Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Applying for a Green Card

In the United States you can apply for a green card only after you have received a visa petition from any of your relative or co-employer or fiancĂ©, which has also been approved by the stage government. Therefore if your visa petition has been approved then you can just figure out where and how is the process for applying for a green card is or the immigrant visa in the U.S. However the only people who don’t need a visa petition are political asylees and refugees who can apply for the green card after a year of achieving their status.

Although most of the green card applications should be filed at the U. S embassies and at consulates abroad most of the people generally prefer to file their paperwork when inside the United States through the agency called as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or the USCIS office. They are basically applying for a green card because they might either be already living in the United States or that they need to start a new job or join their family there very soon.

Eligibility to Apply in United States

Only specific categories of the applicants can file for a green card application while in the United States from the USCIS office. Additionally this right is also limited to people who legally entered into the United States and who did not stay beyond the date on their I-94 Card which is written on your passport when you enter U.S. However an important exception here can be those immigrants who are immediate relatives of a U.S citizen like husband or wife can apply on this basis. If this couple had legally entered U.S. or through a visa waiver and even if someone overstayed the due date they were expected to leave, the individual can usually still be eligible for applying for green card in United States. However other applicants applying for a green card and particularly those who have already entered legally into the U.S but overstayed from the date on their visa then applying for a green card can cause deportation. Therefore if you are applying for a green card then make sure to consult a Nolo book specific in such a situation or find a professional immigration attorney.

How to Apply for Green Card in U.S.?

Applying for a green card in the United States would first require you to apply for ‘adjustment of status.’ The local USCIS office can help you in providing the forms needed for the status or can also visit their official website to download the ‘adjustment of status’ packet. Here you will have to provide a few of you photos with several documents like your visa petition copy with its approval of asylum, the job letter from employer who petitioned you, copies of certain pages of passport, birth certificate and several other documents. Therefore when you have assembled everything you can mail them to USCIS service center who would forward your petition for green card. However it is recommended that you always get help from a professional immigration attorney when applying for a green card in United States.


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