California is home to more than three million foreigners with green cards, also called legal permanent residents (LPR). 1 Green card holders may lawfully live and work in America.
In California, the main way non-citizens achieve LPR status is through either (1) employment sponsorship or (2) family sponsorship. Ultimately, legal permanent residents may even be eligible to naturalize as U.S. citizens.
In this article, our California green card attorneys will answer frequently-asked-questions about obtaining legal permanent resident status in California:
California has the fourth largest green card population (after New York, Florida, and New Jersey).
There are various ways foreigners can pursue green card status. Most non-citizens get green cards through employers or family members sponsoring them on a visa to come to the U.S.:
Companies can sponsor foreigners to come to the U.S. on a green card as their employees. The four main types of work sponsorships are the following:
U.S. citizens or green card holders may be able to sponsor a foreign family member to come to the U.S. on a green card. The three main types of family sponsorships are the following:
Other ways to secure legal permanent resident status include asylum, refugee status, diversity lottery, and the Violence Against Women Act. 2
Typically, the first step is for the foreigner to get an immigrant visa. Second, the foreigner applies for a green card using the I-485 Form. How the green card application proceeds depends on whether the foreigner is currently in the U.S. or not.
If the foreigner is overseas, applying for a green card is called “consular processing.” If the foreigner is on U.S. soil, applying for the green card is called “adjustment of status.” Consular processing usually goes a little more quickly than adjustment of status. And depending on the case, the foreigner will probably need to give an interview and give fingerprints. 3
California has eleven immigration offices that offer fingerprinting.
The green card fee schedule as shown on the USCIS website is below:
Adjustment of status (petitioning for LPR status while on U.S. soil) usually takes a year or longer. Consular processing (petitioning for LPR status while overseas) typically spans a few days to up to six months. 4
It depends on the alien’s specific case, but green cards typically require renewal after ten (10) years. However, many green card holders will be able to naturalize to U.S. citizens well before then. 5
Note that green card holders are always at risk of losing legal permanent resident status if they get convicted of deportable crimes.
It depends. Non-citizens who have been convicted of minor offenses should still be eligible for LPR status. Examples of minor offenses include speeding tickets or the California crime of trespass.
But foreigners will probably be disqualified from LPR status and can be deported if they are convicted of more serious offenses. These crimes include (with some exceptions):
Note that foreigners may still be barred from getting a green card even if they get their criminal records expunged. 6
Contact us for additional help.
If you or a loved one is a non-citizen looking to live in the U.S., call our California immigration lawyers for a free consult. We will investigate your options and walk you through the immigration process from start to finish.
