What is the easiest way to get a green card?
Obtaining a green card through a family member is the most popular way to get a green card. If you’re a close relative to a U.S. citizen or a green card holder you can petition for a green card. This is also one of the easiest ways to obtain legal permanent residency.
What disqualifies you from getting a green card?
Under U.S. immigration law, being convicted of an “aggravated felony” will make you ineligible to receive a green card. Some crimes considered to be “aggravated felonies” for immigration purposes might be misdemeanors—or not even crimes at all—under state or federal criminal law.
How can an illegal immigrant get a green card?
The process involves submitting USCIS Form I-589, together with detailed documentation of your membership in the group that you claim and the persecution that you faced or fear. If you are granted asylum, you can apply for a green card one year after your approval, and for U.S. citizenship four years after that.
Can you sponsor yourself for a green card?
For most employment-based green cards, a worker cannot petition for the green card on their own, but rather have to be sponsored by an employer. Individuals who have received a National Interest Waiver are also able to petition on their own for an employment-based green card without the sponsorship of an employer.
How fast can you get a green card?
According to USCIS, an application for permanent residence (Form I-485) will take anywhere from 7 months to 33 months to process. The time range fluctuates depending on the office location, basis for the filing, and other factors.
Who can sponsor me for a green card?
Who You Can Help Immigrate
| Who Can Sponsor Who | |
|---|---|
| Who You Are | Immigrants You Can Petition |
| U.S. citizen (at least age 18, for financial sponsorship purposes) | Minor, unmarried children |
| U.S. citizen | Married children or adult children |
| U.S. citizen age 21 or older | Brothers and sisters |
How much is a green card?
The government filing fees for getting a green card through marriage is $1,760 for an applicant living in the United States or $1,200 for an applicant living outside the United States.
How do you know if your green card is approved?
Applying within the United States
Find your “Receipt Number.” (See “Receipt Numbers” below.) Visit USCIS’ “Case Status Online” tracker. Enter your Receipt Number. Click “Check Status.”
Does credit score affect green card?
Immigration agents can now consider your credit history and credit score when you apply for a different immigration status like permanent residence (otherwise known as a green card). When you apply for an immigration status change, a high credit score might help you.
Can illegal marry US citizen?
If you are an undocumented immigrant in the United States (sometimes referred to as an “illegal alien”), nothing stops you from marrying a U.S. citizen, or most anyone else you wish to marry. U.S. citizens marry illegal immigrants on a regular basis.
Can I get a green card if I overstayed my visa?
A visa overstay doesn’t affect one’s eligibility for the purpose of filing Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. However, a visa overstay can drastically affect the actual application for permanent residence (green card). For some cases the overstay can easily be overcome.
Can you get a green card if you worked illegally?
For some types of applicants, it is possible to file a successful application for a green card in the United States even with unauthorized employment on one’s record. If you fall within this exception, you might still be eligible for a green card without risking the possibility of removal.
Do I need a lawyer to get a green card?
You are not required to have a lawyer when applying for an immigrant visa or green card in the United States or overseas. Immigration law is notoriously, insanely complicated, and it’s run by a bureaucracy that receives less oversight and public scrutiny than you might expect.
What is the minimum income to sponsor an immigrant?
The most common minimum annual income required to sponsor a spouse for a marriage-based green card is $21,550. This assumes that the sponsoring spouse — the U.S. citizen or current green card holder — is not in active military duty and that the couple has no children.
Can I sponsor my niece for a green card?
As a general rule, it is impossible to obtain U.S. green cards for one’s grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and more extended relations – unless you can create a chain of relationships so that a more immediate family member can petition for them.