The permanent card of the United States, popularly known as the green card, is an identity document for residents who do not have American nationality. This document is in high demand by those who wish to regularize their immigration status in the country and in fact allows them to work and receive other benefits.
However, in some places the process may take less time than in others, but it always starts with the need to fill out Form I-485 and send all the necessary documents containing biographical information before arriving at the interview. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office is responsible for offering this service to immigrants through its nearly 90 offices throughout the country.
Different cities have a defined time to process applications that varies, but since 2019 it has remained stable with an average of 18 months to deliver the green card. According to USCIS, the cities in the United States that process these documents the fastest are those listed below:
- Burlington: 10 months.
- Norfolk: 10,5 months.
- Providence: 11 months.
- Omaha: 11.7 months.
- https://youtu.be/QL1YlrWJmWY
The processing time is based on how long it took USCIS to complete 80% of the adjudicated cases in half a year. Below are the different steps to apply for a green card:
- Submit the immigrant petition, which can be done by the person themselves or by someone else on their behalf.
- Submit the green card application to USCIS
- Attend a biometrics appointment to provide your fingerprints, photographs and signature
- Attend the interview when instructed
- Receive the final response of the process
In order to receive daily updates on the status of their application, individuals must create a USCIS account and sign up for Informed Delivery through USPS to receive alerts by email or text message. Individuals who change their mailing address must notify both USCIS and USPS.
The price of a green card varies depending on the type of application the person makes, generally around $2.000 broken down as follows:
- I-485: It varies between $950 and $1,440.
- For a family petition (I-130): Between $625 and $675.
- For a labor petition (I-140): $715.
