It usually takes between five and 12 months for approval for applications sponsoring family members that fit into the Immediate Relative Category who currently live in the United States. It may take several years for approval for applications sponsoring family members that fit into the Family Preference Category who currently live outside the United States.
The U. These categories define the relationship between you and your family member and sets the priority in issuing green cards. Individuals in the Immediate Relative Category do not have to wait for a visa to become available, because there is an unlimited number of visas available to this group.
However, there are only a limited number of visas available for individuals in the Family Preference Category. Individuals in this category often wait from 6 months to 20 years for a visa to become available. You will be placed in the Immediate Relative Category if you are:. You will be placed in the Family Preference Category if you are:. Based on your category and location, your visa application will proceed by Adjustment of Status or Consular Processing.
Adjustment of status is reserved for persons currently in the United States. Thus, you would not have to return to your home country to complete the visa process. Each beneficiary of an I petition must submit their own I form. The government fees required under Form I are dependent upon your age, whether you are required to undergo biometric identification, and the basis of your application:.
These fees are nonrefundable regardless of the outcome of your I application and are subject to change. Usually, an I application gets approved or denied within 8 to 14 months. The steps and timeframe for an I application generally occur as the following order:. In most cases, you must wait until I approval before filing an I application. However, there are two exceptions to this rule:. Medical examination and vaccination are common for anyone who seeks permanent resident status through Form I These exams are referred to as immigration exams or I exams.
Be sure to allow enough time for the completion of all lab work or additional testing ordered by the doctor. The purpose of an I exam is to verify your mental and physical health to determine if you are cleared to stay in the United States. How much does it cost to apply for a work permit? There is no cost to obtain a work permit whether you submit your application before or after filing your family -based green card application Form I Boundless takes all the required government forms — including the work permit application — and turns them into simple questions you can answer online — typically in under two hours.
Learn more , or get started now! What kind of jobs can I accept if my work permit is approved? With this work permit, you may accept any employment that is otherwise legal.
How many hours can I work if my work permit is approved? There are no restrictions on the number of hours you can work. What happens to my work permit after my green card application is approved? As a permanent resident, you will no longer need a separate work permit. You will be authorized to work in the United States even before your physical green card arrives. Can I apply for my green card and a U.
You may apply for a green card, but not for a U. Work permits are available only to relatives of U. What's a preference category? It's a visa type that is subject to annual limits on the number of visas green cards granted. Inevitably, more people apply for immigrant visas every year than the legal limit on how many can be given out.
So, long waiting lists have developed. These are often from five to 25 years long, depending on the family relationship category and the country there are per-country limits.
The waiting list is managed by the person's "priority date," or the date upon which the I was first filed with USCIS.
Some relatives are considered "immediate relatives," and do not face this added wait for a visa. Immediate relatives include a U. Everyone else who qualifies for a U. Only after the person's priority date if any has become current and a visa number is available will the NVC transfer the case to the appropriate U. Near the end of the process, every immigrant applicant will receive further instructions from the consulate and have to attend an interview before receiving a visa to come to the United States.
He or she will also have to show that none of the grounds of inadmissibility block his or her eligibility for a green card. For immigrants who are living in the U. The approval of the I petition is a prerequisite to the immigrant then filing an application for a green card lawful permanent residence. My I petition is for:. Immediate Relative Inside the U. Immediate Relative Outside the U. Family Preference Outside the U.
You are in an Immediate Relative category if you have one of the following relationships:. Parent of a U. Unmarried, adult sons and daughters age 21 or over of U. Spouses and unmarried children under age 21 of permanent residents, after I approval. Although it is possible for Family Preference immigrants to adjust status, it is less common due to the wait times associated with the categories.
A foreign national that wants to change his or her nonimmigrant status to permanent resident status green card holder uses a process called adjustment of status. The foreign national would file Form I, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status , as the primary form in an adjustment of status application package. Although USCIS will consider additional factors before approving an adjustment application, the three fundamental requirements to adjust status require that you must:.
Lawful entry means that immigration officials admitted or paroled you into the United States. For most people, this generally means that you entered the United States with valid documentation and made face to face contact with a U. If you entered with a valid visa, but that visa has since expired, you still had a lawful entry. For other individuals that have an unlawful entry but otherwise meet the requirements to adjust status, an IA waiver may be available.
For waiver cases, the guidance of an immigration attorney is highly recommended. It may seem a bit overwhelming, but most people with straightforward cases can prepare the AOS package without the assistance of an attorney. By accurately preparing these forms, you will greatly increase your chances of having your case processed quickly.
In addition to the forms listed above, the applicant must submit USCIS fees and supporting documentation. This list of items that must be submitted varies based on your specific situation and answers on the forms. In addition to your prepared form, CitizenPath provides you with a set of personalized filing instructions.
Our filing instructions are customized to your answers in the application so you know what to do for your specific situation.
The filing instructions provide detailed directions on supporting documents, how to organize your application, and where to mail it. To see an overview of typical forms and fees for your situation, review the adjustment of status fee page. And the NVC will eventually coordinate the transfer of your case to the U. This is known as consular processing. The NVC will notify you when it is time to begin the next steps in processing your approved petition.
You will likely go through these steps:.
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