long term green card holder/bring spouse?

[cfrellick]

I am Canadian but have lived in Mexico for many years. Three years ago I began a very stable relationship with a Brit who was working down here with his company. He has lived and worked in the USA for 17 years on a green card. We really want to be together but I believe he was mis-informed of his rights to bring his spouse (me, soon) when he asked at his local immigration office. They advised him to apply for citizenship (which takes years) and then marry.
From what I gather, he has the right to bring his spouse after 5 years of residency. The going back and forth between countries is getting expensive, so we really want to do whatever is necessary, and to do it by the law. Any ideas? What forms do we need to fill out? Where do we begin? What kind of a timeline are we looking at here? Do we need an immigration lawyer?

[immihelp]

He can apply for your green card as soon as you get married. He can start his citizenship application in parallel. Once he becomes citizen, he can update your petition based on his citizenship.

Family based green card: http://www.immihelp.com/greencard/fa...edimmigration/
Citizenship: http://www.immihelp.com/citizenship/
Upgrading a petition: http://www.immihelp.com/immigrant-vi...enter-nvc.html

Good luck.