If you would like to live in the U.S. permanently or obtain a “Green Card,” contact us to speak to a permanent residency attorney in Tampa, FL who will evaluate the facts of your case to determine how and if you can achieve this goal. There are various ways to become a lawful permanent resident such as through family members, employment, or other types of immigration relief including U visas and Asylum. The most common way to become a permanent resident is through family members.

You may be eligible to apply for permanent residency as:

an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, which includes spouses, unmarried children under the age of 21, and parents of U.S. citizen petitioners 21 or older
a family member of a U.S. citizen fitting into a preference category, which includes unmarried sons or daughters over the age of 21, married children of any age, and brothers and sisters of U.S. citizen petitioners 21 or older
a family member of a green card holder, which includes spouses and unmarried children of the sponsoring green card holder
Although the steps to apply for permanent residency will vary depending on your particular case, the following are the basic steps involved in the application process:

1. Generally, someone must file an immigrant visa petition for you.
2. Once the immigrant visa petition is approved and a visa is available, you file your application for permanent residency with either U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) or the U.S. Department of State.
3. You attend a biometrics appointment to provide fingerprints, photos, and a signature.
4. You attend an interview.
5. You receive a decision on your case.

If you are the immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, you will not have to wait for a visa to become available since there are an unlimited number of visas for this category. You will therefore be able to immediately proceed to the step of filing your application for permanent residency.

Whether you will be able to apply for permanent residency in the U.S. (a process known as “adjustment of status”) or whether you will need to apply at a U.S. Consulate abroad (a process known as “consular processing”) will depend on factors such as whether you are in the U.S., entered without inspection, or overstayed your entry visa. Additionally, in some cases, you may need to apply for a waiver to overcome certain grounds of inadmissibility.

Do you need permanent residence assistance? Contact our office today to consult a Tampa permanent residency lawyer about your case.