How Can I Apply for a Green Card as a Refugee?
Initially, you may have wanted to become a refugee in the United States so that the country could protect you from persecution or violence in your homeland. But now that you have been granted this protection, you may want to ask the country for more and grant you permanent residence. That is, you may want to officially adjust your refugee status to a permanent resident status via a green card. In this case, please follow along to find out how to apply for a green card as a refugee and how a proficient Lyndhurst green card immigration lawyer at the Law Offices of Salvatore A. Falletta can help your family members achieve the same status.
As a refugee, what do I need to apply for a green card?
Importantly, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) holds certain standards that refugees must meet to qualify for a green card. First of all, you must have been legally admitted into the United States as a refugee under Section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. From here, you must have been physically present in the United States for at least one year afterward. All the while, you must not have gotten your refugee status terminated. Lastly, if you are in any way ineligible for permanent residency, you must try to get a waiver of inadmissibility or another form of relief before proceeding forward.
Ultimately, if you believe you meet all these standards, then you may fill out and submit Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, to the USCIS. Of note, as a refugee, you may not be expected to pay the filing fee and biometrics services fee usually tied to this application.
As a refugee’s family member, how can I apply for a green card?
Understandably, you may want your family members to reap the same benefits in the United States as you have. That is, you may want them to obtain permanent resident status alongside you. Well, you may be happy to discover that your family members who received derivative refugee status from you may also receive a green card. Specifically, these qualified family members may be your spouse or unmarried child under 21.
Similar to you, your family member must be physically present in the United States for at least one year before filling out and submitting their Form I-485. Also similarly, they may not have to pay a filing fee or biometrics services fee. The expectations may deviate when it comes to the pieces of proof you and your family members are expected to supplement your respective applications with.
If you need more clarity on the matter at hand, then please allow a talented Lyndhurst adjustment of status attorney to offer it to you. Schedule an appointment with the Law Offices of Salvatore A. Falletta today.
