The process
How a family case works
Seven stages, with an owner for each one. The times are honest ranges that change, and we check them with you as your case moves.
Two routes to the same green card
Where your relative lives today decides the route. Some people who live in the U.S. still need the route abroad, often with a waiver first. We check before anything is filed.
Adjustment of status
Your relative is inside the U.S.
- I-130 Petition, often filed together with the I-485 when eligible
- I-485 Green card application, with work and travel permit requests
- BIO Fingerprints and photos at a support center
- INT Interview at the local USCIS field office, an attorney beside you
- CARD Green card by mail
Consular processing
Your relative lives abroad
- I-130 Petition approved by USCIS
- NVC National Visa Center: fees, DS-260, civil documents, affidavit of support
- MED Medical exam with an embassy-approved panel physician
- INT Interview at the U.S. embassy or consulate
- VISA Immigrant visa, entry to the U.S., green card by mail
Seven stages, one owner each
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Our teamYou
Stage 1: Consultation
45 minutes by phone, video or in person, in English or Spanish. We listen, check eligibility, spot problems early, and explain the route, the flat fee and the honest range.
- Bring any immigration papers you already have. A phone photo is fine.
- One meeting
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Our teamYou
Stage 2: Evidence plan
You get a written checklist. Luis, our senior paralegal, builds your evidence binder and tells you what is still missing.
- Gather documents. Ask us before translating anything yourself.
- Usually 2 to 6 weeks, mostly up to you
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Our team
Stage 3: We prepare and file
An attorney prepares every form. You review and sign. We file and send you a full copy of what was filed.
- Read every answer. If something is wrong, tell us before you sign.
- About 1 to 2 weeks after your binder is complete
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USCISNational Visa Center
Stage 4: Receipts, fingerprints and the wait
USCIS sends receipt notices with case numbers and a fingerprint appointment. Cases abroad move to the National Visa Center. This is the longest stretch, and we check the published processing times with you as they change.
- Keep your address current with us and the agency. Do not travel without asking us.
- Months to years, by case type and office
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USCISOur team
Stage 5: Requests for evidence
A Request for Evidence (RFE) asks for more proof by a deadline printed on the notice. It is common and it is not a denial. We read it with you the day it arrives and plan the response.
- Send us a photo of any letter from the government the day you get it.
- The deadline is on the notice, often a few months
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USCISU.S. embassy
Stage 6: Interview
Inside the U.S., interviews are at the local USCIS field office and an attorney can attend with you. Abroad, interviews are at the U.S. embassy or consulate, where lawyers usually cannot attend, so we prepare you in a practice session first.
- Bring originals of everything you filed. Answer honestly; it is fine to say you do not remember.
- Scheduled by the agency, often with a few weeks' notice
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USCISU.S. embassyOur team
Stage 7: Decision and the next date
If approved, we put your next important date on our calendar: removing conditions, a DACA window, or your citizenship eligibility. If denied, we explain every option in writing.
- Keep your approval notice safe. Call us before any long trip abroad.
- Varies by case
The wait, explained
Relatives of U.S. citizens and green card holders fall into categories. Immediate relatives have no yearly cap. Every other category has a yearly cap and a line, and the State Department publishes where each line stands in its monthly Visa Bulletin, by category and country.
Your place in line is your priority date: the day USCIS received your petition. Dates in the Visa Bulletin can move forward, stand still, or even move back. That is why we never promise a year, and why we check it with you every month.
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IRImmediate relatives
Spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of U.S. citizens who are 21 or older
No yearly cap. The wait is processing time only.
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F1First preference
Unmarried sons and daughters (21 or older) of U.S. citizens
Capped. Years, longer for some countries.
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F2ASecond preference A
Spouses and unmarried children under 21 of green card holders
Capped. Often the shortest preference line.
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F2BSecond preference B
Unmarried sons and daughters (21 or older) of green card holders
Capped. Years, longer for some countries.
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F3Third preference
Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens
Capped. Often more than a decade.
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F4Fourth preference
Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens who are 21 or older
Capped. Often more than a decade, over twenty years for some countries.
General information, not legal advice. Waits differ by country and change monthly. We check the current Visa Bulletin with you for your family's category.
Want a map of
your case?
In the consultation we draw your family's route, name every form, and give you the flat fee and an honest range, in English or Spanish.
Visit us
1820 S Blue Island Ave, Suite 300, Chicago. Near the 18th Street Pink Line stop.
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