Question for Americans if they know

[Caroline T.]

If any one knows this is kind of a silly question, but i keep thinking about it. I'm doing a common law application and people always ask us "why don't you just get married??" and we're like "it doesn't make any difference".

So my question is, since it always seems to happen on tv, in the US can you actually just get married and magically receive a green card? or is it the same as it is here and television just made that up for interesting story lines?

 

[bigredmoose]

You'd have better luck on a forum dedicated to immigration to the US.

 

[scylla]

So my question is, since it always seems to happen on tv, in the US can you actually just get married and magically receive a green card? or is it the same as it is here and television just made that up for interesting story lines?

No - you don't "magically" receive a US green card just by getting married.

 

[Mapleson]

If it doesn't make a difference, why not do it?

The burden of proof is higher for common law relationships for both US and Canadian immigration. Specifically, a removal order can be appealed due to new evidence, ie the marriage. Often, the individual can stay until the relationship is checked for legitimacy.

In BC, common law partners do not have access to the division of family assets provision after a disunion, so if only one of you owns the house, the other is not automatically entitled to half.

For me, marriage is a social and legal contract, not a religious one.

 

[Ponga]

If it doesn't make a difference, why not do it?

The burden of proof is higher for common law relationships for both US and Canadian immigration. Specifically, a removal order can be appealed due to new evidence, ie the marriage. Often, the individual can stay until the relationship is checked for legitimacy.

In BC, common law partners do not have access to the division of family assets provision after a disunion, so if only one of you owns the house, the other is not automatically entitled to half.

For me, marriage is a social and legal contract, not a religious one.

The same could be said for a Common-Law applicant as long as s/he has provided sufficient evidence.

And...are you certain about the law in BC for common-law partners? Would you mind providing a link to this information?

I believe that any assets that were acquired prior to a couple reaching common-law would be excluded (as you seemed to mention), but everything else (after) is treated the same as a married couple.

 

[Caroline T.]

my question was more of a jokey one... cause that's what always happens on tv shows, but in really life it's definitely not that easy to go through immigration. So i wondered if maybe it was in the states since that's where many tv shows where that happens come from What i meant by that there's no difference between common law and marriage, obliviously legally there is a difference, but i meant not with how easy it is to go through immigration. The process is pretty much the same, there's a still a chance you wont get pr even if your married and it still takes a long time if you do. You can't just get married and be able to stay here like you can on tv