# Green Card question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-card-question/774836>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 16, 2016, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-card-question/774836 "2016-12-16T03:51:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-card-question/774836/1 "2016-12-16T03:51:18Z")

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Hello Everyone,

If a Foreign National marries a US citizen and that citizen dies prior to the alien getting a green card what happens to the alien? Tough luck and deported?

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**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-card-question/774836/2 "2016-12-16T04:37:14Z")

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The widow(er) of a US citizen who was married to the US citizen at the time of his/her death can apply for a Green Card. [USCIS details](https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-through-family/green-card-through-special-categories-family/widower)

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**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-card-question/774836/3 "2016-12-16T05:28:52Z")

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Fortunately, this did not come up during our process.

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**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-card-question/774836/4 "2016-12-16T18:06:42Z")

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> [@obbn](#):
>
> If a Foreign National marries a US citizen and that citizen dies prior to the alien getting a green card what happens to the alien? Tough luck and deported?

My step-mother’s mother was in the process of sponsoring my step-mother for a green card, but died during the process. I don’t know the mechanics, but it all worked out in the end. Although my-step mother ended up marrying my father, that happened well after she received her green card.