Green Card Application

Green card application is a lengthy procedure with a cascade of steps starting from the immigrant petition to getting the card or changing from adjustment of status to consular processing or vice versa. You have to file an immigrant petition with the USCIS or United States Citizenship and Immigration Services which can be either family based, employment based, refugee based, adoption based, marriage based, or asylum based, etc.
After the approval of the petition by the USCIS, you will be allotted an immigrant visa number by the US department of state. Followed by this, you can apply for adjustment of status or consular processing. The adjustment of status can be applied under one of the following categories:

 Family based Green card application - IR (immediate relatives of US citizens), IR-1 (spouse), IR-3 (children), IR-5 (parents), SB (returning residents)
 Employment based
- EB-1 for priority workers
- EB-2 for professionals with advanced degree or persons with exceptional ability
- EB-3 for skilled or professional workers
- EB-4 for special immigrants
- EB-5 for investors or people who create employment
 Fiancée K1
 Asylee or refugee based
 Diversity visa lottery based
 Registry
 Cuban citizenship or nationality

The Green card application to adjustment status is I-485. The supporting documents that must be submitted along with green card application is fee payment- application fee or biometric fee, form G-28, notice of Entry of Appearance as attorney or representative, if you have an advocate, 2 identical photographs that adhere to the standards positively, form I-485 supplement A, and penalty fee if applicable, employment authorization document I-765 (optional), application for travel document I-131 (optional), G-325A biographic information sheet (if you are between 14 and 79 years of age), form I-693 medical examination details, form I-601 application for Waiver or grounds of Excludability (if applicable), birth certificate, copy of passport with non immigrant visa, police clearances, evidence of status form I-94 and other documents pertaining to different category.

You have to arrange Green card application in the following order: fee payment, form G-28, form I-485 with 2 photos, form I-485A, form I-864, form I-131 and/ or form I-765, form G-325A, other evidence and supporting documents.

Different categories have to file the application at different places specified by the USCIS. Once your form has been filed, you will be issued a receipt from USCIS called I-797C, Notice of Action. All these forms have to be preserved for future references.