About U.S. Green Card

How to Sponsor your Relative in the United States

In order to get a family-based green card, a foreign born national must be sponsored by his or her U.S. citizen or U.S. lawful permanent resident relative. In order to help a family member immigrate to the United States, a U.S. sponsor has to file a family-based immigrant petition on behalf of his or her foreign born relative with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). If the foreign relative resides outside the United States, all the paperwork will be forwarded to the U.S. consulate or embassy in the foreign relative’s country of residence. In case the immigrant is already in the United States, he or she can adjust his or her status to a permanent resident in the United States. In order to sponsor a family member , the U.S. relative must meet sponsor’s eligibility requirements, such as:

• The sponsor must be either a U.S. citizen (by birth or through naturalization) or a U.S. lawful permanent resident. The sponsor will be required to provide supporting evidence to prove his or her U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident status in the United States.

• The sponsor will also be required to provide proof of his or her relationship with the immigrant.

• The sponsor should establish that he or she is financially stable and is able to support the immigrant in the United States. The U.S. relative has to show that his or her earnings are at-least 125% above the poverty line.

If the sponsor meets the eligibility requirements, he or she can sponsor his or her spouse, children parents, and siblings if he or she is a U.S. citizen. U.S. legal permanent residents can only sponsor their spouses and minor children.

How to apply for a K-3 Spouse Visa

If you are a United States Citizen and married to your soul mate who is not a U.S. citizen, you can bring his or her to the U.S. to live with you permanently. In order to do so, you need to apply for a K-3 non-immigrant visa for your foreign-citizen wife or husband. This type of visa was introduced to prevent lengthy separation between a U.S. citizen and his or her foreign-citizen spouse.


The application process for filing for a K-3 spouse visa involves the following:

1. You must first file a visa petition for your non U.S. citizen spouse. After this has been done and submitted to the appropriate location you should receive by mail a receipt notification from the USCIS letting you know that they received your visa petition.

2. The next step is to request a spouse visa for your non U.S. citizen spouse. This step involves submitting additional forms and documentation to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

3. If your application for a spouse visa is approved it will then be forwarded to the U.S. Department of State for processing.

4. Once the file has been reviewed by the U.S. Department of State, it will be sent to a U.S. consulate or embassy in your foreign spouse’s country.

5. The U.S. consulate in turn, will require the non U.S. citizen spouse to submit additional forms and documents for a K-3 visa and schedule an interview.

6. Depending on the results of the interview, the consular officer will make a decision regarding the issuance of a K-3 visa.

For more information, visit U.S. Immigration Services website.

Green Card Interview at USCIS Office

All green card applicants are required to attend an interview before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will grant them a green card. An interview is an important part of the entire green card process and therefore, green card applicants must be prepared for it.

Usually, a green card applicant will receive an appointment notice for an interview from the USCIS (Form I-797C, Notice of Action) no earlier than six months after filing his or her green card application. However, sometimes the USCIS may send an appointment notice earlier depending on how busy the USCIS office which has jurisdiction over the applicant’s place of residence is. Usually, the interview will be conducted at the same office where applicant’s biometrics were taken or at the nearest USCIS office. The address will be provided in the appointment notice.

It is always better to arrive for an interview 15 minutes before the scheduled time. The applicant should bring the appointment notice, Identification Document and his or her valid passport. If the applicant has an expired passport which was used to enter the United States, then he or she should take it to the interview, too. The green card applicant should also bring all his or her original documents (copies of which were sent together with the green card application) to the interview.

At the interview, the USCIS officer will verify the information in the green card application and if the applicant’s green card application is based on marriage , the USCIS officer will ask the applicant about the validity of marriage. Usually, the USCIS officer will not inform the applicant at the interview whether he or she is granted the permanent resident status. The applicant will receive an approval or denial notice in the mail.

Types of United States Visas

A person who is not a United States citizen or a U.S. lawful permanent resident needs a United States visa to enter the United State. Citizens of the countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program are exempt from this requirement. However, they must go through the registration process before they can enter the United States. Usually, all the United States visa applicants have to apply for a U.S. visa at the U.S. consulate or embassy abroad. Upon approval, the United States visa will be placed inside the applicant’s passport. It is important to remember that a valid U. S. visa does not guarantee the entry into the United States. The applicant will be inspected by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at the port of entry (U.S. airport, port or U.S. border). It will be the officer’s decision whether or not the U.S. visa holder is eligible to come to the United States.

Customs and Border Protection is a division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which enforces the U.S. immigration law. So, it is vitally important not to make false statements or use the fraudulent documentation to enter the United States. Any attempt of using false documents will be punishable by the U.S. law. The violator will be deported and banned from coming to the United States for several years or forever.

There are two basic kinds of the United States visas: immigrant visas and nonimmigrant visas. Nonimmigrant visas, such as student, tourist, or work visas can be used by the applicants who plan to stay in the United States temporarily. In order to obtain a nonimmigrant visa, the applicant must prove that he or she has an intention to return to his or her home country after his or her authorized stay in the United States expires. Usually, it takes less time to obtain a nonimmigrant visa than an immigrant visa.

Immigrant visa applicants have to go through a very thorough background investigation process in order to obtain an immigrant visa. In addition they have to meet all other eligibility requirements for an immigrant visa. For example, all the applicants who are applying for an immigrant visa through a U.S. family member must have a U.S. citizen or U.S. lawful permanent resident relative who is willing to sponsor them.

The most common ways of immigrating to the United States are:

• Through a U.S. family member

• Through employment

• Through a Green Card diversity lottery

Obtaining an immigrant visa is a very difficult process which involves lots of paperwork. So, it is important to fill out all the required forms correctly and gather all the necessary documentation for an immigrant visa application. All the immigrant visa applicants have to be interviewed by the consular officer. Prior to the interview they have to pass a medical examination and bring the results of the medical examination to the interview. The applicant’s fingerprints will also be taken. After the interview, it usually takes a couple days for a U.S. consulate or embassy to issue the visa.

Business or Tourist Visa to the United States?

B-1 Business and B-2 Tourist visas are both nonimmigrant visas for individuals who wish to come to the U.S. temporary for business or pleasure. Even though the process of obtaining a  B-1 visa is very similar to the process of obtaining a B-2 visa, the reasons for applying for each visa category are different.

A B-1 visa is designed for the visitors who plan to come to the U.S. temporary for a business trip. The purpose of the business trip may include: making investments, negotiating a contract, buying goods, attending seminars, trade shows, meetings with business partners, suppliers or customers, educational or scientific conventions, settling an estate, resolving any litigation issues, soliciting sales or any other temporary work in the U.S. An employer for whom a B-1 applicant is performing a work in the U.S. must be located outside the U.S. as well as a source of payment for the job performed. An applicant can not be employed or operate his or her own business on a B-1 visitor visa.

A B-2 visitor visa may be used only for medical treatment or recreational purposes, such as visiting family members or friends, tourism, amusement, or rest. If the applicant’s main purpose is to visit the U.S. for pleasure, he or she is permitted to take recreational classes that last less than 18 hours per week as long as he or she does not earn any credits that may apply towards a degree. Individuals who wish to come to the U.S. for both, business and pleasure may obtain both, B-1 and B-2 visas at the same time. In order to qualify for a B-1/B-2 visa, an applicant must meet certain requirements. An applicant must prove to the consular officer that he or she does not have any intent to immigrate to the U.S. by showing the following: 

• The applicant plans to stay in the U.S. temporarily;
• The applicant’s purpose of coming to the U.S. is for business;
• The applicant must provide evidence of sufficient funds to cover all the expenses in the U.S.;
• The applicant must show that he or she has strong social and economic ties in his or her home country that will prevent him or her from immigrating to the U.S.

Green Card for Undocumented Victims of Domestic Violence

Undocumented victims of domestic violence who have been battered or abused by their U.S. spouses or parents can apply for a U.S. Green Card without help of the abuser. Usually, relatives of U.S. citizens and U.S. lawful permanent residents (green card holders) can apply for a Green Card only if their U.S. family member files a family visa petition. Some U.S. citizens and lawful permanent resident use this advantage to control their undocumented family members, especially spouses. However, immediate relatives of a U.S. citizen or U.S. lawful permanent resident who have been abused or battered by their U.S. family member are not required to have a family visa petition. Under provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), they can apply for a Green Card through the self-petitioning process and without help from their abusive U.S. family members. The Violence Against Women Act provides immigration relief for the following categories of victims of domestic violence:

Abused or battered wives or husbands of U.S. citizens and U.S. lawful permanent residents
Abused or battered former wives or husbands of U.S. citizens and U.S. lawful permanent residents
Abused or battered children of U.S. citizens and U.S. lawful permanent residents
Abused or battered step-children of U.S. citizens and U.S. lawful permanent residents
Abused or battered parents of U.S. citizens

Domestic violence involves physical and sexual abuse as well as psychological abuse, such as threats to commit certain violent acts. Victims of domestic violence who do not have a legal status in the U.S. or those who have violated U.S. immigration laws may qualify for a Green Card if they meet the eligibility requirements.

The process of obtaining a green card for an abused immigrant consists of two steps. First, the abused immigrant has to file a self-petition. The second step is to either apply for Adjustment of Status or go through Consular Processing. Abused immigrants who reside in the U.S. need to apply for a green card at a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services center in the U.S. This process is called Adjustment of Status. Abused immigrants who lived with their abusers in the U.S. (or in some cases never lived in the U.S.) but now reside in their home countries have to apply for a green card at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate and go through Consular Processing. For more information, please visit  http://usimmigration-services.com/ website.

About U.S. Citizenship

A person can acquire U.S. citizenship at birth, through a U.S. citizen parent or through the naturalization process. Naturalized U.S. citizens will have the same rights and obligations as U.S. citizens who were born in the U.S. To become a U.S. citizen through naturalization, an applicant must be at least 18 years of age. Generally, to apply for U.S. citizenship through naturalization, an individual has to be a U.S. lawful permanent resident (Green Card holder) for at least five years. Spouses of U.S. citizens can apply for U.S. citizenship if they have been U.S. lawful permanent residents for at least three years and have been married to the U.S. citizen for three years. However, there are several exceptions to this rule. The naturalization requirements for spouses of U.S. citizens who for example work for the U.S. government may be different from the naturalization requirements for spouses of U.S. military personnel, abused spouses or former spouses of U.S. citizens.




Minor foreign born children may acquire U.S. citizenship through their U.S. citizen parents including adoptive and naturalized U.S. parents or through the naturalization process when they reach the age of 18. Children can qualify for U.S. citizenship if they meet certain requirements. Children who were born in the United States become U.S. citizens at birth regardless whether or not their parents are U.S. citizens.

Members of the U.S. military can apply for U.S. citizenship while they are on active duty with the U.S. Armed Forces or after they have been discharged. U.S. military personnel and their family members including widow(er)s of U.S. citizens who served in the U.S. Army are exempt from certain U.S. citizenship requirements, such as the length of time they have spent in the U.S. or the length of time they have lived in a particular U.S. district. Additional exceptions apply to individuals who honorably served in the U.S. military during certain war conflicts.

To learn about the rules, exceptions, waivers, eligibility and document requirements necessary to apply for U.S. citizenship go to http://usimmigration-services.com/. U.S. Citizenship guide will navigate you through all the steps of the U.S. citizenship process and will help you to successfully pass the U.S. citizenship test and interview. It contains all the necessary forms, instructions and U.S. citizenship test study materials.