Marriage-based green card lawyer serving Miami, Hallandale Beach, Aventura, Sunny Isles, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale. Flat-fee I-130/I-485. Bilingual EN/RU.
If you are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident in Florida sponsoring your spouse for a green card — or a foreign national married to a U.S. citizen and seeking adjustment of status — you need an immigration attorney who handles marriage-based green cards as a core practice area, not as an afterthought. Fitenko Law represents marriage-based green card clients across Miami, Hallandale Beach, Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, North Miami Beach, Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, and the broader South Florida region. Attorney Ekaterina Fitenko personally handles every case from I-130 filing through the green card interview, with bilingual English-and-Russian representation, transparent flat fees, and direct attorney access from day one. Call (305) 315-3425 or schedule a consultation.
A marriage-based green card is the legal process by which a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident sponsors their non-citizen spouse for permanent U.S. residency. The pathway divides into two routes depending on where the foreign spouse is located when the petition is filed:
If the foreign spouse is already in the United States in a valid nonimmigrant status (or in specific other circumstances), you typically file a concurrent I-130 Petition for Alien Relative plus I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. Together with these, we file I-765 Application for Employment Authorization and I-131 Application for Travel Document (Advance Parole) so the foreign spouse can work in the U.S. and travel abroad while the green card is pending. The process culminates in a USCIS interview at the local Field Office (typically Miami, Hialeah, or Tampa for South Florida residents). Total typical timeline: 10-24 months from filing to green card approval.
If the foreign spouse is outside the United States, you file the I-130 alone first. After USCIS approval, the case transfers to the National Visa Center (NVC) for document review, then to the U.S. Consulate in the spouse's home country for an immigrant visa interview. After visa issuance, the foreign spouse enters the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident. Total typical timeline: 12-30 months depending on consular post backlog.
The marriage must be real — entered into for the purpose of establishing a life together, not for immigration benefit. USCIS evaluates bonafides through documentary evidence: joint financial accounts, shared lease or mortgage, joint utility bills, photographs together across time and locations, travel itineraries, communication records, affidavits from third parties, and the interview itself. The bar for "fraudulent marriage" is criminal, with potential penalties including lifetime bar from U.S. immigration benefits and federal prosecution.
The sponsoring petitioner must be either a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident. U.S. citizen spouses qualify as "immediate relatives" — a category with no annual visa cap — meaning their priority dates are always current and processing is faster. Lawful permanent resident spouses fall under the F2A preference category, which is currently mostly current but historically subject to short retrogressions.
The foreign spouse must not be inadmissible to the United States under INA Section 212(a) — which covers grounds including unlawful presence, criminal history, prior immigration violations, fraud, certain health-related grounds, public charge concerns, and security-related grounds. Most inadmissibility issues can be addressed through waivers (I-601, I-601A) but the strategy must be planned before filing.
Fitenko Law charges flat fees for marriage-based green card representation. Typical fee ranges:
Government fees are separate from attorney fees and currently total approximately $3,005 for a combined I-130 + I-485 + biometrics filing for an adult applicant. We disclose all fees in writing during your consultation — no hidden charges, no junior associate handoffs, no last-minute add-ons.
Miami's deeply international demographic makes it one of the most active marriage-based green card jurisdictions in the United States. Common Miami scenarios include U.S. citizen sponsoring a Latin American spouse (Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil), U.S. citizen sponsoring a European spouse (Italy, Spain, France, Germany), Russian-speaking U.S. citizen sponsoring a Russian-speaking spouse, and same-sex marriages where one spouse comes from a country with limited legal recognition. Most Miami clients adjust status at the Miami USCIS Field Office on Northwest 79th Avenue. Read our dedicated Miami immigration attorney page.
As our home office city, Hallandale Beach is where we conduct most in-person consultations and document signings for marriage-based green card cases. The city's significant Russian-speaking and Eastern European immigrant communities mean many of our Hallandale clients are bilingual Russian-English speakers navigating the I-130/I-485 process in their preferred language. The Miami USCIS Field Office is straightforward to reach via I-95 for interviews. See our Hallandale Beach attorney page.
Aventura's diverse international community — strong Russian, Israeli, and Latin American populations — generates frequent marriage-based green card work. Our Aventura clients often involve cross-cultural marriages with documentation needs across multiple jurisdictions: a Brazilian spouse with Portuguese-language birth records, a Russian spouse with Cyrillic civil registry documents, an Israeli spouse with Hebrew marriage certificates. We coordinate certified translations and apostille services as part of our flat fee. Aventura lawyer page.
Sunny Isles Beach hosts South Florida's largest Russian-speaking community, and a meaningful share of our marriage-based green card caseload comes from this area. The bilingual representation is particularly valuable for Sunny Isles couples — every document review, USCIS form preparation, and interview rehearsal happens in Russian if preferred. Sunny Isles attorney page.
Hollywood, Florida sits immediately south of Hallandale Beach and is home to a growing population of international residents, including many Russian and Latin American immigrant families. Hollywood marriage-based green card cases typically follow the standard adjustment-of-status process, with USCIS interviews at the Miami Field Office. Hollywood lawyer page.
Broward County residents from Fort Lauderdale, Plantation, Pompano Beach, Coral Springs, and surrounding communities receive the same flat-fee marriage-based green card representation. Although we are located in Broward County (Hallandale Beach), many Broward clients prefer secure video consultations and electronic signatures — saving travel time while receiving identical legal service. USCIS interviews for Broward residents typically occur at the Miami Field Office.
North Miami Beach bridges the Hallandale Beach and Miami Beach corridors and has a substantial immigrant population. We regularly represent North Miami Beach couples through adjustment of status, with the dedicated North Miami Beach lawyer page providing additional local context.
The exclusive Bal Harbour and Bay Harbor Islands enclaves include many high-net-worth international families navigating marriage-based green cards alongside more complex matters — prenuptial agreements with international assets, dual-citizenship coordination, and tax residency implications. We coordinate with trust and estate counsel when needed. Bal Harbour lawyer · Bay Harbor Islands lawyer.
For Palm Beach County residents (Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Jupiter, Wellington), we offer secure video consultations as the primary engagement format. Most Palm Beach County green card cases proceed identically to our Broward and Miami-Dade cases, with USCIS interviews at the West Palm Beach Field Office or Miami Field Office depending on residency.
Although Fitenko Law is based in South Florida, U.S. immigration law is federal — meaning the same USCIS rules apply throughout Florida and the entire United States. We represent marriage-based green card clients statewide through secure video consultations and encrypted document portals. The legal service is identical; only the consultation format differs.
If the foreign spouse overstayed a prior nonimmigrant visa, we evaluate whether they remain eligible for adjustment of status (immediate relatives of U.S. citizens generally do, even with overstay) or whether consular processing with an I-601A provisional waiver is necessary.
Prior denials — for marriage-based or other categories — require careful documentation strategy. We pull the prior file (USCIS FOIA request when needed), identify the denial basis, and structure the new petition to address each prior concern affirmatively.
Same-sex marriages are fully recognized for U.S. immigration purposes. For couples from countries where same-sex marriages are not recognized, we coordinate documentation strategy carefully. The bonafides standard is identical to opposite-sex marriages.
USCIS officers sometimes apply heightened scrutiny to marriages with large age gaps, significant cultural differences, or marriages where the spouses do not share a common language. We address such cases proactively with enhanced bonafides documentation: extended timeline of relationship development, translated communication records, photographs across multiple events and locations, and detailed affidavits.
If the marriage is less than two years old at the time the green card is approved, USCIS issues a conditional two-year green card. The couple must file Form I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions in the 90-day window before the conditional green card expires. Fitenko Law represents I-751 clients with similar bonafides-focused documentation.
Typical timeline for adjustment of status (foreign spouse already in U.S.): 10-24 months from filing to green card approval. Consular processing (foreign spouse abroad): 12-30 months. Specific timing depends on USCIS workload at the relevant Field Office and consular post backlog.
Yes. As part of the adjustment-of-status package, we file Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization concurrently. The Employment Authorization Document (EAD) typically arrives 4-8 months after filing and is renewable until the green card is approved.
Only if granted Advance Parole. We file Form I-131 Application for Travel Document concurrently with the I-485. Advance Parole typically arrives with the EAD (combined card) at 4-8 months. Departing the U.S. before Advance Parole is approved abandons the I-485 and is generally not recommended.
Yes. Same-sex marriages are fully recognized for U.S. immigration purposes. We have represented same-sex couples from a wide range of countries through both adjustment of status and consular processing.
Criminal history is one of the most common complicating factors in marriage-based green card cases. The impact depends on the specific offense, conviction date, sentence, rehabilitation evidence, and circumstances. Some offenses are clearly disqualifying without a waiver; others have no effect. We evaluate every criminal record during the consultation, before any engagement letter is signed.
A K-1 fiancé visa is for engaged couples where the foreign fiancé is currently abroad and intends to enter the U.S. to marry within 90 days, then apply for adjustment of status. A marriage-based green card is for couples already married. K-1 has its own application, fees, and timeline. We compare the two during consultation when the couple is not yet married.
Yes. Attorney Ekaterina Fitenko is fluent in Russian and conducts the entire engagement — initial consultation, document review, form preparation, interview rehearsal, ongoing case correspondence — in your preferred language. Russian-speaking couples form a meaningful share of our marriage-based green card practice.
For broader family-based immigration matters beyond marriage, see our Family-Based Immigration services page. For comparison of marriage-based green cards with other pathways (employment-based, investor-based, extraordinary ability), see our Visa Comparison Guide. For an in-depth walkthrough of the marriage-based green card process, read our complete Marriage-Based Green Card Guide.
Whether you are in Miami, Hallandale Beach, Aventura, Sunny Isles, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, or anywhere else in Florida, the consultation is $200 — credited toward your legal fee if you retain the firm — and conducted in English or Russian. You will leave with a clear timeline, a transparent flat-fee quote, and a documented strategy — regardless of whether you retain Fitenko Law afterward.
Speak with Florida marriage-based green card attorney Ekaterina Fitenko. Bilingual EN/RU. In-person at Hallandale Beach or by secure video.
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