Most people who want to move to the United States permanently apply for Lawful Permanent Residency. Once approved, residents are given green cards which are used for employment and identification. Applying for residency is usually a long, complicated, and expensive process. There are many ways to become a resident, but not everyone qualifies. Additionally, some people qualify, but must wait years for a visa to become available. It is highly recommended to consult with an attorney in every case before filing anything with the government.
Working with an experienced immigration attorney is key to success in your case. Joseph Muller has helped hundreds of people and their families become permanent residents during his career. It is more important than ever to review each case carefully and work with an attorney. Schedule a free consultation now to make sure that you’re on the right path.
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Some people can apply for residency inside the United States (Adjustment of Status), while others must return to their home country for an interview at a US Embassy or Consulate (Consular Processing). It's extremely important to figure out which of those two options are available before applying for anything with the government, and to understand the consequences of either option.
Most people becomes residents as a result of a family petition or an employer petition. But there are many other categories of people who can apply for residency. For example, there are diversity visas, self-petitions, refugee and asylee applications, and residency for victims of crime or trafficking. Beyond those, there are smaller programs to give residency to specific groups of people. An experienced attorney can review each and every potential option to determine which of those might apply.
When applying for a green card in the United States, it's usually recommended to also apply for a work permit and travel permit. Usually those are included in the price of the I-485 filing fee. This may change in the future.
The residency process has become much more complicated in recent years. Many applications now require more than 90 pages of legal forms and sometimes hundreds of additional pages in supporting evidence. USCIS is now rejecting and even denying applications if a single instruction in any of the forms is missed. No refunds are issued for denied applications if they were filed incomplete. Rejected applications may result in people missing critical deadlines that will prevent them from reapplying.