U.S. — The Trump administration paused immigrant visas for people from 75 countries and widened the scope of who is a target for deportation following President Trump's return to the White House in 2025. A federal judge subsequently ruled the visa pause unlawful.

"Life has become a lot more difficult for Americans who are married to somebody who is not born in this country," said Ashley DeAzevedo, executive director of American Families United. "We saw so many of our members make the decision to self-deport, to leave the country for fear of this indefinite detention." DeAzevedo added, "We saw some members who had their spouses detained — and that was something we had not experienced previously because there was always this prioritization of who was going to be detained." There is no exception to the travel ban for spouses of U.S. military members.

Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the administration is treating spouses of U.S. citizens differently than in the past. "This group of individuals have always had a special place under the law," Dalal-Dheini said. "But this administration is treating them like all other immigrants." She noted, "Spouses of U.S. citizens aren't subject to the immigrant quotas." Dalal-Dheini also stated, "Spouses of U.S. citizens don't have to have a cap," and "Spouses of U.S. citizens don't [have to have maintained] their legal status here in order to adjust."

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stated that verifying identities and personal histories of all people seeking immigration benefits requires a rigorous process. USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler said, "A pending or approved Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, does not confer any immigration status." Kahler added, "All aliens are expected to comply with U.S. immigration laws."

Homeland Security Department data from 2024 shows that about 343,000 people received green cards through their spouses, accounting for about a quarter of all green card approvals that year. The average processing time for family member petitions was 13 months in early 2025, while fiancé petitions averaged seven months during the same period. In the first quarter of the 2026 fiscal year, 167,401 immediate family relative petitions were approved.