in the United States. Subsequently, the approval would be sent to the U.S. Consulate or Embassy in your fiance's home country. When your fiance comes to the U.S., you will have ninety days to get married. Our firm can prepare the entire Fiance Petition and make it so it goes smoothly and correctly. You have to have physically seen your Fiance in the last two years. Alternatively, a K-3 Petition can be prepared. This is where you will marry your fiance or have already married outside of the U.S., and then the petition can be approved in three to four months for your then spouse to enter the U.S. Upon entry to the U.S., it would be possible to then prepare and file the Adjustment of Status application. Both the K-1 and the K-3 visas take about the same time.

If you marry him, he can apply for residency immediately as long as he entered lawfully.

If he came to the US with a visa and you are a USC, then all you need to do is find competent counsel to file an I-485 Packet for him. If all is done well, then he should be Legal Permanent Resident in 6 months or less.

We would need to know how your boyfriend entered the United States. If he entered legally but his visa has expired you can marry him and apply for his green card. Once he gets proof of filing, he can apply to the relevant college. There are several forms you need to complete and provide to United States Citizenship and immigration Service ("USCIS"). If you are not hiring a lawyer, you can find useful information in the "How To" Guides on USCIS website www.uscis.gov.

You need to first marry him, file I-130 and related papers, pass the interview, etc. He will then become a temporary resident. 2 years after his temp residency, he can become a permanent resident. One year after permanent residency, he can apply for citizenship.

If he is a lawful permanent resident (greren card holder) for 5 years he can apply for U.S. citizenship.

I am not sure if I understood you correctly. I think you said that your boyfriend is here in US, but he is originally from Africa? Are you a US citizen? If I understood you correctly, if you boyfriend entered the country legally (with inspection) you have to first file a petition for him to receive his green card. The citizenship can be filed after two years and eight months since the date of issuance of his green card.

Your question is unclear. Is he in Africa now or is he in the United States? If he is in Africa and you two qualify for a fiance visa then you need to file a fiance visa and then obtain lawful permanent resident status and once he is on the lawful permanent resident status (Green Card) for three years he can apply for US Citizenship. If he is already here in the US and he entered with inspection, even if he is now illegally here, you may adjust his status if he qualifies (many considerations for this including criminal history, etc) and he obtains lawful permanent resident status then he would need to apply for citizenship after holding the green card in good standing for three years.

You must first keep in my mind that you must enter into a bona fide marriage. Marrying someone so they can derive immigration benefits or some other reason can cause a serious problem including denial of the case, prosecution, etc. That being said if you are in a bona fide relationship and want to marry, you will need to first marry. You would then file a petition for him to receive an immigrant visa and he would request a green card. You must submit these applications with the required filing fees and supporting evidence. There will be at least one interview to determine the nature of your marriage. If everything goes well, he will receive a green card. He can later petition for U.S. citizenship after being a resident for a requisite number of years. This is a complex matter and you should take steps to ensure your boyfriend is eligible to receive a green card before filing any documents on his behalf.