The Process.......

Well what do you say we jump head first into "The Process" of obtaining a green card. First of all, a green card is a Permanent Visa to USA. A green card gives you the status of permanent resident with legal rights to work in United States. Once you have a green card you may apply for USA citizenship. The green card does not affect your present citizenship. An immigrant usually has to go through a multi-step process to get the green card(1), which entitles him or her to live and work permanently in the United States. The whole process may take several years depending on the type of application and the country of origin. In the first step, USCIS approves the immigrant petition by a qualifying relative, an employer, or rare cases such as with an investor visa, the applicant. If a sibling is applying, they must have the same parents as the applicant. Second, unless the applicant is an "immediate relative", an immigrant visa number through the State Department must be available. This number might not be immediately available even if the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) approves the petition because the amount of immigrant visa numbers is limited every year. There are also certain additional limitations by country, most immigrants will be placed on lengthy waiting lists. Those immigrants who are immediate relatives are not subjected to the limited quotas of immigrant visas and may proceed to the next step immediately. Immediate relatives are defined as spouses and children under 21 years of age of U.S. citizens, and parents of a U.S. citizen who is 21 years of age or over. Finally, when an immigrant visa number is available, the applicant must apply with USCIS to adjust their current status to permanent resident status. If the applicant is outside the U.S., they have to apply for an immigrant visa at the nearest U.S. consulate before being allowed to come to the U.S.(2) When most people here about immigration services they think of Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and INS used to issue green cards but that agency was absorbed by USCIS.


BB


References Cited

(1) http://www.foreignborn.com/visas_imm/immigrant_visas/9imm_process.htm
(2) http://www.uscis.gov