Memphis Smith and Hamza Divorce Puts Him at Risk of Losing Green Card, Deportation

There was a time when Memphis and Hamza were filming for 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After?

At least, that’s what fans believe. People saw them filming together in Michigan. It seems unlikely that the world will ever see that footage.

Fast forward to late last year, and the two divorced, with Memphis seemingly scoring a custody victory over Hamza. They share a baby girl.

Hamza might already have a temporary green card. But even if he does, he will have to beat the odds to keep it.

90 Day Fiance: Before The 90 Days alum Moknii Hamza shared a number of photos from his stay in Chicago, which spanned from April to late August of 2022. (Photo Credit: Instagram)

In Touch Weekly spoke to an immigration expert, Kathleen Martinez about where things stand for Memphis Smith and Moknii Hamza.

Multiple times over the past year, this attorney has seemingly inserted herself into 90 Day Fiance drama to weigh in.

This time, she is discussing the precarious status of Hamza’s green card battle. And yes, it will likely be a battle.

Memphis Sandoval and Moknii Hamza Ride to Their Wedding
90 Day Fiance: Before The 90 Days Season 5, Episode 15 showed Memphis Smith and Moknii Hamza en route to their wedding.

In fact, Martinez explains that Hamza’s green card status will be an “uphill battle.”

He and Memphis divorced in late October 2022. That makes for a very short marriage, and an even shorter time together in the US.

And, as 90 Day Fiance fans have seen in the contrasting stories of Andrei Castravet and Yara Zaya, the timing of receiving one’s green card can make all of the difference.

“So if he already has his green card but got it within two years of marriage, it’s a conditional green card,” Martinez explained.

“Meaning it’s conditional on him staying married,” she noted.

“At the two-year mark, he will need to apply to remove those conditions,” Martinez continued. “And request to waive the spousal signature requirement.”

They're so sweet together!
Despite a lot of hurdles, from cultural differences to odd priorities to little white lies to a huge language barrier, these two made it! For a little while, anyway.

That may be a little bit of a challenge, considering how brief their marriage was. And they lived apart, in separate cities, for months prior to finalizing their divorce.

Hamza will have to prove to immigration authorities that his marriage to Memphis was natural and legit. And that his divorce from her was equally sincere.

Martinez summarized that he will have to make it clear that he married for love and “not for a green card.”

That was fast!
Memphis is just a few weeks pregnant (tests usually start giving positive results after about 10 days), and they decide that — since it was filmed anyway — they might as well tell his family.

Obtaining that waiver, and meeting that burden of proof, are seldom easy. And the optics of Hamza’s erstwhile marriage won’t help.

“His marriage looks fraudulent,” Martinez bluntly characterized.

“If they didn’t know each other long before getting married, divorced quickly after,” she explained. “It’s going to be an uphill battle to keep his green card.”

But ... SHOULD they still be together?
Memphis asks if Ella, who defends sleeping with her friend because her love language is “touch” and she’s gone years without intimacy due to Johnny’s unavailability, should be in a long-distance relationship at all if her needs aren’t being met.

After months of bitter separation, Memphis and Hamza finalized their divorce on October 28, 2022. We do not know their exact wedding date, but they were likely married for well under a year before they separated.

Meanwhile, Martinez added that if Hamza cannot get the marriage requirement waived, he “could lose his green card.”

This could lead to immigration services placing him in removal proceedings. However, she added, this is unlikely unless he commits a crime.

Memphis Smith and Hamza Divorce Puts Him at Risk of Losing Green Card, Deportation was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.