Adjustment of Status (Green Card)

Adjustment of status is a procedure that permits an eligible person to become a lawful permanent resident without having to leave the United States.  Applicants that have come to the U.S. by a K1 fiancée visa or K3 spousal visa must file for an adjustment of status.

A U.S. permanent resident always keeps the green card in his/her possession at all times.  The resident must have a current valid green card available at all times to show to the USCIS officer, when asked.  The U.S. law requires that the immigrant must carry his/her identification cards, U.S. citizens are not.  The reason for this is because the citizen is qualified for more constitutional rights than a permanent resident who is still classified as a foreign national.

Green cards are for identification purposes.  It will include the foreign national’s photograph, signature & fingerprint.  Green card holders are allowed to travel outside the U.S. and return as long as primary residence in the U.S. is maintained. 

Green card processing:

Step1:
USCIS approves the immigrant petition filed by an eligible family member, an employer, or in rare occasions such as with an investor visa, the beneficiary.

Step2:
 If the applicant is not an "immediate relative", he/she must obtain an immigrant visa number from the State Department. This visa number might not be instantly available, though the USCIS approves the immigrant petition. This is because the law limits the amount of immigrant visa numbers per year. There are also certain extra restrictions by country. Therefore, most immigrants need to wait for a long time before going to the next step of their green card processing. But, an immigrant who is an immediate relative is not subjected to the limited quotas of immigrant visas. Also, he/she may proceed to the next step immediately.

Step3:
Once the immigrant visa number is obtained, the immigrant (the green card applicant) living in the U.S. must apply with USCIS to adjust their present status to permanent resident status. If the immigrant stays outside the U.S., he/she must apply for an immigrant visa at the nearby ‘US Consulate’ before being allowed to come to the United States.

Our office can help with the process of the adjustment of status if you were a past client or not.  Please call our office if you want your work to be done correctly and professional manner. 

Steps for Adjustment of Status

Read at the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services web site all details about the "Steps for Adjustment of Status", as an immigrantsto become eligible for a green card for the USA:

http://www.uscis.gov

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