Sugar Hill, GA Immigration Law Firms & Lawyers

Your question is less than clear, since you stated: you and your wife already are Permanent Residents; although she is your wife you plan to become married in a few months; and you now have a student visa. In order to petition for a spouse to adjust status in the U.S., generally (1) the petitioning spouse must be a U.S. citizen, in which case an Immediate Relative case with immediate availability of a visa can be filed, and eligibility still can be maintained notwithstanding the beneficiary spouse's failure to remain in lawful status; or (2) the petitioning spouse may be a Lawful Permanent Resident in which case there is a delay for visa availability and the foreign national spouse must be in valid nonimmigrant status (such as valid F-1 student visa status) in order to adjust status within the U.S. Significantly more information would be needed in order to advise about immigration eligibilities, options and strategies. It would be wise for you and your wife (or fiancee) to consult with an immigration attorney who, after learning all of the relevant information about each of you, would be able to provide advice and offer legal representation in the often complex immigration application process.

The conduct you described indeed should be regarded as fraudulent, and it can lead to very harsh immigration-related consequences. Some immigration law firms, including mine, offer legal services on a "flat fee" basis so that a client will know the total expense from the very beginning, and a few immigration law firms, including mine, offer an initial consultation free of charge.

The couple should consult with the specific church in the U.S. to find out its requirements for a church wedding, but for immigration legal requirements, not that generally if a marriage is recognized as lawful in the place where it takes place, the USCIS will regard it as valid for U.S. immigration application purposes.