Each Green Card category have specific steps and procedures to follow. Listed below are some general processes and procedures to help you apply either while in the United States (known as “adjustment of status”) or while outside the United States (known as “consular processing”).
Determine if you are eligible for permanent resident status. Review the eligibility requirements needed before applying for your Green Card.
Adjusting your status to a permanent resident is the process immigrants use to get a Green Card while in the United States.
Consular processing is the method immigrants use to get their Green Card when outside the United States or when ineligible to adjust status in the United States.
When getting a Green Card through employment, family, or as a special immigrant, someone may need to file a petition for you. Concurrent filing is generally when the immigrant petition is filed at the same time you file your application to get a Green Card. Learn what concurrent filing is and what categories are eligible to concurrently file.
Learn more about if and when you can travel outside the United States after applying for a Green Card or once you have a Green Card. You can also learn how to apply for advance parole, a Refugee Travel Document, and a re-entry permit.
Learn more about if you are eligible for work authorization in the United States and how to apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).
An affidavit of support is a form that a sponsor files on your behalf when you are applying for a Green Card or immigrant visa. It is required for some (but not all) categories of immigrants before they can become a permanent resident of the United States. The purpose of the form is to show you have the financial means to live in the United States without needing welfare or financial benefits from the U.S. government.
To get a Green Card, most immigrants must show that they will not become a public charge. Learn more about public charge.
An adjustment of status applicant occasionally prefers to have their pending application considered under a different immigrant category. For more information about transferring, see the USCIS Policy Manual.