Through Family

If you are an immediate relative of a US citizen, i.e.

• Spouse of a US citizen
• Unmarried child under the age of 21 of a US citizen
• Parent of a US citizen who is at least 21 years old

Fiancé of a US citizen or the fiancé’s child:

• Person admitted to the US as a fiancé of a US citizen (K-1 nonimmigrant)
• Person admitted to the US as the child of a fiancé of a US citizen (K-2 nonimmigrant)

Through Employment

1- First preference immigrant worker:

• Have extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or
• Are an outstanding professor or researcher, or
• Are a multinational manager or executive who meets certain criteria

2- Second preference immigrant worker:

• Are a member of a profession that requires an advanced degree
• Have exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, or business
• Are seeking a national interest waiver

3- Third preference immigrant worker:

• A skilled worker (meaning your job requires a minimum of 2 years training or work experience)
• A professional (meaning your job requires at least a US bachelor's degree or a foreign equivalent and you are a member of the profession)
• An unskilled worker (meaning you will perform unskilled labor requiring less than 2 years training or experience)

Through Special Immigrant

1- Religious Worker

• Are a member of a religious denomination coming to the US to work for a nonprofit religious organization

2- Special Immigrant Juvenile

• Are a juvenile who needs the protection of a juvenile court because you have been abused, abandoned, or neglected by a parent

You might fall into, for instance, through refugee or asylum status, human trafficking, crime victims, and victims of abuse. To learn whether you qualify for a USA green card, contact our experienced green card lawyer today for a free consultation.

We are available to answer your questions, and we return calls as quickly as possible. Call our office or contact us online to schedule your free initial consultation with an experienced green card immigration attorney.

Besides these more famous categories and sub-categories, there are others you might fall into, for instance, through refugee or asylum status, human trafficking, crime victims, and victims of abuse. To learn whether you qualify for a USA green card, contact our experienced green card lawyer today for a free consultation.

We are available to answer your questions, and we return calls as quickly as possible. Call our office or contact us online to schedule your free initial consultation with an experienced green card immigration attorney.

Let’s see below the estimated green card processing durations based on their categories:


Family-Based Immigrant Visas
Depending on the office where you apply for your green card, it can take anything from 7 months to 33 months. Some USCIS offices are busier than others and some consulates or embassies abroad may take longer to help you. It can take up to 10 years before you get your family-based green card. But this long duration can be minimized if you work with a specialist family based green card attorney.

Green Card Through Marriage
The average waiting time for a marriage-based green card is 10-13 months. As there is no cap on the amount of marriage-based green cards allowed per year. You can almost be certain of a marriage-based visa number available to you. The only thing that may stand in your way is your application and eligibility. You can progress rapidly with the help of a permanent residency attorney in Van Nuys. A marriage-based green card is also called an IR-1 visa. It’s a conditional green card that expires after 2 years. Thereafter you can apply for permanent residency.

Employment-Based Green Card

You can possibly get your green card within a year. But it could easily just as well take between 4 and 6 years if you apply in a popular category that receives many applications. There are many different types of employment-based visas. Each has a different yearly cap for green cards (some even don’t qualify for LPR status). As mentioned before, this is a very popular category and there are usually more applications than actual visas and green cards granted.

We would recommend you get in touch with the best employment based green card attorney in Van Nuys for a smooth and error-free application process.

Having your green card revoked is quite difficult but not impossible.

Fraud: If a green card holder lied, omitted relevant information, or committed any fraud during the application process, his or her green card may be revoked. For example, marriage fraud is grounds for deportation.

Criminal activity: The INA details specific crimes that would subject a non-citizen to deportation. Crimes involving moral turpitude, aggravated felonies and certain drug-related crimes can all subject a lawful permanent resident to revocation of their green card.

Abandonment: An individual may lose lawful permanent resident status by intentionally abandoning it. You may be found to have abandoned your status if you: (1) Move to another country and intend to live there permanently; (2) Remain outside the US for an extended period of time (more than 183 days), unless you intended this to be a temporary absence; (3) Fail to file income tax returns while living outside the US; and/or (4) declare yourself a “nonimmigrant” on your US tax returns.

Keep in mind, this information is meant to provide a brief overview of the basic grounds for green card revocation. If you have any questions concerning your status as a lawful permanent resident, it may be helpful to speak with a Van Nuys green card lawyer. Feel free to contact our office at 888-997-3701 and have a free case evaluation.

It is possible to live in the USA without a green card, but the process is typically complicated by deadlines, obstacles, additional expenses, and financial constraints. Your green card is the key to opening doors for you to obtain a loan, a permanent job, a driver's license, or your own home. You are safer as an LPR even during times of crisis, when temporary visas are frequently not renewed and aid is only given to US residents and green card holders.