Know your next step
Answers to common questions and to the situations that do not fit a standard form, with everyday examples and the official sources.
Orientation before you decide.
Family green cards
Whether your spouse is a US citizen or a green card holder changes the wait, the forms and the route. Here is how adjustment of status and consular processing compare.
Read the guideFamily green cards
A two-year green card through marriage expires unless you act. Learn when the 90-day filing window opens, what evidence helps, and how waivers work after divorce or abuse.
Read the guideFamily green cards
A US citizen can bring a fiancé(e) to the United States to marry. Learn who qualifies, the in-person meeting rule, the 90-day marriage deadline and what happens after the wedding.
Read the guideFamily green cards
Most family-based immigrants need a sponsor who meets 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Learn how household size, assets and joint sponsors work, and how long the obligation lasts.
Read the guideCitizenship
Understand the 5-year and 3-year rules, the difference between continuous residence and physical presence, the 90-day early filing rule and how trips abroad affect your timeline.
Read the guideCitizenship
What happens at your naturalization interview, how the English and civics tests work, who qualifies for the 50/20, 55/15 and 65/20 exemptions, and how Form N-648 works.
Read the guideTravel and status
Leaving the United States with a pending I-485 can end your application. Learn how advance parole works, who is exempt, and how long trips can put a green card at risk.
Read the guideNotices and court
A Request for Evidence and a Notice to Appear are very different documents. Learn how to answer an RFE on time, why you must never miss an immigration court hearing, and where to find help in California.
Read the guideHumanitarian
Where DACA stands for current recipients, when USCIS recommends filing your renewal, what the request includes and why travel and criminal history need a closer look.
Read the guideHumanitarian
Who can qualify for asylum, how affirmative and defensive filings differ, how the one-year deadline works and what exceptions may apply.
Read the guideFamily green cards
F1, F2A, F2B, F3 and F4 explained, what a priority date is, the difference between final action dates and dates for filing, and what happens when a child turns 21.
Read the guideFamily green cards
What happens after USCIS approves a family petition for someone abroad, the National Visa Center steps, the medical exam, the consular interview and entering as a new permanent resident.
Read the guideTravel and status
How unlawful presence is counted, when the three-year and ten-year bars apply, how the permanent bar differs, and who can use the provisional waiver on Form I-601A.
Read the guideFamily green cards
What to bring to an adjustment of status interview, what officers ask in marriage and family cases, how to handle interpreters and what can happen at the end of the interview.
Read the guideCitizenship
How arrests and convictions affect good moral character, which offenses are permanent bars, why expunged records still matter and when an N-400 can lead to removal proceedings.
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