In short, though you are not required to get an attorney, most people are happy with their decision to have done so. (See this survey on Family-Based Green Cards: Are Immigration Lawyers Worth the Cost?) What's So Difficult About Applying for a Green Card? The U.S. immigration system is widely regarded as "broken."
Do Not Sell My Personal Information If you are interested in obtaining a green card in order to live, work, and stay in the United States for more than just a temporary time period, then you probably know that the rules and procedures are complicated. U.S. immigration law is full of exceptions and inconsistencies.
The forms and documents required can be overwhelming, government delays or mix-ups are inevitable, and mistakes by the applicant can have disastrous consequences. In short, though you are not required to get an attorney, most people are happy with their decision to have done so.
It takes lawyers years just to become comfortable with the ins and outs of various types of visas, green cards, and other benefits.
Because you are suspicious your ex used you for a green card, you should contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE. Getting a green card based on a fraudulent marriage is a federal offense. It could result in the deportation of your ex.
The Green Card is mailed to the beneficiary, not to the attorney.
You do not have to hire an immigration lawyer to apply for a Marriage Green Card. More than half of all marriage Green Card applications are filed by individuals who do not work with an attorney.
If you already have a green card and are a permanent resident at the time of the divorce, the divorce should not change your status. However, the divorce may force you to wait longer to apply for naturalization. In this case, you would need to wait five years, rather than three.
Expect to pay the attorney somewhere between $3,000 and $7,000 in total—in addition to the application fees described above. Most attorneys will quote you a flat fee in advance, and ask you to pay part of it at the beginning and the rest at the end.
The immigration process can be intimidating and take a long time, but hiring an immigration attorney to support you with your case can speed up the process and help you meet your goals.
The current total wait time for a marriage-based green card ranges between 11 to 56 months, depending on whether you are married to a U.S. citizen or green card holder and where you currently live (not including possible delays).
When you obtain a green card through marriage, it will either be a permanent renewable green card that is valid for ten years or a conditional two-year green card. The conditional green card is issued to applicants that have been married for less than two years at the time the green card is issued.
As of early 2022, the State Department's immigrant visa application fee was $325 for family-based applicants, $345 for employment-based applicants, $330 for diversity visa applicants, $265 for a fiancé (K-1) visa, and $205 for various other categories.
In a typical Green Card case, if the couple has been married for less than two years then the U.S. citizen, spouse and the immigrant have to file another form at the end of the two years or actually right before the end of the two year anniversary of the Green Card and they have to ask to get the conditions removed.
If you stay outside of the country for more than 6 months, or leave for long periods of time and only coming to the US for very short amounts of time, and you are a Legal Permanent Resident of the United States, you run the risked of being charged with abandonment of your green card and it can be taken away.
To remove conditional status, the green card holder and his or her spouse, must file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, within 90 days of the expiration of permanent residence, i.e., within 90 days before the second anniversary of when the green card was issued.
How immigration attorneys help deal not only with legal analysis, but paperwork and government bureaucracy.
The U.S. immigration system is widely regarded as "broken." The law itself is torturously difficult to understand. It takes lawyers years just to become comfortable with the ins and outs of various types of visas, green cards, and other benefits.
A few hours trying to fill out immigration forms, and you might just change your mind. True, the more knowledgeable you are about the process you're about to undertake, and about the work you're paying the lawyer to perform, the better off you'll be.
The agency to contact to report suspected immigration fraud is ICE www.ice.gov. You don't have the right to get your husband deported and generaly, contacting ICE is non-productive. Normally, you need more than a suspicion that the mariage was fraudulent.
You can inform the USCIS about your circumstances. If the USCIS finds out that your husband committed fraud, he most likely be held accountable for the fraud and will be deported.
I am very sad to hear your story. Unfortunately many people try to cheat to get a greencard. If you believe he has done this to you, you can go ahead and let the USCIS know. Unfortunately if he gets a good lawyer and can prove his marriage was entered in good faith, he might be able to get his greencard.
The U.S. government issues more than a million green cards every year. Most are given to family members of U.S. citizens and current green card holders, as well as workers from other countries seeking employment in the United States.
If you are looking for an experienced green card immigration lawyer, try out AppearMe for Consumers.
A green card, also known as a Permanent Resident Card, allows an individual to live and work permanently in the United States. There are several different ways to apply for and receive a green card based on multiple different categories of eligibility.
The process to submit a green card is a serious process not to be underestimated. Not only is the process difficult and time-consuming, but the ramifications of being denied or granted a green card can be very emotional for most applicants. Applicants who are scared or uncertain about the process should know that our compassionate immigration ...
On July 5, 2018, USCIS released guidance about Notices to Appear (NTA). An NTA is the document that Immigration authorities use to initiate removal (deportation) cases. NTAs demand that immigrants must appear before the US Immigration Court.
People always ask me, “Do I need a lawyer to get a green card through marriage?”
And if you do make those mistake it will make it longer to get your green card. And the process usually takes about 180 days. All the best.
Yes you absolutely should hire an attorney. The reason is because you have to prove that your marriage is bona fide, not just married. This is a legal standard and circumstantial evidence is used to establish it. It's good that you recognize that you need an attorney to help you with this...
You can prepare and file everything yourself, but as a practical matter it is better to go through an attorney unless you are absolutely certain of what you're doing. As with anything in life, the surest way to make sure things are done correctly the first time is to find an expert to assist you. And when the consequences of a mistake are as dire as they are in the immigration world, gambling that you can do it right the...