> You cannot do joint tax return when not recognized legally as married in the US, it's one of the benefits. And I'm not sure how marriage to a foreign nationa

> You cannot do joint tax return when not recognized legally as married in the US, it's one of the benefits. And I'm not sure how marriage to a foreign national works in the US, but it might not grant this benefit. An American can get married to a foreign national, and the marriage will be recognized for tax purposes. --- Yes, you've listed all the various ways that a vindictive USCIS can screw someone applying for a spousal Visa. That's very clever and all, but is irrelevant for the vast majority of applicants. And the ones for whom it is relevant are going to benefit more from speaking to an immigration lawyer, than running over what-if-wargames in their head.