US spouse visa for Bangladeshi nationals
What this visa is
The CR-1 and IR-1 immigrant visas allow the husband or wife of a United States citizen to move to the US permanently. The applicant enters as a lawful permanent resident and receives a green card shortly after arrival.
Bangladeshi applicants interview at the US Embassy in Dhaka.
If the couple has been married for less than two years when the applicant enters the US, the visa is a CR-1 with a conditional two year green card. Two years or more and it is an IR-1 with a ten year card.
Who can apply
You can apply if you are legally married to a United States citizen and the marriage is valid where it took place. A Muslim marriage in Bangladesh is solemnised under the nikah and recorded by the Kazi, the registered marriage registrar, who issues the nikah nama. That registration must be with an officially licensed Kazi, and the consulate expects the registered certificate rather than a private record of the ceremony.
Hindu and Christian marriages are registered under the applicable law, and the certificate from the relevant registrar is what the consulate needs.
Both spouses must have been free to marry, with divorce documentation or a death certificate for any earlier marriage.
Who can sponsor
The sponsor must be a United States citizen. Spouses of green card holders apply in the F2A category, which has annual limits and a waiting list.
Financial requirement
The sponsor signs Form I-864, the affidavit of support, which is enforceable against them in court.
Household income must be at least 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines: $27,050 for a household of two in the contiguous states. Shortfalls can be covered with assets worth three times the gap, or with a joint sponsor. Active duty military sponsors need only 100 percent.
Step one: the I-130 petition
Your spouse files Form I-130 with USCIS from the United States, with the registered marriage certificate, proof of US citizenship, and relationship evidence: wedding photographs, travel records and passport stamps, message and call histories, remittance receipts and evidence of family involvement.
Arranged marriages are recognised and are not treated with suspicion in themselves. Document the engagement and the families’ role honestly rather than reshaping the account.
Once approved, the case transfers to the National Visa Center.
Step two: the National Visa Center
The National Visa Center collects the DS-260 application, fees, the affidavit of support and civil documents. The case only progresses once every document has been accepted.
Documents in Bengali need certified English translations. Check that the spelling of your name is consistent across passport, national identity card, birth registration and marriage certificate before submitting, because transliteration differences are a frequent cause of requests for evidence.
Step three: the interview in Dhaka
Interviews take place at the US Embassy in Dhaka. Applicants from Chattogram, Sylhet and elsewhere travel to Dhaka for the appointment.
Interviews can be conducted in Bengali or English. Bring original documents even where scans were uploaded.
Medical examination
You must be examined by a panel physician approved by the embassy before your interview. Approved clinics operate in Dhaka and appointments should be booked in advance because demand is heavy.
The examination covers a physical check, chest x ray, blood tests and required vaccinations. Bring your vaccination records. Results go directly to the embassy.
Police certificates and civil documents
You need a police clearance certificate issued by the Bangladesh Police. Applications are made through the official process rather than through a local station, and processing takes time, so start early enough that the certificate is in hand but still current at interview.
Birth records should be the birth registration certificate issued through the national birth and death registration system by the union parishad, municipality or city corporation. Older applicants who were never registered will need to obtain the official position and support it with the oldest records available, such as school certificates.
If you have lived in another country for twelve months or more since turning 16, you need a police certificate from that country as well.
Documents needed
- Valid Bangladeshi passport
- Registered marriage certificate, the nikah nama from a licensed Kazi for a Muslim marriage
- Birth registration certificate
- National identity card
- Divorce documentation or death certificate for any previous marriage
- Police clearance certificate from the Bangladesh Police
- Court and prison records if ever arrested or convicted
- Sponsor’s proof of US citizenship
- Sponsor’s federal tax return, W-2 forms and recent pay stubs
- Completed Form I-864 with supporting evidence
- Medical examination results from an approved panel physician
- Two US visa format photographs
- Relationship evidence spanning the whole relationship
- Certified English translations of Bengali documents
Costs
- Form I-130: $625 online, $675 on paper
- Immigrant visa application fee (DS-260): $325
- Affidavit of support review fee: $120
- Medical examination in Dhaka: typically $200 to $350
- Police clearance certificate and civil documents: modest local fees
- USCIS Immigrant Fee after the visa is issued: $235
Verify current amounts on the USCIS and Department of State websites before paying.
Processing times
The I-130 stage at USCIS commonly runs from several months to well over a year. The National Visa Center stage depends on how quickly your documents are accepted, and the police clearance certificate is the item most likely to hold a case up.
Plan for a total of twelve to twenty four months from filing to arrival.
After approval: what comes next
Your passport is returned with the visa and a sealed packet that must not be opened. Travel before the visa expires, normally within six months of the medical examination.
Pay the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee online before you fly so that your green card is produced. You can work immediately on arrival and can apply for a Social Security number.
If you hold a CR-1, you and your spouse jointly file Form I-751 in the ninety days before the two year card expires.
FAQs
Is the nikah nama enough?
It is, provided it was issued by a licensed Kazi and the marriage is properly registered. A private record of the ceremony without registration is not sufficient.
How early should I request the police clearance certificate?
Early. It is the single most common reason Bangladeshi cases sit waiting at the National Visa Center stage, and it also has a limited validity, so the timing needs thought.
My name is transliterated differently on different documents. Is that a problem?
It is a common cause of delay. Correct the records where you can, and otherwise bring every document showing both spellings with a written explanation.
Our marriage was arranged. Does that matter?
No. The officer is assessing whether the marriage is genuine, not how it was arranged.
My spouse does not earn enough. What can we do?
Use a joint sponsor who is a US citizen or permanent resident living in the United States, or rely on qualifying assets.
Can my children come with me?
Not automatically. Your spouse files a separate I-130 for each child, and the stepchild relationship must have been created before the child turned 18.