Marrying An American? US Immigration Now Wants Your Chats, Call Logs And Sleeping Habits

Last Updated:April 14, 2025, 17:59 IST

Marriage to a US citizen, once a gateway to the American dream, is now a bureaucratic challenge under Donald Trump’s strict immigration policies.

Marriage to a US citizen will now face increased scrutiny under Trump-era policies.

Once considered a near-guaranteed gateway to the American dream, marriage to a US citizen has increasingly become a bureaucratic battleground. Under a hardline shift in immigration policy, the Trump administration is ramping up scrutiny of marriage-based green card applications, marking a stark departure from the more lenient approach of the Biden years.

What was once a relatively routine process has now turned into a labyrinth of paperwork, probing interviews, and heightened suspicion. The US government, citing concerns over immigration fraud and so-called “sham marriages", is subjecting even genuine couples to rigourous examination.

Under former President Joe Biden, officials from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) often exercised discretion in post-marriage interviews, offering flexibility in documentation and a measure of trust. However, the Trump administration, in a broader push to “tighten the screws" on all forms of immigration, has ordered more stringent checks on every application, regardless of how authentic the relationship may appear on the surface.

Applicants now face what some attorneys are calling “proof of love" tests – requirements to document every step of their romantic journey. Immigration officials are reportedly requesting everything from text message transcripts and shared bank statements to photographs, flight itineraries, and even life insurance policies naming each other as beneficiaries.

“Officers will be looking deeper…" said immigration officer Ashwin Sharma in an interview cited by the Times of India. “Leaning into their discretion more often than they did in the Biden years. They are already spending more time verifying marriages and we are seeing an increase in requests for evidence," said Sharma.

Even individuals already living legally in the US – such as those on H-1B work visas – are finding the path to permanent residency increasingly arduous. If a non-citizen spouse is already present in the US, the adjustment of status process is handled internally by USCIS. But if the spouse resides abroad, the interviews are conducted by US consular officers, often with equally intensive scrutiny.

According to Snehal Batra, managing attorney at NPZ Law group, couples must now brace for deeply personal lines of questioning during these interviews. “You can be asked everything – from what side of the bed you sleep on, to who woke up first this morning, to the number of windows in your bathroom," Batra said. “If officials suspect anything is off, they may separate you and question each of you individually."

Genuine couples are being swept up in the same net cast to catch fraudulent ones. Advocacy groups warn this approach risks discouraging legal immigration and adding unnecessary trauma to couples simply trying to build a life together.

Though there has always been a waiting period for spousal green cards, the process is now increasingly described as a “battle" – one where the burden of proof lies squarely with the couple. As lawyer Sharma warns, “Soon this strictness may not just be policy—it could be codified into formal law."

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

News india Marrying An American? US Immigration Now Wants Your Chats, Call Logs And Sleeping Habits