Each person needs an individual admissibility review, but a derivative spouse’s case also depends on the principal qualifying. A spouse without a refusal does not cure the principal’s problem. Initial family inclusion is officially recommended for program benefits, with an additional US$15,000 fee and US$1,000,000 gift per joining spouse.
When one spouse's history is unresolved and the other's is not
Compare initial inclusion with a later family step using the actual refusal issue and the spouses’ intended locations. Do not assume delayed inclusion removes the underlying problem or avoids the spouse’s program charges. If someone remains in the United States while waiting, assess lawful stay and any work permission separately.
A spouse abroad does not need existing US status merely to begin an immigrant visa process. Decide the timing question and the eligibility question separately, in that order. Whether each spouse qualifies is assessed individually; when each files is a scheduling choice with its own consequences, including the charges attaching per joining spouse and the point at which they fall due.
Set both spouses' dates on one line: any current status and its expiry, intended departure, school terms, and the principal's expected stages. Where one spouse's history is unresolved, identify the date by which clarity is expected, then test the household plan against that date failing to arrive rather than assuming that it will.