Published on November 20, 2023 · 8 min read
Form I-551 is a green card, also known as a permanent resident card. If you hold a Form I-551, you can live and work in the United States permanently.
If you’re familiar with any immigration process in the U.S., you know that getting a green card will likely require paperwork and that the process isn’t always the same for everyone. So let’s review what you can expect when applying for a Form I-551 permanent resident card.
Before you jump into the green card application process, you first need to find out if you’re eligible for a permanent resident card. There are several eligibility categories outlined below.
If you have a familial connection with a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident, you may be able to establish permanent residency for yourself. Multiple subcategories of applicants fall into this category, including:
Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens
Fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens and their children
Other relatives of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents
Widows and widowers of U.S. citizens
VAWA self-petitioners who are survivors of extreme cruelty or battery at the hands of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents
Your job and work history might be the keys to your right to permanently remain in the U.S. A noncitizen may have the option to apply for Form I-551 if one of the following applies:
They have an extraordinary ability in science, art, education, business or athletics
They’re an outstanding professor or researcher
They’re a specific type of multinational manager
They have an exceptional ability in science, art or business
They work in a profession that requires an advanced degree
They’re seeking a national interest waiver (NIW)
They’re a professional whose job requires at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent
They’re a skilled worker whose job requires at least two years of experience or training
They’re an unskilled worker whose job requires less than two years of experience or training
They’re a physician who agrees to full-time work in clinical practice in an underserved area for a set amount of time
They’re an immigrant investor who’s invested or started the process of investing at least between $800,000 and $1,050,000 in a new U.S. commercial enterprise that will create full-time jobs for at least 10 qualifying employees
If the U.S. government granted you asylum or refugee status at least one year ago, you may qualify for permanent resident status.
If you have a U nonimmigrant visa because you’re a victim of crime or a T nonimmigrant visa because you’re a survivor of human trafficking, you may qualify for a permanent resident card.
Noncitizens who’ve continuously resided in the U.S. since before January 1, 1972, may be eligible to register for a permanent resident card.
Depending on where you were born or the type of work you or your family member does, you may be able to claim special immigrant status for the purpose of applying for a permanent resident card. Special immigrants in this category include the following:
Nationals from Afghanistan or Iraq who worked for the U.S. government under specific circumstances
Juveniles who need the protection of the juvenile court because of abuse, abandonment or neglect
Religious workers who come to the U.S. to work for nonprofit religious organizations
Employees or retired officers of international organizations or NATO-6
Family members of international organization or NATO-6 employees or retired officers
International broadcasters
The U.S. government offers a clear pathway to permanent resident status for the following types of abuse survivors:
Survivors of extreme cruelty or battery committed by a Cuban native or citizen spouse or parent
Special immigrant juveniles
Survivors of extreme cruelty or battery committed by a spouse or parent who received their permanent resident status under the Haitian Refugee Immigrant Fairness Act
VAWA self-petitioner victims of extreme cruelty or battery
Other categories of applicants eligible to apply for a permanent resident card include:
Applicants who were selected for a visa in the Department of State’s diversity visa lottery
Cuban citizens and natives and their children and spouses
Liberian nationals who’ve been physically and continuously present in the U.S. since November 20, 2014, and under certain conditions, their spouses and children
Lautenberg parolees
Section 13 diplomats
Natives born in Canada who have at least 50 percent native blood and maintain their principal residence in the U.S.
Natives or citizens of Vietnam, Cambodia (Kampuchea) or Laos who were paroled into the U.S. under certain conditions
Spouses and children of individuals who received their lawful permanent resident status under the Haitian Refugee Immigrant Fairness Act
Many applicants for a USCIS Form I-1551 need to submit an immigrant petition and a green card application to achieve permanent resident status.
Depending on your circumstances, the government may require you to submit one of the following immigrant petitions before you can receive a green card:
Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker
Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian Widow(er), or Special Immigrant
Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur
Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal
Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition
Form I-918, Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status
Form I-929, Petition for Qualifying Family Member of a U-1 Nonimmigrant
Based on the facts of your case, you may need to file this paperwork before you submit your green card application, or you might have the option to file your immigrant petition and green card application simultaneously.
If you aren’t an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, you may need to check if there’s a visa available before you file a Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. To check visa availability, you need to know the priority date on your I-797, Notice of Action, from your immigrant petition.
Then look at the USCIS adjustment of status filing charts and find the chart for your green card eligibility category. In the chart, find your visa type in the first column on the left. Staying in that row, move to the right to find the block for your birth country.
If there’s a “C”, you can immediately file your application.
If there’s a date and that date is later than your priority date, you can immediately file your application.
If there’s a “U”, the government isn’t authorized to issue you a visa at the moment. You need to check again later.
Applicants filing a Form I-485 typically need to provide information such as the following:
Background information about you and your household
Information regarding your immigration status and admissibility
Information about your finances, assets and liabilities
Your certifications, licenses and work experience
Photographs
Copies of your government-issued ID
Birth and marriage certificates
An affidavit of support (I-864) for applicants seeking permanent resident status based on an engagement, familial connection or certain types of employment
A confirmation of a bona fide job offer for applicants seeking permanent resident status based on certain types of employment
A report of medical examination and vaccination record (Form I-693) to prove that you don’t have a health condition that would make you inadmissible
Certified police, court and criminal records
Depending on your current immigration status, you may need to submit additional paperwork and proof.
You must pay your application and biometrics services fee (if applicable) when you submit your Form I-485. If you have additional questions about fees, you can call the USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283. You may also use this number to confirm where to file your form.
After you file Form I-485, USCIS will notify you by mail about a biometrics services appointment at a local application support center. You might also have to attend an interview and submit additional evidence after filing your application.
If USCIS approves your application for a permanent resident card, it will send a written approval notice first and your permanent resident card later. While you wait for this to happen, you can check the status of your application on the USCIS case status webpage, or you can call 1-800-375-5283 (or 1-800-767-1833 for the deaf and hard of hearing).
You don’t need to hire a lawyer to apply for a green card, but getting counsel and support from an attorney may make the process easier to manage. Your attorney can identify which eligibility categories apply to you and which category would make obtaining a green card the easiest. Your attorney can also help you gather the proper paperwork for your application and prepare you for your interviews, if you have any.
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