As someone looking to immigrate permanently to California or another part of the United States, you may be interested in finding out more about what it takes to establish lawful permanent residency. With this distinction, you will become eligible for the vast majority of available jobs in the United States, and you can also apply to become a U.S. citizen after holding permanent resident status for at least five years. At the Law Offices of Robert P. Gaffney, we have a firm understanding of your options when it comes to immigrating to the United States through employment, and we have helped many clients facing similar circumstances find solutions to help them do so.
According to the American Immigration Council, there are typically three steps in the process of establishing lawful permanent residency in the United States. First, the employer looking to add you to his or her team will need to first secure certification from the U.S. Department of Labor. To do so, he or she will need to demonstrate that there are no U.S. residents who are able and capable of filling the position for a reasonable wage.
Second, your employer will need to petition U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on your behalf. In extremely rare cases, you may be able to take this step on your own. Third, once you have a temporary visa, are in the United States and your employer receives an approval in response to his or her petition, you can apply for what is known as an “adjustment of status,” providing there is an available visa number.
Currently, the United States caps the number of permanent employment-based immigrants it accepts at 140,000 annually. However, because this figure includes immigrant spouses and children, the true number of immigrants who are able to move here and work permanently each year is actually notably lower. You can learn more about employment-based immigration on our webpage.
