THE GREEN CARD PROCESS A-Z

 

THE GREEN CARD PROCESS FROM START TO FINISH 

Are you planning to relocate to the United States of America as a permanent resident?  you may have stumbled on the Green Card process and felt confused about what to do and how to go about it. Here, we’ll describe the steps you need to go through to apply for and get a Green Card. Stay tuned.

You've been thinking, planning, and worrying about how to go with the process of the United States Green card. No more worries as we are going to outline the A to Z process of getting it done. Let's get started!!

Before applying for a green card just be sure that you take this first important step.

Step 1: Find out if you are eligible for a  Green Card. 

Eligibility is very important when planning to register for any application, hence Green card is not excluded. United Immigration law has set different ways people can get their green card but not everyone is eligible. 

The easiest way to get a green card is through employment, family, refugee status, or special immigrant status. 

A Green card through Family

One of the easiest ways to get a green card is through a family who is already living in the United States of America. With this status, you are already qualified for a green card. However, the only criterion is that you are financially stable.

A Green Card through International/Humanitarian Protection.

If you are Refugees, Survivors of war, special immigrants, victims of abuse, etc you may qualify for a green card however, you must prove that you are just a survivor of a particular crime or victim and not armed.

A Green Card through Employment 

It is necessary for a person employed to work in the United States of America to fill out an employment-based petition and once that is approved, such a person is eligible for a green card.

Steps 2 Start the PERM Employment Certificate Process

The perm employment certificate applies only when you are applying for an employment-based Green Card and maybe you have secured a job offer from an employer in the US then you can choose the appropriate employment visa category. There are categories ranging from EB-1A for industry investors to EB-5 for immigrant investors. While many of these categories do not require perm employment certification, most of them fall under the category of skilled and professional workers with experience. 

For a skilled, experienced, and professional worker, you’ll need to enter the Program for Electronic Review Management (PERM) to start the employment certification process and this exercise can take up to 18 months for a better result to prove that you won’t be taking a job from an American citizen. And your employer needs to submit the ETA-9089 to the Department of Labor (DOL).

Step 3: Look out for the Visa Bulletin for visa availability and preference dates.

You have to be excited that you have fulfilled your Perm certificate requirement which is the most difficult part of the journey to getting GREEN CARD. 

Now after that, the next thing that is expedient is to check out your visa availability and priority date through the visa bulletin to have an idea about your visa application.

Step 4: File forms 1-145 and submit other essential documents.

Having fulfilled the first step by filling out the appropriate immigrant petition forms and requirements and have submitted your labor certification. Another phase is whether you are ready to apply for a Green Card! To apply for a Green Card, it is expedient that you need to file Form I-145, also referred to as  Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. To file Form I-145, you will need a current priority date on the Visa Bulletin as we discussed in Step 3 to enable you to scale through this stage.

Step 5: Adjustment of Status interview.

After successfully filing forms 1-145, your dream of getting a green card is 70 percent sure and waiting for it to be approved. Upon your waiting,  it’s a good idea to get yourself prepared for an adjustment of status interview.  You will also need to attend several appointments such as a Biometrics Appointment to enable you to provide your fingerprints, photo ID, and signature.

Final Stage 6: Stay tuned for your Green Card!

After a successful adjustment and status interview. Congratulations, you can now stay tuned for your Green Card! Well, it may take six months before your Green Card is approved, once your adjustment of status is complete, you should receive your permanent resident card in less than 90 days.

Congratulations once again, your American dream is now a reality.

Find more information here: https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/the-green-card-explained

Do you need any help with your Visa information? The Justice Chamber can make it easier for you and get everything done with less stress and less cost. Should you want to know more about the process, please do well to send us a message via thejusticechamber.org.