You may become a permanent resident in the United States by applying for a green card or the Alien Registration Card. The green card can be obtained either through family or through a job offer. You may apply for a green card through family if you are an immediate relative or a family member of a U.S. citizen or a green card holder. Likewise, you may be eligible to become a permanent resident based on an offer of permanent employment in the United States. Our firm may assist you in the visa processing application whether you apply for green card through family or employment within the United States or in another country.

What are the benefits of the Green Card?

As a U.S. green card holder, you have unlimited right to live anywhere in the United States; you do not require an employment authorization to accept employment; you can work for any company, and in any capacity; you can sponsor green cards for immediate relatives; and you can become a U.S. citizen once you have been a permanent resident for more than five years (only three years if you are married to a U.S. citizen, and have been married to the same U.S. citizen for the past three years).

Family-Based Immigration

You may become a lawful permanent resident of the United States (green card holder) based on the fact that you have a relative who is a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident.  Basically, your eligibility to apply for a green card is based on the following:

1) Immediate relatives - If you are the spouse, unmarried child under 21, or parent of a U.S. citizen, you are eligible to apply for a green card.  Immigrants under this category do not have to wait for an immigrant visa number.  Once the visa petition is approved by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an immigrant visa number automatically becomes available.

2) Family member preference category - You can apply for a green card if you are an unmarried child over 21, married child (of any age), or brother or sister of a U.S. citizen.

3) Family members of a permanent resident - This category includes spouses and unmarried children of the sponsoring green card holder.

Our firm can provide full assistance and legal advice on the application procedures in any of these categories whether you are based in the United States or in another country.

Employment-Based Immigration

The Diversity Visa Lottery Program

The United States Government through the Department of State oversees the Diversity Visa Lottery Program which makes available up to 55,000 diversity visas (DVs) annually, drawn from random selection among all entries to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

The entry registration period for DV-2012 is now closed  .  The online registration for DV-2012 began October 5, 2010 and ended November 3, 2010.

Entry Status Check

DV Program for 2011: Status can be checked from the Department of State website for entrants who completed online DV-2011 entries from July 1, 2010, until June 30, 2011. 

DV Program for 2012:  Starting on or about July 15, 2011, through June 30, 2012, all entrants may check the status of their entries through the Entry Status Check on the E-DV website.  For more information, see the U.S. Department of State's Diversity Visa website.