First thing first get the Green Card !!!

As we were always trying to collect documentation etc, so though of creating a blog and thus following the steps required etc.

A Basic steps required to get the green card

See here at USAVisanow.com

If both the U.S. Citizen and Foreign National Spouse are in the U.S., the U.S. Citizen may apply for the Foreign National Spouse’s Permanent Residence through Adjustment of Status with the USCIS.

Who Qualifies:

Any U.S. Citizen in the United States with a Foreign National Spouse who entered the U.S. legally with a visa or a visa waiver. It is OK if the visa or I-94 has expired. Canadian Citizens do NOT need to show proof of entry (visa or visa waiver).

An Overview of the Process:

Once the marriage has taken place, the couple files the following with USCIS:

1. Petition for Alien Relative (USCIS Form I-130)
2. Application to Register Permanent Residence (USCIS Form I-485)
3. Biographic Information (USCIS Form G-325A)
4. Affidavit of Support (USCIS Form I-864)
5. Permission for Work Authorization (Optional) (USCIS Form I-765)
6. Medical Examination Results (USCIS Form I-693)
7. Request for Travel Documents (Optional) (USCIS Form I-131)
8. The appropriate supporting documents
9. The USCIS filing fees ($1,010 to $1,365).

The USCIS will contact you first regarding the Biometrics / Fingerprinting Appointment.

The USCIS will then issue the work authorization and permission to travel approximately 90 days after filing.

The USCIS will contact you next to schedule an interview. This will be anywhere from 6 months to 9 months after filing the initial application.

Following a successful interview, the foreign national spouse will receive a stamp classifying him/her as a Conditional Permanent Resident.

USCIS will mail the Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) approx 4-8 weeks after the successful interview.

The Conditional Status may be dropped by applying for Removal of Conditional Status (USCIS Form I-751) within 90 days of the 2 year anniversary of the granting of Conditional Permanent Residency.

Good Sites for Do-It yourself Kit

us-immigration.com

From usavisanow.com

A Quick Guide on getting green card

See the full at www.h1b.biz

We filed our Application, now what?

As you may know, all applications must be filed with the Chicago Benefits Center. USCIS made this center in hopes of speeding up the handling of applications. (Your final interview, however, will be handled by your local USCIS district office.) Make sure to make a complete copy of every form, document, and checks that you send to the USCIS. NEVER SEND ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS AS YOU WILL NEVER SEE THOSE PAPERS EVER AGAIN!!!

Once USCIS has received and accepted your adjustment of status packet for processing, they will put you on in the big line for your interview. They will also send you receipts for all the forms that you paid for. The receipts are very important documents and you must treat them as official government paperwork. Among other things, the receipts will contain your A-number, which you’ll need if you have to correspond with USCIS about your case or find the status of your case. You should be getting receipts 2-3 weeks after filing.

You work permit will come in the mail in 90 days or so after filing.In some states the interview may be scheduled before the work permit arrives.If this is the case and you are approved on the day of the interview, the work permit will no longer be required as you will receive the Green Card.If for some reason your case is not approved or they may need more evidence, the officer will approve the work permit at the time of the interview.

Bona Fide Marriage Documentation

From Immihelp here

You must prove that your marriage is bona fide, not a sham just to get a green card. Collect and photocopy as many of the following items as possible. Do not send originals.

* wedding invitations, church certificates, or other reliable documents that show the required relationship

* joint bank accounts

* joint credit card statements

* joint club memberships

* joint federal and state tax returns

* copies of actual credit cards, health insurance cards, or other "joint" cards that you have together, showing same account number

* photographs of you and your spouse taken before and during your marriage, wedding photographs preferably those that include parents and other relatives from both families
If the camera does not insert the date automatically, write the date the picture was taken and a brief description on the back what the photo shows, or underneath, if you are photocopying them

* do not take wedding or other videos, there won't be any time or a space to view them

* copies of letters and/or emails between you

* phone bills showing your conversations

* auto registrations showing joint ownership and/or addresses

* rental agreements, leases, or mortgages showing that you have lived together and/or have leased or bought property in both spouses' names

* receipts for gifts (such as flowers, jewelry, art, candy etc.) that you have purchased for each other

* your mutual child's birth certificate or a doctor's report indicating that you are pregnant

* hotel and airline receipts showing trips that you have taken together or to visit each other

* letters from friends/family to each or both of you, mailed to an address where you were living together

* utility bills in both your names

* evidence that one spouse has made the other a beneficiary on his/her life or health insurance or retirement account

* car, health, or life insurance that has both of your names on the policy

* a car title or other titles to property showing joint ownership

* copies of Christmas cards or other holidays cards addressed to you both

* other family pictures of you together

Experiences of Family Based Green Card See here


Adjustment of Status (I-485) Interview

For detail see here

For most people applying for adjustment of status, the interview is waived, but in some cases, they are called for an interview.

If your interview is waived and your case is adjudicated then you will get the approval letter from the USCIS office handling your case. You can go to your local USCIS Office and get your passport(s) stamped. You need to take all the I-94s & EAD Cards when you go. Getting I-485 approval does not really make you a permanent resident until you get your passport stamped with temporary green card. If your case is already approved, the tamping procedure is purely clerical and there is no decision making involved