Planning your Green Card Application

Preparation of all documents for Green Card application is time consuming process.

In brief, for Green Card application it is necessary to prepare:

• the petition;
• recommendation letters;
• extended curriculum vitae;
• fill out official forms;
• make copies of your documents, papers, PhD diploma, citations of your papers, passport, DS-2016/I-20 forms;
• translate your documents into English;
• make evaluation of your foreign PhD diploma;
• request certificates from your employers.

The petition for Green Card is a cover letter to USCIS describing your achievements as a scientist (or engineer/educator/artist/doctor/manager/businessmen/athlete). If you plan to hire a lawyer to help you with the application, then the lawyer will prepare you the petition based on your information and will supervise your application. If you prefer to apply by yourself, then you can study the information about the application on official USCIS website and follow the instructions how to write the petition for EB-1/EB-2 application.

For recommendation letters you need to ask 2-3 letters from your supervisors/professors/lecturers, and to request 3-5 recommendation letters from independent referees. Independent referee is the referee who does not have the same affiliation as your university, does not know you personally, never worked with you, but know your work by your publications. How to find independent referees and the draft for a letter requesting independent recommendation, you can find here. Referees may ask you to prepare a draft for the recommendation letter, because of that be ready to prepare 6-8 drafts. You can find information how to prepare recommendation letter for Green Card application on internet, for example, here, here, and here.

Official forms, I-140, I-480, I-693, I-765, you can prepare in paper or electronic forms, filing online on USCIS website. However, filing electronically you have only one month to submit your application, otherwise your account will be deactivated.

The full list of all recommended supporting documents for EB-1/EB-2 application you can find here.

If you will work on your application occasionally, few hours a week, then you will spend about one year to collect and prepare all required documents. If you will work on your application very intensively, 4-6 hours a day, then you will spend 1-3 months.

Plan your Green Card application in advance!

If you are on J-1 visa, and your J-1 visa has two-year home residency requirement, then you need to request a waiver at first before to apply for a Green Card. Requesting a waiver for J-1 visa may take 1-1.5 years.

Read in previous issues of the Newsletter:

• Introduction to Green Card - what is Green Card, why you need Green Card, and how to get Green Card;
• How to satisfy criteria for EB-2/NIW application
• Supporting Documents for Green Card application
• Writing petition for Green Card application

Next issues:

• Application for Green Card inside and outside of US, what is the difference?
• How to prepare perfect application and speed up consideration of your case.