How Long Does it Take to Get a Green Card

Green card, is an identification document issued by the United States administration to a foreign national, to legally reside in the United States. The card serves as a legal proof, stating that its holder is a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) of the United States of America, and has been granted immigration benefits, which includes residing as well as taking employment in the United States. In simple words, it is a permanent visa to the United States. An individual can apply for a green card after completing 5 years of residency. The same period is shortened up to 4 years, if the permanent residency was received through political asylum, specified by international and federal law, and up to 3 years if the individual is married to a US citizen.

How Long Does it Take to Get a Green Card?
The time required for a green card processing in the United States varies widely. This may vary from person to person depending on the personal circumstances. The process of obtaining a green card has many variables and hence it is difficult to determine "how long does it take to get a green card!" The process, right from filing the visa petition to granting the status for permanent residence, may take up to a few years. If everything goes well, you may obtain your green card in about 3 to 6 months from the submission of the green card application. Green card processing time may also vary according to the outcome of medical tests and submission of required documents. Delay in these aspects will eventually lead to delay in getting the green card. Overall the time required for processing of the green card largely depends on the information and evidence you provide while applying, and the method chosen to obtain a green card in the United States.

Employment Based Green Card
In employer sponsored green card, most of the work done for application of the green card will be done by you, and at some points you will require your employers acknowledgment in form of signatures or copy of your hiring record. When the green card is sponsored by the employer, the process involves three steps:

• Labor Certification Application.
• Immigrant Petition.
• Adjustment of Status.

It is estimated that the first step i.e. the labor certification application will approximately take 6 months, the second step i.e. the immigration petition will take approximately 3 months and the last step i.e. the adjustment of status will take about a year. These are general time estimates which may vary from region to region, depending on the number of people aspiring to get a green card from that region. For instance, a green card application in Florida may take a longer time than one in Iowa.

Green Card for 'Non-Schedule A' (NSA) Alien
The process to acquire a green card for 'Non-Schedule A' (NSA) Alien is pretty long. The first phase of this process is labor certification, which is followed by the filing of I-140, while the second phase involves Adjustment of Status or Consulate Processing. Overall the process can take around 15 to 24 months, and sometimes even longer. The duration required to complete this process largely depends on the priority date of the primary applicant.

Family Sponsored Green Card
The family sponsored green card can be attained by any of the immediate relative of the U.S. citizen. These immediate relatives may include the spouse, minor children or parents of the individual, who is a lawful permanent resident of the United States. A marriage based green card is sponsored by the spouse of the applicant. In this process the applicants spouse has to file a Form I-130, 'Petition for Alien Relative' which will state that the applicant is eligible for an 'immediate relative or family' sponsored visa classification. The time required for green card processing may vary according to the relationship, the applicant shares, with the individual who is sponsoring the green card.

Before issuing the green card, the Consulate may also perform additional checks, such as moral character, affiliation to banned outfits or criminal background. This may furthermore delay the total time required for green card processing. Now that you know how long does it take to get a green card, here are a few things you can do to ensure a speedy green card processing. First of all, make sure that you submit the green card application as well as all the required documents and evidences well in advance. Make sure that you provide all the required information through the application. In case of any changes in the information that you have already provided, promptly bring it to the notice of the authorities. These small but effective tips will ensure that you get your green card in the quickest possible time.