Depending on the location of the green card application beneficiary, every family-based green card application procedure begins with the filing of documents such as the I-130, I-485, and DS-260. This article will walk you through everything if you want to apply for permanent residency under the family-based category. Whether you wish to bring a spouse, fiance, parent, or kid to the United States, a Dallas business immigration attorney can make the process much easier.
What is a green card?
A green card enables a non-US citizen to acquire permanent residency in the U.S. A green card, also known as a permanent resident card, grants non-citizens permanent resident status, allowing them to live and work legally in the United States for a period of three to five years before qualifying for U.S. citizenship.
Every year, the U.S. government issues over a million green cards. The majority are granted to family members of existing green card holders and U.S. residents, followed by workers from foreign nations seeking work in the U.S.
Application for green cards
The procedure for obtaining a green card varies depending on whether you apply either inside or outside of the United States. There are two basic types of green card applications:
- Application for a green card (from within the United States):
I-485 (Application for Status Change). This form is used by those who have been selected for a diversity visa, are already in the United States under a nonimmigrant visa, or are qualified via family or work.
- Application for a green card from outside the United States:
Form DS-260 (Electronic Application for Immigrant Visa). This form is used by persons seeking an immigrant visa from another country, whether through family, employer sponsorship, or the diversity visa program.
Timeline for green card
The processing period for a permanent residence card might range from a few months to many years, depending on the type of green card and where you apply. More specific estimations are given below.
- Applicants from the United States
The current wait period for spouses and immediate family members – minor children and parents – of US citizens asking for a status adjustment from within the US is 12.5-20.5 months. The wait can be substantially longer for wives of U.S. green card holders, other relatives of U.S. residents, and employment-based green cards, generally two years or more.
- Applying from a country other than the United States
The wait time for spouses and immediate relatives (parents and minor children) of U.S. citizens applying outside the U.S. via consular processing is now 14-15 months. National caps apply to all other green card categories, and wait durations vary substantially. The wait time for spouses of U.S. green card holders applying outside the U.S. is months.
