(616) 747-8638Grand Rapids Green Card Attorneys
Assisting Clients in Their Pursuit of Lawful Permanent Residency in the United States
The American dream for many foreign nationals is to become a lawful permanent resident of the United States of America. Legal permanent residency in the United States grants you the legal right to reside within the country indefinitely and legally obtain employment in the US, so long as you do not abandon your immigration status or engage in unlawful conduct that would render you inadmissible. The permanent residency card (a green card) is proof of legal immigrant status in the US. It allows certain immigrants to eventually seek citizenship in the United States.
The legal process for obtaining green cards can be complicated and sometimes overwhelming. When seeking legal permanent residency or an adjustment of status, it is highly recommended that you work with immigration attorneys licensed to operate within your state. Our boutique immigration law firm provides focused legal representation in various immigration matters, including helping clients achieve their American dreams and permanent residency in the United States through family-based immigration, employment-based immigration, or other means.
Our Michigan attorneys pride themselves on providing compassionate and respectful legal services to every client who contacts us. Our legal peers in West Michigan respect us and have extensive experience assisting clients with complex immigration issues. To learn more about our immigration legal services and how we can assist you, please contact an immigration lawyer at our firm to schedule your initial consultation today.
What Are the Benefits of Legal Permanent Residency?
Green cards offer many benefits not offered by non-immigrant visas and other legal immigration options. Most importantly, a green card holder has the legal right to permanently live and work within the United States and, after a certain number of years, eventually become a U.S. citizen.
The many benefits of being a green card holder include the following:
- If you are married to a United States citizen, you can apply for citizenship after three years. If you are not married to a U.S. citizen, you will need to wait five years to apply for citizenship
- These immigration laws protect you from being deported to your country of origin so long as you are not guilty of committing certain crimes or violating certain immigration laws
- You are not required to renounce citizenship of your country of origin in most cases
- Federal, state, and local laws legally protect you the same as any other U.S. resident
- You have the right to sponsor close family members, such as spouses and unmarried children, for their green cards
- Your legal immigration status can be renewed every 10 years
- You can more easily travel to and from the United States from other countries than you would if you were a new arrival or the holder of a different type of visa
- You have the legal right to travel and live anywhere within the United States unburdened by state borders
- You could potentially be eligible to receive federal benefits such as education assistance and Social Security benefits
- You have the work authorization to find employment in a wide variety of jobs
- If you so wish, you may engage in American politics
How to Obtain a Green Card Through Family Immigration?
There are two primary categories for individuals qualified for family-based green cards in the United States: those for immediate relatives and those for preference category relatives.
United States citizens can sponsor immediate relatives for green cards. Under immigration law, immediate relatives are defined as spouses, unmarried children under age 21, and the parents of United States citizens. There is no annual cap on the number of immediate relative green cards available.
Family preference categories include the following:
- First preference F1: unmarried adult sons and daughters of U.S. citizens
- Second preference F2A: the spouses and unmarried children under age 21 of legal permanent residents
- Second preference F2B: the unmarried adult sons and daughters of permanent residents
- Third preference F3: married children of United States citizens, regardless of their age
- Fourth preference F4: the siblings of adult U.S. citizens
An annual cap limits family-sponsored preference green cards. Additionally, foreign nationals born in certain countries may be subject to their quotas. Due to the high demand for preference-category green cards, the process may take several years to conclude.
Who is Eligible to Sponsor a Foreign Relative for a Legal Permanent Resident Card?
To sponsor a foreign relative for a green card, a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident must file a petition for an alien relative on behalf of the qualifying foreign national.
A United States citizen may file the petition for an alien relative with the USCIS on behalf of the following foreign nationals:
- Spouse
- Children under the age of 21
- Unmarried sons and daughters over the age of 21
- Foreign siblings provided the US citizen is at least 21 years old
- Foreign parents provided the US citizen is at least 21 years old
- Married sons and daughters of any age
Green card holders may file form I-130, the petition for alien relatives, on behalf of foreign national relatives such as a spouse or an unmarried child of any age.
What is the Process for Obtaining a Green Card Through Employment-Based Immigration?
The United States immigration system offers foreign nationals several options for obtaining legal immigration and employment authorization in the United States. The five employment-based immigration categories include the EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-4, and EB-5 visas.
The EB-1 green card category is for foreign nationals with extraordinary business, education, arts, sciences, or athletic abilities. It also extends to outstanding professors, researchers, and certain multinational business executives or managers.
The EB-2 employment-based green card category is for foreign workers with advanced degrees or those who have demonstrated exceptional abilities in their field of choice. Some applicants may also apply for national interest waivers, which allow them to skip PERM labor certification applications.
The EB-3 category for employment-based permanent residency is for skilled workers and professionals. Unskilled workers may also be able to apply, provided their employment is not considered temporary or seasonal.
EB-4 Green cards are reserved for religious workers, international United States government employees, broadcasters, and United States armed forces members.
The EB-5 category is part of the immigrant investor program, which allows individual and corporate investors to become green card holders if they invest in a commercial enterprise or meet other requirements.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa designed for foreign professionals in specialty occupations, such as IT, engineering, finance, healthcare, or education. Applicants must have at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field, and their employer must sponsor the application.
The H-2A visa is a non-immigrant visa program that allows U.S. employers to hire foreign agricultural workers for temporary or seasonal work.
The H-2B visa is a non-immigrant visa program for foreign workers in non-agricultural temporary or seasonal jobs, such as hospitality, construction, or landscaping.
Do You Need the Legal Counsel of an Experienced Immigration Attorney?
The immigration initiative of the United States government is to unite family members through family reunification and to welcome foreign workers and investors who may benefit the United States economy. However, that does not mean that the immigration process is simple or that you should proceed without the help of leading lawyers in your area. Those caught in the United States with unlawful presence may go to immigration court for deportation proceedings. Your immigration status must be legal to be authorized to reside and work in the United States of America.
Our Grand Rapids, MI, immigration practice has extensive experience assisting clients with various immigration issues, including applicants seeking their first green cards, those hoping to renew their green cards, and others hoping to sponsor family members for green cards.
It is strongly recommended that you retain professional legal representation from experienced attorneys when completing the green card application process. To learn more about how we may assist you in pursuing the American dream, please contact our Grand Rapids law firm to schedule a case review today.
Schedule an In-Depth Consultation with Immigration Law Professionals to Discuss Your Case Today
Stuart Law, PLC, is a Michigan law firm dedicated to helping clients with various legal matters, including those with immigration law cases. We pride ourselves on being responsive, knowledgeable, and highly skilled in all areas of immigration law to benefit our clients and their families. We are a small firm with big firm ambitions and knowledge.
If you are seeking a green card or hoping to sponsor a foreign national for their green card, please contact our Grand Rapids law office to discuss your case with our compassionate legal team.
To schedule your case evaluation, please contact us at 616-747-8638.