A joining spouse is assessed as part of the same initial application and must independently satisfy admissibility and eligibility for lawful permanent residence; the principal's approval does not cover a spouse who is inadmissible. Financially, the spouse is treated as a separate person: an extra US$15,000 processing fee and an extra US$1 million gift.
Screen both records, not one
Run the admissibility questions past both partners with equal care. A refused visa, an overstay, a criminal charge, or an inconsistent travel history belonging to the spouse can affect the household plan even when the principal's file is clean. Raise anything doubtful with a qualified adviser before the couple commits US$30,000 in nonrefundable fees, and ask specifically how a problem on one person's record would affect the other's application.
Two points belong beside the couple's admissibility screening. First, the payment travels in one direction only, from the applicant to the U.S. government, and it neither creates a classification nor waives any ground of inadmissibility for either spouse.
Second, the determination must still be made under EB-1 or EB-2 and remains subject to visa availability, so the question of which category each person's record could support is a real one and should be answered before any money moves. Hypothetical example: a couple assume that paying twice doubles their prospects, and the first output of a careful review is that the EB-1 or EB-2 ground has to be established for each of them separately, on each person's own history and qualifications.