Green Cards, Citizenship, and Waivers

Lawful Permanent Residency (Green Cards)

  • Adjustment of Status (Form I‑485)
    This is the process of applying for a green card from inside the U.S. Eligibility depends on how you entered the country, your current status, and whether any legal bars apply.

  • Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA)
    The CAA allows certain Cuban nationals to apply for a green card after being physically present in the U.S. for at least one year. With certain exceptions, you must prove you were officially inspected and admitted or "paroled" into the country.

  • Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA)
    This specialized law helps certain individuals from Guatemala, El Salvador, and former Soviet Bloc countries apply for a green card. Eligibility is tied to very strict historical entry and asylum-filing dates from the 1990s.

  • Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act (HRIFA)
    While the deadline for principal applicants has passed, the spouses and unmarried children of individuals who previously received a green card through HRIFA may still be eligible to apply for permanent residence today.

  • Green Card Renewal (Form I‑90)
    Permanent resident cards are valid for 10 years and must be renewed before expiration. If your card is expiring, lost, stolen, or damaged, you file Form I-90 with USCIS. After filing, you receive a receipt notice extending your card's validity for up to 24 months while USCIS processes the renewal.

Naturalization & Citizenship

  • Naturalization (Form N‑400)
    Naturalization is the process by which a lawful permanent resident becomes a U.S. citizen. Citizenship grants the right to vote, eligibility for certain government positions, protection from deportation, and the ability to sponsor additional family members. You generally must have held a green card for at least 5 years (or 3 years if married to and living with a U.S. citizen), be physically present for at least half that time, demonstrate good moral character, and pass English and civics tests. You file Form N-400 with USCIS, attend a biometrics appointment and interview, and take the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony.

  • Civics and English Test Preparation
    The naturalization interview includes an English test (reading, writing, and speaking) and a civics test covering U.S. history and government. The civics test draws up to 10 questions from a list of 100, and you must answer at least 6 correctly. USCIS provides official study materials. We help clients prepare for both the exam and the interview itself so they feel confident and ready.

  • Citizenship Through Parents (INA §§ 320, 322)
    In many cases, children automatically acquire U.S. citizenship if they have a green card and are in the legal and physical custody of a U.S. citizen parent while under 18. Children living abroad may be eligible under certain conditions as well. Even when citizenship is automatic, families often need to obtain proof — such as a U.S. passport or Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-600).

  • Certificates of Citizenship (Form N‑600)
    If you believe you are already a U.S. citizen (through birth abroad to a U.S. citizen parent, or through a parent's naturalization), Form N-600 asks USCIS to confirm and document your citizenship. This is proof — not an application for new status.

Waivers

  • Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver (Form I‑601A)
    If you must leave the U.S. for a consular interview but have accrued unlawful presence, this waiver allows you to ask for forgiveness before you depart. You generally must show that your absence would cause extreme hardship to a qualifying U.S. citizen or resident spouse or parent.

  • General Waiver of Inadmissibility (Form I‑601)
    Some people are denied a visa because of prior misrepresentations, criminal issues, or health grounds. The law allows you to ask for forgiveness for certain (but not all) grounds, often requiring proof of extreme hardship to a qualifying relative.

  • Permission to Reapply (Form I‑212)
    If you were previously ordered deported, the law may block you from returning for a period of years. This form asks the government for permission to apply to come back sooner.

  • Refugee/Asylee Adjustment Waiver (Form I‑602)
    Refugees and asylees adjusting to a green card have access to special, discretionary waiver rules for certain inadmissibility grounds, focusing on humanitarian purposes and family unity.

  • Waiver for U or T Visas (Form I‑192)
    U and T visa applicants can request forgiveness for a broad range of inadmissibility grounds. Strong evidence regarding rehabilitation, safety, and equities is required.

  • Nonimmigrant Waiver (INA § 212(d)(3))
    Some individuals who are inadmissible can still be granted temporary entry (like for a short visit) through this discretionary waiver.

  • Fraud Waiver in Court (INA § 237(a)(1)(H))
    If the government claims you obtained an immigration benefit through fraud, an immigration judge can sometimes forgive it in removal proceedings, provided you have qualifying family ties and meet strict rules.