marriage duration question

For anyone who has married a usc or knows about the process, when does the marriage duration begin.
I know you need to be continuously married for 3 years before you can apply to be a usc. but what if you got married and didnt apply to be probationary resident until several months later. Do the 3 years begin from the time of marriage or from the time your partner petitioned you to be a pr and once you app is accepted?

The 3 yrs start once you get your residency

thank you!

after your 2 yr conditional GC, you will apply for the conditions to be removed then once you have your regular GC, you can apply after 3 yrs.

also, your spouse MUST apply to have the conditions removed 90 BEFORE the expiration date on the conditional residency card. if this does not happen then your status will be terminated and you can be subject to removal from the US.

so one can expect that from the time of marriage to the time one files to be naturalized it can take 4-5 years?

if they applied for the conditional residency card shortly after they were married, yes.

You got some notice like an I-797 saying something like this:

"WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA", then it goes on to say: "This is to notify you that your application for permanent residence has been approved. It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to permanent resident status in the United States."

You see that date up there? That is the date you became a permanent resident. Okay so when that time is coming up and if you're married to a USC then you apply something like 3 months before that date of your 3rd year as PR and you get that waiver to remove the five year requirement.

If you did this properly it should take you 3 yrs and few weeks extra if that. If you did not follow the procedure accurately like so then it can take you longer. This means you didn't file right away after marriage, you filed after your 3 years of residency, etc. It should not take you 4 to 5 yrs unless you delayed actions. It's going to take me five years because I do not foresee myself being married in the next 3 yrs to get a waiver from a USC to become a citizen in three years.

I see, thats good to know. I have another question seeing how you are a pr (hope I got that right). Do you get financial aid? and in what state you live in?
I know you need to be a pr for 1 year prior to applying

If you guys stick to the timeline and file immediately after reaching the 3 year mark 4.5 years is probably as soon as it can be.

*make that a conditional resident