If you want to become a lawful permanent resident based on the fact that you have a relative who is a U.S. citizen or a relative who is a lawful permanent resident, you must go through a two-step process:
The petitioning U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident must submit the Form I-130 to the USCIS Service Center along with supporting doucmentation. The supporting doucmentation must provide proof of your relationship.
B.
Obtaining an Umm
1.
Adjustment of status
If you are already present in the U.S., you can adjust your nonimmigrant status to permanent resident status once the green card petition is approved and a Visa number is available to you.
If you are outside the U.S., you must apply for Consular Processing of an immigrant visa at the American Consulate nearest your permanent residence once the green card petition is approved and a visa number is available to you.
The petitioner/sponsor must provide an Affidavit of Support, USCIS Form I-864. All Applicants must submit certain personal documents such as passports, birth certificates, police certificates, and other civil documents. The consular officer will inform visa applicants of the documents needed as their applications are processed.
B.
Medical Examinations
Before the issuance of an immigrant visa, every applicant, regardless of age, must undergo a medical examination. The examination will be conducted by a doctor designated by the consular officer (in the case of Consular processing) or the USCIS (in the case of adjustment of status). Costs for such examinations must be borne by the applicant, in addition to the visa fees.
C.
Numerical Limitations
Whenever there are more qualified applicants for a category than there are available numbers, the category will be considered oversubscribed, and immigrant visas will
be issued in the chronological order in which the petitions were filed until the numerical limit for the category is reached. The filing date of a petition becomes the applicant's priority date. Immigrant visas cannot be issued until an applicant's priority date is reached. In certain heavily oversubscribed categories, there may be a waiting period of several years before a priority date is reached. Review the Visa Bulletin for the latest priority dates.
VII.
Services offered by VisaPro Immigration Services
Our experienced
immigration attorneys will prepare and file all the required documents for your Green Card: Family application. Our services include:
Complete review of all your personal circumstances
Confirmation that the Green Card: Family is appropriate for you
Identification of important legal issues that may affect your Green Card: Family application
Checklist of documents that you need for your Green Card: Family
Accurate preparation of your Green Card: Family application
Submission of your Green Card: Family application to the proper government agencies
Careful co-ordination of all correspondence with government agencies
Expert advise on how to handle yourself at your Consular or USCIS interview, and what to expect
Online access to your case status
Unlimited personal communication with your own VisaPro immigration attorney
Fast, easy and secure processing through your personal online VisaPro account
