How to Become a Legal US resident

A legal resident is also known as an immigrant. An immigrant is a foreign national who has been granted the privilege of living and working permanently in the United States. A number of steps need to be followed to gain legal residency in the US depending on one's eligibility.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• -Proof of eligibility
• -immigrant visa (if necessary)
• -passport photographs
• -additional supporting documentation as requested
• -necessary immigration forms (these can be downloaded at www.uscis.gov)

1. Eligibilty is determined through the following:-Immediate family member who is a US citizen may petition for you. Usually this extends to the immediate family which is the husband, wife, children, parents and to a smaller extent, siblings-Your US employer may petition for you -Petitioning as an investor with proof that your investment is lucrative and will create jobs-A citizen or legal resident may petition for an adopted child under the age of 21- Through the Immigration lottery -By showing proof of being a refugee or an asylee.

2. Depending on eligibilty, submit an immigrant visa petiton. These can be downloaded from the following website:www.uscis.gov

3. Once the petition is received, the Department of State will determine if your paperwork is correct and provide you with an immigrant visa number.

4. You can then apply to change your status to that of a lawful permanent resident after a visa number becomes available toyou by submitting the necessary documentation depending on eligibilty.Usually this includes the following:Your immigrant visa-application to adjust status to residency)-The biographic information form-Support of Affidavit-application for a work permit-three passport photographsAll these forms along with instructions are available at www.uscis.gov

5. The process can take up to a year. If your applications are rejected, the Department of State will let you know within a month, through mail and the reason why your request was not approved. You can make the corrections and re-submit your forms.

Tips & Warnings

• Follow instructions and write legibly.
• Submit all the necessary documentation that is requested with the forms you file.
• Ensure that everything is attached to the right form and submitted in an orderly manner.
• You can only apply to adjust to legal resident status only if you are in the United States. If not, you will be notified to go to the local U.S. consulate to complete the processing for an immigrant visa.
• Proof of eligibility needs to be legal and acceptable. If fraud is suspected, your petition will be rejected making it difficult if you decide to appeal.
• Submitting fraudulent documentation can result in deportation
• An immigrant visa is not immediately available if the petitioner is a legal resident and not a citizen.

Resources

Who Can Help Sponsored

[iainbanks1]

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