Green Card Attorneys Near Me

Green Card Attorneys Near Me

While U.S. citizenship is a common goal for many immigrants, the first step toward that goal is obtaining a green card. A person with a green card has many of the same rights and privileges as a U.S. citizen – except the right to vote and the ability to be considered for certain positions in the federal government. At the law office of Kriezelman Burton & Associates, we assist clients in the Chicago area in obtaining green cards for themselves or for their loved ones. We are based in Chicago but also take cases in Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

The Green Card Application Process

Obtaining a green card, like everything else sought from the government, one must undergo an application process that is long and tedious. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency that handles visa petitions and applications, is known for long delays in processing these petitions and applications.

To avoid even longer delays or denial of your petition or application, it is important that you have an immigration attorney to guide you through the process and to make sure the paperwork filed for you is accurate and complete to avoid further delays in the processing. The application process requires taking several steps:

1. Petition. When seeking a benefit from USCIS, such as a green card, you need someone to sponsor you. This can be a qualifying family member, such as a spouse, in a family-based immigration case or an employer for employment-based immigration. Either the qualifying family member or the employer must file a petition with USCIS to have you obtain a green card based on that relationship. 
2. Application. If the petition is approved, then the beneficiary (foreign-born person) will apply for a green card based on that approved petition. In some cases, the application is filed at the same time as the petition, which speeds up the process. This is possible if the green card is sought under a category in which there is no waiting time which is typically visa petitions for immediate family members defined to be spouses, parents, and children of U.S. citizens that also meet other requirements such as age restrictions.
3. Fingerprints and Biometrics. Once the green card application package has been submitted, the applicant will be given an appointment to have their fingerprints and biometrics taken. This step is required to conduct background checks, so it is imperative that you accurately complete your application and truthfully answer all questions. If, for example, you answer “no” to the question of whether you have been arrested, but the background check shows that you have, this alone could be grounds to deny your application, even in cases where answering yes would not.
4. Interview. Either in connection with the petition or in connection with the green card application, the applicant will at some point be interviewed by an immigration or visa officer. This interview is primarily intended to vet the validity of the relationship between the applicant and the sponsor. A decision will be made to approve or deny the application after this interview.

Seek Help from Green Card Attorneys Near You

If you seek a green card and are in the Chicago area, contact Kriezelman, Burton & Associates today and talk to one of our immigration attorneys. We are ready to help you and your family.