Are any Dopers currently applying for a Green Card? How long has it taken so far? Does anyone have advice on speeding up the process?
Background, I have been caught in the application process for almost 4 years now, and havn’t even got to the end of the first stage. I was wondering if other dopers are having similar problems, an dif anyone has found any ways to speed the process allong.
I don’t have any good advice for you, but I can offer my sympathy and let you know you’re not alone. (Eva Luna, the resident expert on immigration, will probably have good suggestions.)
My husband applied for his greencard in the fall of 1999. We had our interview on 9/27/01 - two weeks after 9-11. He just renewed his employment authorization document (for the third time? - I think that’s right) and while we were there at the office, he asked what the status was and what was going on. The guy checked and said that they had everything and it was waiting for a final decision.
I’ll add that we don’t have any complicated circumstances. I’m an American citizen by birth, he’s Australian. He’s been in the country for almost a decade - he originally came on an H1B visa. It’s been a big pain, but they keep renewing his EAD, so it’s mostly just annoying (and a bit expensive).
What method are you using to show eligibility? I entered the country on an H-1B and have applied for a green card through the labor certification route. Heres my timetable:
Nov 1998 (yep, 5 years ago): submit labor certification forms.
Oct 2000: my company got the OK to advertise my position and file Notice of Job Opportunity.
Dec 2000: filed final documents for Alien Employment Certification.
March 2001: received Alien Employment Certification. File Immigrant Visa Petition.
Sep 2001: something else happened that was a much more major event to thousands of people, so I shouldn’t complain, but it buggered up the speed of the immigration process.
Feb 2002: Immigrant Visa Petition Approved.
Mar 2002: Green Card applied for (I-485).
Apr 2002: notified by INS to expect I-485 to take 650 - 725 days to process.
Apr 2003: was fingerprinted.
Aug 2003: my lawyers said applications were now taking 2.5 - 3 years, as opposed to the 650 - 725 days previously indicated.
Best of luck.
(And on preview I have just read C3’s story, which has made me even more depressed.)
Thanks for the support, and sorry to hear about others in the same boat. I was wondering if it was a similar situation throught the states, or if some states were better than others.
Another story…
Married immigrant wife (here on H1-B) in July, 2001, immediately filed for adjustment of status.
Our interview is next week!
So that’s, let’s see… Two years and four months.