Boston Green Card Lawyers

Helping Clients Obtain Permanent Residency In The United States

A green card is a type of immigration document that is issued to foreign nationals who have been granted lawful permanent resident status. Immigration attorneys like those at Toland Law, LLC, help immigrants upgrade from an immigrant visa to a green card on a regular basis. This process can be overwhelming and confusing if you’ve never been through it before, so you should get help from an attorney who is well-informed about green cards and green card laws.

Your Boston green card lawyer can help you obtain legal permanent residency and should have plenty of experience helping individuals through the immigration process. If you have unique legal status, such as special immigrant juvenile status, or are a battered spouse who qualifies for VAWA, you may be eligible for certain exceptions that make the process simpler and easier to navigate. Please speak with a trusted immigration attorney about proceeding in your unique circumstances.

Contact our Boston green card lawyers for help with family immigration, green cards, marriage visas, and more at 857-347-3701 to schedule your initial case review.

Green Card Pathways

Green cards are available via three main avenues, which are:

Employment
Family
Marriage

At Toland Law, LLC, we have been assisting clients with filing and obtaining green cards in the U.S., and we are ready to help you. We are known throughout the Greater Boston community for our passion and tenacity, and are a go-to resource for those who are unsure of where to begin.

What Are the Benefits of Having a Green Card?

Often, someone will enter the United States with a visa, hoping to eventually obtain U.S. citizenship. However, before becoming a citizen, they must prove they are of good moral character and truly intend to live in the U.S. long term. The first stop in this journey is typically upgrading immigration status to legal permanent resident.

While a lawful permanent resident is not yet a U.S. citizen, the person is entitled to certain rights, including:

Being able to work and live in the United States
Being able to receive financial aid for their education
Being able to start a business
Eligibility for resident tuition
Ability to stay for up to ten years before renewing
Being able to sponsor immediate family members to enter the United States
Eventually being able to apply for U.S. citizenship

Our Boston immigration lawyers are ready to help you achieve legal status and live your dreams. We understand how important it is for families to stay together, and we are highly skilled at providing family-based immigration services. We can also help with employment-based visas and other unique situations.

How To Get A Green Card Through Adjustment Of Status?

The process to obtain lawful permanent resident status is referred to as Adjustment of Status (AOS), and it allows you to deal directly with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) instead of having to travel overseas to a U.S. consulate.

To apply for an adjustment of status, you must be physically present in the U.S. If you leave the country at any time during the process, it will be seen as abandonment, but this can be prevented by gaining prior permission before leaving the U.S.

While some different requirements and disqualifications are associated with those who wish to obtain a green card through adjustment of status, the process for filing is as follows:

Submitting Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) and any other mandatory forms to USCIS
Providing additional relevant documentation
Paying the current processing fees

It is important to note that these forms must be submitted to the USCIS service center in your designated area. A skilled attorney will inspect your forms and adjustment packet to make sure all your documentation is in order and that your packet is submitted correctly.

Can A Lawful Permanent Resident Obtain Green Cards for Their Family Members?

Those who are lawful permanent residents in the United States can petition for qualifying family members to obtain visas to come to live permanently in this country or to adjust their status to lawful permanent residents if they are already living here.

A green card holder can petition for any of the following members of their family:

Their spouse
Any unmarried children that are under the age of 21
Any unmarried son or daughter that is over the age of 21

To apply for your family member to live in the U.S. permanently, a lawful permanent resident must do the following:

Complete the Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative)
Include the filing and service fees
Make sure to submit evidence and supporting documentation that proves your relationship is a qualifying one

It is important to note that if your family is approved to immigrate to the United States, you will have to be your family’s financial sponsor and complete Form I-864, Affidavit of Support.

What Is the LIFE Act and How Can It Be Used to Obtain a Green Card?

The Legal Immigration Family Equity Act, also known as the LIFE Act, allows people who do not typically qualify for adjustment of status to obtain a green card. A person can apply regardless of whether they entered the country illegally, worked in the U.S. without proper authorization, or failed to maintain legal status in the country. However, not everyone is eligible under the LIFE Act. A knowledgeable immigration attorney can help determine whether you should seek a green card under the LIFE Act.

The LIFE Act also created the V Visa, which allows some families legal status and authorization to work in the U.S. If you have been waiting for a green card for more than three years, you may be able to get the V Visa.

In the Immigration and Nationality Act, Section 245(i) details the eligibility requirements for this process. Still, it is best to speak with an attorney to learn if you qualify and how to get the process started. Our team of immigration attorneys has helped with countless business immigration cases, family-based immigration, and applicants under the LIFE Act. We are here to help you get to the next step in your immigration journey.

How Can Your Conditional Status Be Removed?

If you have earned conditional permanent resident status via marriage to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, or you were admitted to the U.S. as a citizen’s fiancé (and then got married), your conditional permanent resident status will be valid for two years and is unable to be renewed. In this situation, you may be able to remove these conditions, or you can potentially lose your lawful status.

To be eligible to remove conditions, you must meet the following requirements:

Your marriage is still with the same person for two years
You are a child who obtained conditional permanent resident status and is unable to be included in your parents’ application
You are a widow or widower
The marriage was entered into in good faith, but resulted in a divorce
The marriage was entered into in good faith, but you were abused or resulted in extreme hardship

Providing proper documentation and making the application in a timely manner is crucial when removing conditions from your legal status. Reach out to our Boston green card lawyers immediately for help understanding how immigration law applies in your case. We provide excellent legal services for those hoping to remove a condition and upgrade to a green card.

Should You Hire Our Boston Green Card Lawyers?

If you want to obtain a green card for yourself or a family member, you need an experienced Boston immigration lawyer on your side. When you work with Toland Law, LLC, we will guide you through each step of the process. Our lawyers will inspect every document that is needed and make sure there are no errors, ensuring that your application has the best chance of being approved in a timely manner.

With so much on the line, you need an immigration law firm with vast experience and knowledge about your unique case. You also deserve help from Boston immigration lawyers who care deeply about your success. We offer services in Spanish and Portuguese.

To learn more about your legal options, schedule a consultation with our immigration law firm at (857) 347-3701.