How It Works · Updated 2026
From a TN Work Visa to a Marriage Green Card
If you came to the U.S. as a TN professional and married a U.S. citizen, here is how you can get a green card, and what to know about timing and your TN.
In short
Yes, this is usually possible. A TN worker who marries a U.S. citizen can normally apply for a green card from inside the U.S. without leaving. (You may see this called “adjustment of status” on official websites. It just means getting your green card without going back to your home country.) The thing to understand is intent: a TN expects you to leave when your work ends, so once you file for a green card, you are showing you want to stay. That can make renewing your TN or traveling risky, and marrying very soon after you enter can lead to more questions. Most cases take 8 to 14 months from filing to green card and cost about $2,955 to $3,005 in government fees for one person if you also get the optional work and travel permits; about $2,065 without them.
This is general information to help you understand your options, not legal advice.
The short version
| Can you get a green card without leaving the U.S.? | Usually yes, if you married a U.S. citizen. You apply from inside the country by filing the green card application (Form I-485). The notes below about timing and your TN are worth reading first. |
| Does being on a TN make this harder? | A little. A TN is a work visa that expects you to leave when your job ends. So if you marry and apply for a green card very soon after entering, an officer may ask more questions about what you were planning. It is not a block, but it is something to be ready to explain. |
| Will applying put your TN at risk? | It can affect it. Once you file for a green card, you are showing you want to stay, and a TN requires you to show you plan to leave. Because those two things pull against each other, renewing your TN or coming back into the country at the border can become risky. Most people stop relying on the TN and use the green card process instead. |
| Does it matter if your spouse is a citizen or a green card holder? | Yes, a lot. If your spouse is a U.S. citizen, you can usually apply from inside the U.S., even if your TN status already ended. If your spouse only has a green card, there is a waiting list and the case often has to be finished at a U.S. embassy abroad. |
| Do you have to leave the U.S.? | If you married a U.S. citizen, no. You apply from inside the country, and you should not travel until your travel permit is approved. If you married a green card holder, usually yes, the case is normally finished at a U.S. embassy in your home country. |
| What does it cost? | About $2,955 to $3,005 in government fees for one person, plus a separate medical exam fee you pay to a doctor. That includes the optional work and travel permits. |
| How long does it take? | Usually 8 to 14 months from filing to green card. |
Fees are current as of 2026 (source: the USCIS fee schedule). Always check uscis.gov before you file. The 8 to 14 months is a typical range (source: USCIS processing times).
Why intent and timing matter on a TN
The TN is the work visa for Canadian and Mexican professionals (it comes from a trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada). When you got it, you told the U.S. government that you planned to do your job and then go home. Unlike some visas (such as the H-1B), the TN does not let you also plan to stay. So when a TN worker marries a U.S. citizen and applies for a green card, officers sometimes look at how soon it happened and ask whether you really planned to leave. The good news: when you are married to a U.S. citizen, simply having changed your mind is usually not a reason to be turned down.
Two things people mix up
Changing your mind is okay. Plans change. Maybe you came to study and then fell in love. Simply having thought about staying is usually not a problem on its own when you are married to a U.S. citizen.
Lying is not okay. What does cause serious trouble is telling an officer something untrue, for example saying you were only visiting when you had already decided to move here for good. Marrying a U.S. citizen does not erase that.
When you received a temporary visa, like a student or visitor visa, you told the U.S. government you planned to leave when your stay ended. If you marry a U.S. citizen and start your green card very soon after you arrive (within about 90 days), an officer might wonder whether you were honest about that plan when you came in. People call this the “90-day rule.” It is a guideline that the U.S. State Department (the part of the government that runs U.S. embassies abroad) gives to the officers who work at those embassies. It is a question you can answer with proof, not an automatic no. The agency that handles green cards filed inside the U.S. (USCIS) dropped its own version of this rule in 2021. It still looks at how quickly you filed, but only as one piece of the whole picture.
What happens to my TN once I file for the green card?
This is the part to plan carefully. Once you file your green card, you are telling the government you want to stay for good. But a TN requires the opposite, that you show you plan to leave when your work ends. Because those two things pull against each other, two things become risky. First, renewing your TN can be hard, since an officer may question whether you still intend to leave. Second, traveling outside the U.S. and coming back in on your TN can be risky for the same reason, and leaving while your green card is pending can even cause the application to be treated as abandoned. For these reasons, many people stop relying on the TN and lean on the green card process instead. If you need to travel, you can ask for a travel permit (officially called advance parole) when you file, and you should not leave the U.S. until it is approved.
Does it matter if your spouse is a citizen or a green card holder?
Yes, a lot. This is the biggest thing that decides whether you can get your green card without leaving the country.
If you married a U.S. citizen
You are in the group with the fewest restrictions (the law calls it an “immediate relative”). Even if you stayed past your allowed time or worked without permission, you can usually still apply for your green card from inside the U.S. without leaving. This is the most common and most straightforward path.
If you married a green card holder
If you married a U.S. citizen, you can usually finish the whole process inside the United States. If you married someone who has a green card but is not a citizen yet, the rules are stricter for two reasons. First, there is a waiting list for spouses of green card holders, so a spot may not be open right away. Second, if you stayed longer than allowed or worked without permission, you usually cannot fix that from inside the U.S. the way a citizen's spouse can. Because of those two things, many people married to a green card holder finish their case at a U.S. embassy in their home country instead.
Three common situations
These show how many questions you might get, not whether you can get a green card. Being married to a U.S. citizen, you are not blocked just because you changed your plans.
You married well into your time on the TN
You met your spouse while working here, dated for a while, and applied months or years after you first arrived. This is the simplest situation and raises the fewest questions.
You married after a recent TN renewal or border trip
You married not long after a fresh TN entry or a trip abroad. Be ready to show your relationship grew naturally and that you were honest with the officer at the border.
You married within weeks of entering
Marrying and applying within about 90 days of a new TN entry brings the most questions about what you planned when you came. For a U.S. citizen's spouse it is still not an automatic no, but good documents matter most here.
The forms and what they cost
These are the government fees you pay to USCIS (the agency that handles green cards). They are separate from anything you might pay a service or a lawyer.
| What it is for | Form name | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Starts the case and proves the marriage | Form I-130 | $625 online / $675 paper |
| Extra info about the immigrant spouse | Form I-130A | No separate fee |
| The actual green card application | Form I-485 | $1,440 |
| Promise to financially support the spouse | Form I-864 | No separate fee |
| Work permit (optional, filed with the green card) | Form I-765 | $260 |
| Travel permit (optional, filed with the green card) | Form I-131 | $630 |
| Medical exam (paid to the doctor, not USCIS) | Form I-693 | $200–$500 typical |
Altogether that is about $2,955 to $3,005 in government fees for one person if you also get the optional work and travel permits; about $2,065 without them. The work permit and travel permit are optional. Many people file them so they can work and travel while they wait, but you do not have to. Fees are current as of 2026 (source: the USCIS fee schedule). Always check uscis.gov before you file.
What proof helps your case
Show that you live as a couple
- A lease, mortgage, or home you share
- Bank accounts or credit cards in both names
- Each other listed on insurance or other benefits
- Mail sent to both of you at the same address
Show the relationship is real and grew over time
- Photos together across your whole relationship
- Messages and call history from before the wedding
- Trips you took together
- Short letters from people who know you as a couple
When it is worth talking to a lawyer
Most couples with a straightforward situation file on their own. It is worth getting advice from an immigration attorney if any of these are true:
- You knew your spouse and planned to be together before you entered, and you married very soon after entering on your TN.
- You need to renew your TN, or you need to travel abroad, while your green card is being decided. Getting the timing and the travel permit right matters a lot here.
- You were ever ordered to leave the U.S., were found to have lied to immigration, have a criminal record, or were refused a visa or refused entry at the border before.
- There was a time when you no longer had legal status, or your spouse is a green card holder rather than a citizen.
A note about 2026
In 2026, the rules got a little stricter. A U.S. government policy update (a May 2026 USCIS memo) reminded officers that getting a green card from inside the country is a decision they make case by case, and that they should look at whether you followed the rules of your visa. People who arrived as students, visitors, or on a few other temporary visas may get more questions about what they planned when they first came. Honest, well-prepared cases for spouses of U.S. citizens are still approved all the time. It just helps to be ready to explain your story and back it up with documents.
On a different visa? Other visas have their own rules. For example, an F-1 student visa and a J-1 (a cultural or research exchange visa) work differently, and a J-1 can come with a rule that you must spend two years in your home country first. If you came on a student visa, see our guide for F-1 students. If you came as a tourist, see our guide for tourist visas. Do not assume this TN page applies to a different visa.
Common questions
Can I get a green card if I am on a TN visa and married a U.S. citizen?
Usually yes. A TN worker who marries a U.S. citizen can normally apply for a green card from inside the U.S. without leaving. Because you are married to a citizen, you are in the group with the fewest restrictions, so even a lapse in your status or some unauthorized work is usually forgiven. The TN does have one quirk worth understanding: it is a visa that expects you to leave when your work ends, so the timing of your marriage gets a closer look.
Why does the TN visa make this trickier than an H-1B?
The TN is a work visa for Canadian and Mexican professionals under the USMCA trade deal. When you got it, you said you planned to leave when your job ended. The law calls this needing to show you will go home, and the TN does not let you also plan to stay (some other visas, like the H-1B, do). So showing that you want to immigrate can create problems for renewing your TN or for getting back in at the border. That is the main difference from an H-1B, which lets you plan to stay.
Does the timing of my marriage matter?
It can. Because the TN expects you to leave when your work ends, if you marry and apply for a green card very soon after entering, an officer may ask more questions about whether you had already planned to stay from the moment you arrived. For the spouse of a U.S. citizen, that alone is usually not a reason to be denied. The serious problem is lying to an officer, which is different from simply changing your mind.
What is the 90-day rule, and does it apply to me?
It is a guideline that U.S. embassy officers abroad use: if you do something that does not match your visa (like marrying a citizen and applying for a green card) within 90 days of arriving, they may suspect you were not honest about your plans. It is a suspicion you can answer with proof, not an automatic no. The agency that handles green cards filed inside the U.S. dropped its own version of this rule in 2021, though it still considers how quickly you filed.
Can I renew my TN or travel abroad while my green card is being processed?
Be careful here. Once you file for a green card, you are showing you want to stay, and the TN requires you to show you plan to leave. That tension means renewing your TN or going through the border again can be risky, because an officer can question your intent. Many people in this spot stop relying on the TN and use the green card process instead. If you want to travel, ask for a travel permit (called advance parole) when you file, and do not leave the U.S. until it is approved.
Do I have to leave the U.S. to get the green card?
If your spouse is a U.S. citizen, no. You apply and finish everything from inside the U.S. If your spouse has a green card but is not a citizen yet, the case usually has to be finished at a U.S. embassy in your home country after a waiting period.
What if my spouse has a green card instead of citizenship?
Then the rules are stricter. There is a waiting list for spouses of green card holders, and if your TN status already ended you usually cannot fix that from inside the U.S. Many people in this situation finish their case at a U.S. embassy in their home country instead.
How much does it cost and how long does it take?
The government fees are about $2,955 to $3,005 for one person, plus a separate medical exam fee you pay to a doctor. That includes the optional work and travel permits. Most cases take 8 to 14 months.
The main things to remember
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If you married a U.S. citizen, you can usually apply for your green card from inside the U.S., even if your TN status already ended.
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A TN expects you to leave when your work ends and does not let you also plan to stay, so the timing of your marriage gets a closer look than it would for a visa like the H-1B.
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Marrying soon after entering can bring more questions, but for a U.S. citizen's spouse that alone is usually not a reason to be denied. Being untruthful with an officer is the real danger.
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Once you file, renewing your TN or traveling can be risky. Many people stop relying on the TN, and you should not leave the U.S. without a travel permit (advance parole).
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Government fees are about $2,955 to $3,005 for one person, and the process usually takes 8 to 14 months.
This article is general information to help you understand the process. It is not legal advice. Immigration rules and fees change often, so check the official USCIS website (uscis.gov) before you file, and talk to a licensed immigration attorney about your own situation. Information is current as of 2026.
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