Five Steps to Get Permanent Residency (Green Card)

A green card is slang for a card which serves as evidence of an immigrant’s permanent residence status.  The first cards made were in fact green and the name stuck even though the color of the card has changed several times over the years.  Green cards allow foreign nationals to live and work in the United States permanently.

1. USCIS Visa Petition

The first step in the process to a green card is a petition which must be filed with the USCIS by either an employer or a family member to begin the USCIS Naturalization for USCIS Citizenship.  The petition offers the reasons for your American green card approval and the petitioner makes assurances to the United States government that you will not become a financial burden on the United States.

2. State Department Application for Immigrant Visa Number

Once your petition has been approved, you can apply for an I-485 adjustment of status.  In order to get an application for green card, an individual must have an immigrant visa number.  The number is only issued at the time of approval of the I-485 adjustment of status application.  While it may not take long for USCIS to approve an individual’s immigrant visa petition, it can take years for the State Department to issues an immigrant visa number.  There are numerical caps for most categories of green card and once the annual number of visa numbers has been given out, the next batch has to wait until the next year.

3. Personal Interview

Once the State Department issues the immigrant visa number, the next step for most applicants is a personal interview or known as a Citizenship Interview.  During the interview, an immigration official will review all documentation and it is best to keep track of documentation sent and answers given on paper in order to be consistent when answering in person.

4. Medical Examinations

Before the issuance of an immigrant visa USA, every applicant, regardless of age, must undergo a medical examination. The examination will be conducted by a doctor designated by the consular officer. Examination costs must be paid by the applicant, in addition to the visa fees.

5. Do you Need a Lawyer?

The path to permanent resident status can be long.  While there are many steps to the process, none are more important than the choice of category and native country under which you apply.  Unless you have only one choice of category or country, it might be worthwhile to talk to an immigration attorney to see if there are other options which might help speed up the process for you.

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DISCLAIMER: This site and any information contained herein are intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Immigration laws in particular change frequently. Seek competent legal counsel for advice on any legal matter.