How Can You Secure a Green Card in Chicago? A Comprehensive Guide!

What is a Green Card?

A green card is a permanent resident card that allows you to live and work permanently in the United States. The path to securing one can be a long and treacherous journey, taking upwards of multiple years just to secure. Owning a green card is a massive, rewarding, special life milestone. 

What are the Benefits of Owning a Green Card?

Besides living permanently and working in the United States, the green card offers many other benefits to owners. Owners of a green card can travel to any state in America and live there at any time convenient. You will also be qualified for several benefits. A few essential benefits include Social Security and government-sponsored financial assistance for education. Financial aid is something many Americans take advantage of and use in the States. Besides traveling and benefits, you also will be eligible to work in any state and for a variety of positions as well. Employment opportunities are greater once one can secure a green card. One very last significant benefit of owning this green card would be that your family can now be sponsored to get a green card as well. Families of permanent residence are given top priority, but spouses, children, parents, and siblings (as well as the children and spouses of those spouses, children, and siblings) are considered eligible family members. 

What Can an Immigration Lawyer Do for Me?

Working with an experienced immigration law attorney can help you assemble all the documentation you may need and explain the process of obtaining a green card. You shouldn’t have to go through the green card process alone, which is why Gilliam Law Firm is here to answer your questions with a Free Case Evaluation and review any documentation purposes you may have pertaining to your green card application. 

A lawyer can help prepare for the green card application by organizing your files and documentation purposes, providing guidance and support through extended wait times, providing interview preparation for government meetings, speeding up your process, leaving you with less waiting time periods, and helping credit you and back you up. 

How Do I Start The Green Card Process in Chicago?

The following steps will allow you to secure a green card in Chicago and provide you with general information regarding the green card process. It’s important to note that this process can take over 15+ years and longer depending on varying factors such as documentation, wait times, lottery, etc. 

1. If you already have a visa and are an immediate relative of a United States citizen, you should already have a visa number. You can review green card specifics and eligibility on the USCIS website.
2. If you do not have a visa prior to this, you will have to apply for a visa and wait for a number to become available under the immigration system. Once it becomes available, you can start the process if your application is selected. 
3. If your sponsor has a green card, you can start the process through them if you are married to the sponsor or if you are their child and your marriage status is “single.” 
4. You can secure a green card through other means, such as through work or by obtaining “special immigrant,” “refugee,” or “asylum” status. There are also other ways if you have been a victim of various injustices, including human trafficking, crime, etc. Or if you’ve lived in the United States without interruption before December 1971 or earlier. 

 What Are the Steps to Securing the Green Card?

The following are general guidelines for securing a green card in the United States.

• Determine Eligibility: There are several categories you can be considered for to be eligible for a green card. It’s essential to determine which one you will be applying for.
• File the Immigration Petition: If you are filing through a work-related employer, you will have to fill out another form, and once it is accepted and approved, you will be given a Priority Date. The waiting time for this date can extend up to multiple years. 
• Adjustment of Status or Consular Processing: If you are already in the United States, you should complete an I-485 form. If you are not, you must go through consular processing through the U.S. embassy.
• Biometrics Appointment: This will be an appointment you will have to make and attend, where you will take fingerprints, run background checks, take photographs, and get signatures. 
• Attend Interviews: This is when you’ll have an interview with the USCIS. In this interview, they will verify all information is correct in your application.
• Receive a Decision: After all documentation is settled and your interviews have been conducted, you will receive a decision from the USCIS about your green card. 

We Want to Represent You

We understand how daunting and nerve-wracking the green card application can be. We know how frustrating it can be to wait all these years for a decision. Here at Gilliam Law Firm, we want to help you fill out your application and push along this process while providing help as much as we can. Working with an experienced immigration lawyer can help organize your green card documentation, how consular processing can be simplified and faster, and what might have gone wrong with your previous green card applications through an intensive review process of your documents. To learn more about any field of immigration, how to get a visa, how to simplify the consular process, and how to set up a Free Case Evaluation, contact an experienced immigration attorney at Gilliam Law Firm today by calling 866-641-7517.