Spouse Visa Guide: How the CR-1 and IR-1 Work in 2026

On this page

1. What is a CR-1 or IR-1 spouse visa?
2. CR-1 vs K-1: which visa should you choose?
3. Who qualifies? Eligibility for both spouses
4. The spouse visa process, step by step
5. The I-864 Affidavit of Support: how much income do you need?
6. Proving your marriage is real
7. What happens at the consular interview?
8. Spouse visa costs in 2026: the full fee table
9. How long does a spouse visa take?
10. After your spouse arrives
11. Living apart while you wait
12. Spouse visas in the UK, Canada and Australia
13. FAQ

The spouse visa is the slow, solid route. It usually takes longer at the first stage than a fiancé visa, but your spouse lands as a lawful permanent resident with a green card on the way, no 90-day wedding deadline, and no second round of applications for work or travel permits. For most couples who are already married, or who can marry abroad, it is the better path.

This guide walks through the US process in order, then covers the money, the paperwork that trips people up, and how to keep the relationship in good shape during a wait that can run well past a year. It is general information, not legal advice. Immigration rules changed several times in 2025 and 2026, so treat any date or dollar figure here as a starting point and check the official pages linked throughout.

What is a CR-1 or IR-1 spouse visa?

Both are immigrant visas for the foreign spouse of a US citizen. The process, forms and fees are identical. The only difference is the kind of green card your spouse receives, which depends on how long you have been married when they are admitted to the US.

People searching “CR 1” are almost always asking about this visa. If you marry and file quickly, you will most likely end up with a CR-1. That is fine. The conditional period exists to confirm the marriage is genuine, and the I-751 is routine for couples who are still together and can show a shared life.

A green card holder (rather than a citizen) can also sponsor a spouse with the same I-130, but the case falls under the F2A preference category instead, with waits set by the monthly Visa Bulletin. Same-sex marriages are treated exactly the same as opposite-sex marriages, as long as the marriage was legal where it took place.

CR-1 vs K-1: which visa should you choose?

If you are engaged but not married, you have a choice: marry abroad and file for a spouse visa, or file for a K-1 fiancé visa and marry in the US within 90 days of arrival. Here is how they compare as of 2026.

Decision rule: if you can legally marry in your partner’s country (or a third country) and you don’t mind having the wedding first, the spouse visa usually wins on cost, simplicity and your spouse’s freedom once they land. The K-1 makes sense mainly when the wedding in the US matters a lot to you, or when marrying abroad is impractical. Our K-1 fiancé visa guide covers that route in detail, and planning a wedding long-distance helps if you go the marry-first route.

Who qualifies? Eligibility for both spouses

The US petitioner

• Is a US citizen (or a green card holder, under the slower F2A category).
• Is legally married to the beneficiary, with any earlier marriages legally ended by divorce, annulment or death.
• Is domiciled in the US, or can show they intend to re-establish domicile there no later than when the spouse immigrates. This catches out many couples living abroad together.
• Can meet the Affidavit of Support income requirement, alone or with help.

The foreign spouse

• Is in a genuine marriage, not one entered into mainly for immigration.
• Is not inadmissible because of certain criminal history, past immigration violations (such as long overstays), fraud, or specific health grounds.
• Can pass the medical exam and has the required vaccinations.

If either of you has a past overstay, deportation, a criminal record or a prior visa refusal, stop here and get a consultation with a licensed immigration attorney before filing. Some problems can be waived, but the order you do things in matters.

The spouse visa process, step by step

1. File Form I-130 with USCIS. The US citizen files the Petition for Alien Relative online ($625) or on paper ($675). There is no separate biometrics fee. Include proof of citizenship, the marriage certificate, proof any prior marriages ended, passport-style photos, and evidence the marriage is real. USCIS sends a receipt notice (Form I-797C) within a few weeks. Track your case with the receipt number.
2. Wait for approval (or a request for evidence). USCIS may send an RFE if something is missing. Answer it completely and by the deadline. Processing times vary a lot by service center and change month to month; check the live estimate on the USCIS processing times tool under Form I-130, spouse of a US citizen.
3. The case moves to the National Visa Center. After approval, USCIS forwards the file to the NVC. You will get a welcome email or letter with a case number and invoice ID, then log in to the State Department’s Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC).
4. Pay the NVC fees. The immigrant visa application fee is $325 and the Affidavit of Support review fee is $120 (as of 2026). Pay through CEAC; payments can take about a week to clear before the next steps open up.
5. Submit Form DS-260 and the Affidavit of Support. Your spouse completes the DS-260 immigrant visa application online. You (the sponsor) submit Form I-864 with your most recent tax return or IRS transcript and proof of current income. If you need a joint sponsor, they file their own I-864.
6. Upload civil documents. Typically your spouse’s passport bio page, birth certificate, marriage certificate, police certificates from countries where they have lived, and any divorce, military or court records. Each country has specific rules about which documents are acceptable; the State Department’s reciprocity table lists them by country. Anything not in English needs a certified translation.
7. Get “documentarily qualified.” The NVC reviews everything. If something is wrong, you will be asked to resubmit, which adds weeks. Once complete, the case waits in line for an interview at the embassy or consulate.
8. Medical exam with a panel physician. When the interview is scheduled, your spouse books the medical exam with a doctor on the embassy’s approved list. It includes a physical, a review of vaccinations, and tests such as a chest X-ray and blood work depending on age. The fee is set locally and varies by country. Results usually go straight to the embassy or come back in a sealed envelope; don’t open it.
9. The consular interview. Your spouse attends in person. The officer confirms identity, checks documents and asks about your relationship. Many approvals are given at the window, with the passport returned by courier with the visa inside.
10. Pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee and travel. Pay the $235 fee online (before travel is best) so the physical green card can be produced. The immigrant visa is typically valid for up to six months, and your spouse must enter the US before it expires.

The I-864 Affidavit of Support: how much income do you need?

The Affidavit of Support is a legally enforceable promise that you will support your spouse financially so they don’t rely on certain means-tested public benefits. It lasts until your spouse becomes a citizen or is credited with about 10 years of work, and it does not end with divorce. Take it seriously.

You need household income of at least 125% of the federal poverty guidelines for your household size (100% if you are on active military duty sponsoring a spouse). Household size includes you, your spouse, any dependents, and anyone else you have sponsored before whose obligation is still in effect.

These are the figures for filings from March 1, 2026 as of our last check; Alaska and Hawaii are higher. HHS updates the guidelines every year, so confirm the current table on the USCIS I-864P page before you submit.

If your income falls short

• Use assets. For a spouse of a US citizen, assets generally need to equal three times the income shortfall, and they must be convertible to cash within about a year.
• Add household members. A relative living in your home can add their income by signing Form I-864A.
• Find a joint sponsor. A US citizen or permanent resident who meets the requirement on their own can sign a separate I-864. They take on the same legal obligation, so ask with care.
• Count your spouse’s income only in limited cases. Foreign income usually doesn’t count unless it will continue from the same source after they move.

With public charge rules being applied more strictly in 2026, a sponsor who comfortably clears the minimum, with clear tax transcripts and recent pay stubs, is in a much better position than one scraping by.

Proving your marriage is real

A genuine marriage is the heart of the case. Officers are not looking for a specific number of photos; they want a consistent, believable record of two people building a life. Long-distance couples sometimes worry they have nothing because they have never shared a lease. You have more than you think.

• Wedding photos showing guests, plus the ceremony program or invitations.
• Travel records: boarding passes, passport stamps, hotel bookings in both names.
• Communication history: a representative sample of messages and call logs across the whole relationship, not thousands of pages.
• Money: transfers between you, a joint account, or shared expenses for visits.
• Plans for the future: a lease or mortgage in both names, insurance listing your spouse, or proof you are setting up a home.
• Letters from friends and family who know you as a couple, with their contact details.

Keep adding to this file during the wait. Every visit, every shared bill, every photo with family helps at the interview. If you want ideas for making those visits count, see our visit frequency guide and how to find cheaper flights.

What happens at the consular interview?

Interviews are usually short. The officer has already read the file and wants to confirm it matches the person in front of them. Your spouse should know the basics of your life cold and answer naturally. Common questions include:

• How and when did you meet? When did you first meet in person?
• When did you decide to marry, and who was at the wedding?
• How often have you visited each other, and where?
• What does your spouse do for work, and where will you live in the US?
• Do either of you have children or previous marriages?
• Have you met each other’s families?

Bring: the passport (valid at least six months beyond the intended entry), the appointment letter, the DS-260 confirmation page, original civil documents and police certificates, two photos, any medical paperwork given to you, and updated relationship evidence. A copy of the sponsor’s latest tax transcript and pay stubs is wise even if already uploaded.

Good interview habits: answer the question asked, don’t memorize scripts (it shows), never guess at a date you don’t know, and correct yourself calmly if you misspeak. Consistency with the forms matters far more than polish.

Spouse visa costs in 2026: the full fee table

Government fees for one spouse with no children, processed through an embassy, as of 2026:

USCIS fees come from the fee schedule that took effect April 1, 2024; there is no separate biometrics fee for these forms. USCIS rejects filings with the wrong amount, so check the USCIS fee calculator right before you file.

Budget separately for: police certificates, certified translations, travel to the embassy city for the medical exam and interview (sometimes two trips), document courier fees, a flight to the US, and optionally an attorney. When you start planning the actual move, our international moving companies comparison helps you price shipping.

How long does a spouse visa take?

Total time is the USCIS stage plus the NVC stage plus the embassy wait. For most couples that adds up to more than a year, and in 2026 the embassy stage has been the least predictable part. We no longer publish country-by-country estimates because the pauses and policy changes made older numbers misleading. To get a current picture:

• USCIS stage: check Form I-130 (spouse of a US citizen) on the processing times tool.
• NVC stage: the NVC publishes its current document review timeframes on travel.state.gov. Submitting everything correctly the first time is the biggest thing you control.
• Embassy stage: check your embassy’s immigrant visa page for backlog notices and any pauses.

Ways to avoid adding months

• Sending the I-130 with the wrong fee or an outdated form edition.
• Name or date mismatches between the I-130, DS-260 and civil documents.
• Uploading the wrong kind of police certificate or birth record for that country.
• Submitting an I-864 without the most recent tax year’s return or transcript.
• Ignoring emails from USCIS or the NVC. Check spam folders and keep your contact details current.

After your spouse arrives

Your spouse becomes a permanent resident the moment they are admitted at the port of entry. The officer stamps the passport, which works as temporary proof of status until the green card arrives by mail (USCIS asks you to contact them if it hasn’t shown up within 90 days of paying the Immigrant Fee or of entry, whichever is later).

• Work: allowed immediately. The passport stamp plus the visa page serve as proof for an employer until the card arrives. Our job search guide covers the hunt itself.
• Social Security number: if your spouse opted in on the DS-260, the card is mailed automatically; otherwise apply at a Social Security office.
• Health insurance: employer plans usually tie the window for adding a spouse to the wedding date, which may have long passed, so ask HR early. The ACA Marketplace has a special enrollment period for people who newly gain lawful presence. See health insurance after moving.
• Finances: sort out joint accounts and how you will file taxes; combining finances walks through the options.
• Removing conditions (CR-1): file Form I-751 jointly during the 90 days before the two-year anniversary of your spouse’s admission, not your wedding date. Put the window in both calendars now.
• Citizenship: spouses of US citizens can generally apply to naturalize after three years as a permanent resident while married to and living with the citizen.

The paperwork ends faster than the adjustment does. Moving countries is a big shift even when it is exactly what you wanted; cultural differences after moving abroad for love is worth reading together before the flight.

Living apart while you wait

Most couples spend the whole process in separate countries. That is a long stretch of being married on paper and long-distance in practice, and it is normal for it to feel unfair. A few things help:

• Treat the case like a shared project: one shared folder, one spreadsheet of dates and receipt numbers, and a clear split of who handles what.
• Celebrate the milestones (receipt notice, approval, NVC complete, interview scheduled). They are the only progress bar you get.
• Keep visiting if you can, and keep the evidence. Note that a pending immigrant petition can make US visitor visas or ESTA entries harder, so many couples meet in the spouse’s country or a third country.
• Use the wait productively: save for the move, research housing and jobs, start any credential recognition your spouse needs.
• Protect the relationship from becoming only about the case. Our guide to coping when you don’t know the end date helps on the hard weeks.

One last caution: immigration is a magnet for scams. Real USCIS and NVC communications come from official .gov addresses and never ask you to pay fees by gift card or wire transfer to a person.

Spouse visas in the UK, Canada and Australia

Other countries have their own partner routes with different rules, fees and income tests. They are not equivalent to the US process, and the requirements change often, so go straight to the official sources:

• United Kingdom: the family visa for a spouse or partner, which includes a minimum income requirement. See gov.uk/uk-family-visa.
• Canada: spousal, common-law and conjugal partner sponsorship through IRCC. See canada.ca.
• Australia: partner visas (applied for onshore or offshore), which can also cover de facto relationships. See immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.

Whichever country you are moving to, the same habits apply: read the official guidance end to end, keep your relationship evidence organized from the start, and get professional advice if anything in your history is unusual. If you are still deciding who will move and where, start with who should move in a long-distance relationship and the closing-the-distance checklist.

Frequently asked questions

What does CR-1 stand for?

CR-1 means “conditional resident,” category 1: the immigrant visa for the spouse of a US citizen when the marriage is less than two years old at the time the spouse is admitted to the US. It leads to a two-year conditional green card. IR-1 (“immediate relative”) is the same visa for marriages two years or older, and it leads straight to a 10-year green card.

Can my spouse visit the US while the I-130 is pending?

Possibly, but it is harder. A visitor visa or ESTA requires showing they will go home, and a pending immigrant petition makes that a tougher case. Bring strong proof of ties (job, lease, return ticket) and be completely honest at the border. Many couples meet in the spouse’s country or a third country instead while they wait.

Can a green card holder file for a CR-1 spouse visa?

A permanent resident can petition for a spouse with the same Form I-130, but the spouse falls into the F2A preference category rather than the immediate-relative CR-1/IR-1 category. That means waiting for a visa number in the monthly Visa Bulletin, which can add time. If the petitioner naturalizes during the process, the case can usually be upgraded to the immediate-relative category.

Do we need an immigration lawyer for a spouse visa?

Many straightforward cases are filed without one, using the official instructions and careful organization. Hire a licensed immigration attorney if either of you has a criminal record, a prior visa denial or overstay, a previous removal, a complicated divorce history, or if your spouse is a national of a country under current visa restrictions. A one-time consultation is a reasonable middle ground.

How long after the interview does the visa arrive?

If the officer approves the case at the interview, the passport with the immigrant visa is usually returned by courier within days to a couple of weeks. If the case is put into administrative processing (sometimes shown as a 221(g) refusal), it can take weeks or months longer. The visa must then be used to enter the US before it expires, usually within six months.