Key Takeaways
- Marriage Green Card issuances are at a record high—the U.S. issued 97,590 spousal visas in FY 2024, a 77% increase over five years—but processing times are rising faster than demand.
- Despite a 93% approval rate for the underlying petition (Form I-130), the sheer volume of applicants has created a backlog of over 800,000 pending cases.
- Marriage Green Cards are heavily concentrated by origin: Spouses born in Mexico alone account for 1 in 5 issued globally, and nearly 3 out of 4 marriage Green Cards are issued to spouses from either North America or Asia.
How many marriage Green Cards are issued?
- In FY 2024, the State Department issued the most marriage Green Card visas within at least the past five years. A total of 97,590 spousal immigrant visas were issued at consular posts abroad.
- 79% of spousal visas issued abroad in FY 2024 were IR-1 visas. That’s 77,523 IR-1 visas.
- 21% of spousal visas issued abroad in FY 2024 were CR-1 visas. That’s 20,067 CR-1 visas.
- This marks a 10% increase from FY 2023, and a 77% increase over FY 2020.
Marriage Green Card approval rate stats
- Form I-130 approval rates were 93% in FY 2025. All marriage-based Green Cards require submission of Form I-130.
- Form I-130 approval rates increase 6.7% from FY 2024 to FY 2025.
- At the end of FY 2025, 801,745 Form I-130 petitions were pending in the backlog. That’s a slight increase from the 852,120 cases pending at the start of the fiscal year.
Marriage Green Card processing times statistics
- As of July 2026, USCIS processing of Form I-130 for marriage Green Cards can take 19 to 67 months. For permanent residents filing for a spouse, the processing time is closer to 52 to 139 months.
- The median I-130 processing time for all immediate relatives was 14.4 months in FY 2025, which was 23% longer than in FY 2024.
- So far in FY 2026, the median I-130 processing time is over 10% faster than in FY 2025.
Country-specific marriage Green Card statistics
- More marriage Green Cards went to spouses born in Mexico than any other country in FY 2024—20,939 in total. That's more than three times the number for the second-ranked country, the Dominican Republic (6,222).
- India received the third-most marriage Green Cards in FY 2024 with 4,914 total, but stands out for an unusual pattern: more conditional Green Cards (2,653 CR-1 visas) were issued than permanent ones (2,261 IR-1 visas). This means a higher share of Indian-born spouses were in marriages under two years old at the time of approval compared to most other countries.
- North America accounted for 41% of all marriage Green Cards issued in FY 2024—more than all other regions combined. Of the 97,590 marriage Green Cards issued in FY 2024, 40,005 went to spouses from North America, including Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.
- Spouses born in Asia received more marriage Green Cards than any region outside the Americas in FY 2024—30,473 total and about 31% of all IR-1 and CR-1 visas.
About the Author
Contributing Writer
Elissa Suh is a seasoned writer and editor with more than five years of specialized experience in estate planning, real estate, and personal finance. She has developed in-depth guides and expert-reviewed resources that help readers navigate complex legal and financial decisions with confidence. Her reporting and analysis have been featured in leading publications, including MarketWatch, CNBC, PBS, and Realtor.com, establishing her as a trusted voice in consumer finance and housing.
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Immigration Lawyer to Manifest Law
Ana Gabriela Urizar is an award-winning immigration attorney licensed in Arizona and New York. With nearly a decade of experience, she advises global corporations on complex U.S. immigration matters. Originally from Guatemala, Ana Gabriela previously spent close to ten years at the world’s largest immigration firm, managing business immigration matters for leading technology, science, and financial companies. She has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch and Negocios Now’s Tri-State 40 Under 40.
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