Permanent Residency (“Green Card”)
Lawful Permanent Residents, or Green Card Holders, are noncitizens (foreign nationals) who have been lawfully permitted to live (and eligible to work) permanently in the United States. A lawful permanent resident is then issued a green card, also known as a permanent resident card, as a form of documentary proof of status.
Generally, the law provides multiple paths of admission for noncitizens to become legal permanent residents: this summary captures some of the paths:
Green Card through Family: As a U.S. citizen, you can help the following relatives become U.S. permanent residents: children, spouse, parents, and siblings. As a permanent resident, you can only help the following relatives become U.S. permanent residents: children and spouse.
Green Card through Employment: There are several ways to qualify to become permanent residents through employment-based immigration. After evaluating your case, you might be qualified under EB-1 visa, EB-2 visa, EB-3 visa, EB-4 visa, and EB-5 visa (immigrant investor).
Green Card through Refugee or Asylum: If you have been issued a visa based on asylum or refuge, you can apply for an adjustment of status to become a legal permanent resident after one year.
Green Card Through Religious Work: For a religious worker coming to the U.S. to work for a nonprofit organization, the organization can petition for him or her to receive a visa. Subsequently, s/he can apply for an adjustment of status to become a legal permanent resident.
Talking to a lawyer, who can fiercely advocate on your behalf, is highly recommended. That is where my firm comes in, and you can count on my law firm to represent you diligently. Because of the complexity of this area of law, I provide different services to prospective clients. If you want a full package (end-to end processing), I will be happy to provide that. If you want a limited package, I will be happy to provide that as well. The advantage of hiring a lawyer is that you have a go-to person to advocate, represent and diligently counsel you at every step of the way, mitigating the inherent risks involved in your application.