i have a friend (no, really!) who is thinking of marrying an illegal alien who has told her a bucket of lies. His supposed ex-wife and their child are also here illegally. What would my friend's tax liability be if she marries him? Since he is illegal, and getting paid in cash, would she be able to declare him as a dependent? When and how does an illegal person become legal after marrying a U.S. citizen?

-- angel kelly (jkraft789@yahoo.ciom), October 18, 2004

Answers

Please have a look at http://immigrantcenter.com/family.htm, the family page of our web site. How long a family application would take would depend on where you are. Here in Connecticut it takes about a year. The noncitizen can receive work authorization, which allows the person to get a social security card, after about three months after filing the marraige application. Tax liability would vary depending on whether they file jointly or separately. There is also a form called the Affidavit of Support where the citizen accepts liability if the noncitizen accepts government benefits. These are all questions the couple would want to discuss in detail with their attorney.

-- Michael Boyle (info@immigrantcenter.com), October 20, 2004.