Immigration | How can I become a citizen of the USA?

Good morning Mrs Walker-Huntington:

My wife of over three years and daughter are in the USA as citizens and I’m from the UK. What is my best route to become a citizen of the USA?

– DS

Dear DS:

There is only one route for the spouse of a US citizen to themselves become a citizen of the United States.

The US citizen spouse must first file for the immigrant spouse to become a lawful permanent resident of the United States – a Green Card holder. That filing can take place with either the immigrant spouse being outside the United States – Consular Processing; or the immigrant spouse being inside the United States pursuant to lawful entry – adjustment of status.

The spouse of a US citizen is an immediate relative and theoretically there is no “waiting time” for a visa to become available as one is immediately available. This does not mean that the immigrant spouse is granted LPR status at the snap of a finger – there are still processes.

outside the UNITED STATES

If the immigrant spouse is outside the US, the filing goes through two different US government departments. First, the initial filing is made with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and when processed and approved, the file is sent to the US Department of State (DOS) for consular processing. The process from filing to interview at a US Embassy abroad varies and currently it can take 53-84 months just for the DHS portion to be approved. Once approved and sent to DOS, that process is three to four months to be documentarily qualified. The subsequent scheduling of the in-country interview for the immigrant visa depends on the embassy in each country, and keep in mind that embassies are dealing with backlogs caused by the freeze on visa issuance announced earlier this year by the Trump administration. Even countries that were not announced in the January 2026 pause stopped issuing immigrant visas a couple months ago after a court ruling on the matter and the introduction of new public charge guidelines. Visa interviews are coming back online, but they will naturally take some time to become current.

in the UNITED STATES

If an immigrant spouse is in the US, entered lawfully, and is in the US for more than 90 days, the US citizen can file to adjust the status of their immigrant spouse from a non-immigrant to a permanent resident. This process also saw major changes in 2026 with the interpretation of the discretion allowed DHS in the adjustment of status process, along with new public charge thresholds that the intending immigrant must demonstrate.

Overall, the process of filing for a non-immigrant spouse has become significantly more complicated in 2026 but not insurmountable.

To become a citizen of the United States, the waiting period if you are married to a US citizen is three years as opposed to five years if you are not. But, first things first, you must be a lawful permanent resident before entertaining citizenship process.

Dahlia A. Walker-Huntington, Esq. is a Jamaican-American attorney who practises immigration law in the United States; and family, criminal & international law in Florida. She is a mediator and former special magistrate & hearing officer in Broward County, Florida. info@walkerhuntington.com