The Center for Immigration Studies estimates that approximately 400,000 U.S. citizens marry foreign nationals every year. The foreign nationals go through an immigration process that begins with a Visa petition to travel to the U.S. Once married, they are granted a green card with a conditional permanent residence status.

Both a divorce and an annulment result in the dissolution of a marriage. A divorce ends a valid marriage, while an annulment ends a marriage that can be deemed not valid. While the effect of a divorce is to result in two parties that are no longer married, the effect of an annulment is to return the two parties to the status they held prior to their marriage; i.e. one when they were never married.