The IR1 visa is a type of visa granted to the spouse of an American citizen. The CR1 visa is a type of visa granted to the spouse of a lawful permanent resident (LPR).
It is important to note that there are different requirements for each type of visa. For example, the IR1 Visa has higher requirements for income and education level than the CR1 Visa.
What is a Spouse Green Card?
The Spouse Green Card allows a person from a foreign country who is married to a US citizen to move to the US and live there permanently. This includes allowing them to go to school in the US as well as work there. This immigrant visa gives the opportunity to the couple to be united and live in the same country. They can move anywhere within the US and start a life there.
The foreign spouse is allowed to obtain US documents, travel in and out of the US for specific periods of time, get a driver’s license, open bank accounts, and so on. After a certain time period has passed and the foreign spouse has complied with all the requirements of their Green Card, they are also eligible to apply for US citizenship. Additionally, if the couple has a child, the child will automatically be a US citizen.
What Are the Types of Marriage Green Cards?
Since many people want to move to the US permanently for employment reasons, there are marriages that happen to only get immigrant status within the country. These Green Card marriages are not allowed and are discouraged by the US government. However, to be able to prevent couples from marrying only for one person to get a Green Card, the US government has come up with two types of marriage Green Cards:
Conditional Resident Spouse Visa (CR1)
Immediate Relative Spouse Visa (IR1)
CR1 Visa
If the couple has just been married and the foreign spouse is applying for a spouse Green Card, then they will have to apply for the Conditional Resident Spouse Visa or CR1. This visa allows the foreign spouse to move to the US on an immigrant status with a Green Card on the condition that the couple stays married for at least 2 years.
IR1 Visa
After 2 years of marriage, the foreign spouse can then transition to an Immediate Relative Spouse Visa or IR1 which then gives them more permanent status and does not have a validity period of only 2 years. If the couple gets a divorce or breaks up before the 2 years on the CR1 visa are completed, then the foreign spouse will be returned to their home country since their status will not be valid anymore.
What Are the Requirements for the IR1 visa?
There are various requirements for the couple who are looking into applying for the IR1 visa. Without meeting these requirements, the spouse from a foreign country will not be allowed to apply for an IR1 visa.