Green Card

There are two main ways of getting a Green Card – through a relative or through an employer. A Green Card means you are a Legal Permanent Resident of the US and you can reside and work there. You will also be able to obtain citizenship after you fulfill certain requirements.

In general, obtaining a Green Card through a relative is an easier process generally than through the employer. At our law firm, we check for eligibility for both options and handle your Green Card process.

Family Based Green Card (I-130)

A relative who can apply for a Green Card for you will need to be a Green Card holder/US citizen and will need to be your spouse/parent/child/sibling. A relative such as an uncle or grandparent cannot make a Green Card application for you. The applicant needs to prove the family relationship and their financial ability to sponsor someone.

In our office, we also specialize in more complicated cases such as adoption, surrogacy and same-sex couples. We have Israeli lawyers who specialize in family law and they work in conjunction with the US immigration team to make sure your case is dealt with appropriately.

The Green Card process is lengthy and requires multiple forms and personal documents. Our office is up to date on best practices to allow your process to move as fast as possible.

Employment Based Green Card (I-140)

An employer can request a Green Card for one of its employees. There are three preference categories to apply for a Green Card. The choice of preference category is something we work with you to determine. It is dependent on your professional experience as well as the degrees you hold. For example, if you have exceptional ability in your field that you can prove with documentation, then you would be eligible for multiple preference categories. In certain cases you can even self-petition meaning you don’t need an employer to make the application.

Processing times for these applications can be years especially for employees from certain countries such as India. You can often be in the US under a work visa during this waiting period until you are eligible to receive your Green Card. If you are relocating to the US on a work visa, it’s a great idea to bring up plans for obtaining a Green Card with your US immigration lawyer early on in order to plan effectively and give you the most amount of options.