Do you want to become a permanent resident in the USA? Before you start, you must understand every part of the green card procedure. If you are looking for a compact guide in this regard, this post has got you covered. Here you can understand the green card process step by step. So let us take a look at the various stages of this process and how the timeline of the application process works.
Step 1: Know the Three Common Paths to a Permanent Residency
To start with, there are three general ways you can qualify for a U.S. green card:
(1) Through employment (Form I-140)
(2) Through family (Form I-130)
(3) For humanitarian reasons
Step 2: Select a Visa Category
This step is only applicable to employment-based green card categories. There are various employment-based categories and you need to determine which one fits for you.
EB-1A: For people at the top of their field
EB-1B: For researchers and professors
EB-1C: For multinational managers as well as executives
EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW): For people with work of “national importance; eligible for self-petitioning
EB-2 PERM: For people with an advanced degree or extraordinary ability
EB-3: For skilled professionals or other workers
EB-4: For special immigrants
EB-5: For immigrant investors
Step 3: PERM Labor Certification Phase (if required)
For EB-2 PERM and EB-3 petitions, the Program for Electronic Review Management (PERM) Labor certification is the next step. The PERM process is performed by your sponsoring employer. It can take from 6 to 18 months, which can be broken down into the following steps:
Prevailing Wage Request: This takes about two weeks. Your employer gets a prevailing wage from the DOL.
Recruitment Process: The employer must work with the DOL to ensure that you are the best candidate for the proposed position. This often takes several months.
ETA-9089 Application: The employer has to submit the ETA-9089 application to the DOL which can take around six months to review and approve the application.
Step 4: Petition Phase
Immigrants with petitions that don’t need the PERM can directly jump to this step where the immigrant petition is prepared. Depending on the legal services firm you are working with and the type of the petition, it can take several months to prepare the petition.
Step 5: Adjustment of Status Phase
This refers to the procedure of becoming a permanent resident from inside the U.S. In this phase, you file Form I-485. If you are applying from outside the U.S., you will have to follow a different process at a U.S. consulate.
The process of Green Card application can be slow. It is crucial to keep following up if you do not hear back regarding your application. Make sure you have an Immigration Lawyer for an effective solution.