Step by Step GC – Green Card process for H1b Visa holders
You can apply for GC (Green Card), if you are in the USA on H1b Visa. I will explain the Step by Step GC – Green Card process for H1b Visa holders here. There are majorly 3 steps involve in the GC processing.
Step 1. Labor certification through PERM process
Green card process for h1b starts with Perm process. Perm process has 3 steps which are described below.
a. Prevailing Wage:
As a first step in the perm processing, you need to get prevailing wage determination from the DOL. This step generally takes 2 to 3 months.
b. Recruitment:
Your employer needs to post job ads in news papers, college campuses, online etc. I would say step a and step b are just formalities.
c. Submission of Form – 9089 application:
This is the most important part of the perm process. Your application will be sent to the USCIS. They will verify each and everything. If they see anything suspicious then they will put your application on analytic review that will more time and will be very difficult process. I have a detailed blog about perm process. Please click this link to read more about perm processing.
For more information and time taken to get Perm approval click here.
Step 2. I-140 – Immigrant petition for alien worker
After your PERM approval, you will start your I-140 process. This is very important because after i-140 approval, you can keep extending your status and keep working in the United States. Most of the H1b workers are happy with their i-140 approval only. They know getting GC for most of the people will not be possible in this life 😊. The other advantages of the i-140 is that after I-140 approval H1b holders can apply for Ead for their spouses.
Step 3. 485 – Application to register permanent residency
This is the last step of your GC- green card process for h1b. You may have to wait life time to complete this step 😊. After approval of 485, you will be the permanent resident of the United States of America. You can also work anywhere and for anyone. You can also work in any fields after GC approval. You don’t have to work in technically skilled field. There are different categories for GC applicants like eb1, eb2. I will explain these in my next blog.
