You may be in the United States as a nonimmigrant or parolee temporary resident. If you are ready to gain permanent immigrant status, you will need an immigration attorney to help you obtain a green card. This process is called "adjustment of status" and is seldom easy or straightforward. Navigating the labyrinth of the Immigration and Nationality Act can test even the most experienced attorney. 

Basis for Immigration

An immigration attorney can help you determine if you fit one of the categories for immigration. Petitions for a green card can be family based, employment based, or for humanitarian reasons. A few special classes also exist for particular immigrant groups. Your lawyer can help you correctly file your application and also the formal petition required by the government. This paperwork is key to your being granted a green card, so it must be done correctly. If you make a mistake, your paperwork may be delayed or even rejected. 

Inadmissibility 

If you fit into one of the categories of "inadmissibility," a lawyer may be able to help you acquire a waiver and still receive a green card. Some groups will never be allowed permanent status. These groups include drug abusers, drug traffickers, spies, terrorists, Nazis, and those unable to support themselves. However, if you have tuberculosis, physical or mental conditions, or have been convicted of "moral turpitude," multiple crimes, or prostitution, a good lawyer can work to get you a waiver and a green card.  Even after you have the card, you can be found inadmissible if you leave the country for 180 days, and your situation has changed since you were first granted your card. 

Bureaucracy

The law was constructed to help people come to the United States for jobs, family members, or political asylum. However, it was also written to protect the United States from people who might pose a threat or be unable to care for themselves. As a result, the law can frustrate experienced immigration attorneys who know that papers are lost, communication is lacking, and the process is long and halting.

Pursuing a green card can be life changing. If you are granted a green card, you can stay in this country permanently, subject to a few conditions. You will have greater peace of mind and a better opportunity to create a stable existence. Since the process is so important and yet so complicated, you should seek the help of an experienced immigration lawyer. 

For more information, contact Tesoroni & Leroy or a similar firm.