Welcome to the United States
A guide for New Immigrants :
Give Your New Address to USCIS
You must notify USCIS if you change your address. File Form AR-11, Change of Address, within 10 days of your relocation. For information on filing a change of address, go to the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov/addresschange or call Customer Service at 1-800-375-5283. You must notify USCIS each time you change your address.
For more information, call USCIS at 1-800-375-5283 or visit www.uscis.gov.
If You Are a Conditional Permanent Resident
You may be in the United States as a conditional permanent resident (CR). You are a CR if you were married for less than two years to your U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse on the day your permanent resident status was granted. If you have children, they also may be CRs. See Form I-751, Petition to Remove the Condition on Residence, for instruction on the filing process for children. Some immigration investors are also CRs. A CR has the same rights and responsibilities as a permanent resident. The conditional permanent resident must file Form I-751, and immigration investors must file Form I-829, Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove conditions, within two years of the date they were granted conditional permanent resident status. This date is usually the expiration date of your Permanent Resident Card. You should file these forms within the 90 days period prior to the two-year anniversary of when you got your conditional permanent residence. If you do not do this you could lose your immigration status.
Filing Form I-751 with Your Husband or Wife
If you are a CR and you immigrated based on your marriage to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, then you and your spouse must file Form I-751 together so that you can remove the conditions on your permanent resident status. Sometimes, you do not have to file Form I-751 with your husband or wife. If you are no longer married to your spouse or if your spouse abused you, you can file Form I-751 by yourself. You can also file Form I-751 by yourself if deportation from the United States would result in extreme hardship. If you are not applying with your spouse, you can file Form I-751 at any time after you become a CR.
Filing USCIS Form I-751 AND I-829
Who: Conditional permanent resident (CR)
Why: Conditional permanent resident status expires two years after the date you become a CR.
When: Conditional permanent resident filing together with his or her spouse must file Form I-751. Immigrants investors must file Form I-829. Both of these forms must be filed within the 90 days before conditional permanent residence status expires. The expiration date is on your Permanent Resident Card.
Where to get the form: You can get the form at www.uscis.gov or by calling the USCIS Forms Line at 1-800-870-3676.
Where to send the form: Send it to a USCIS service centre. The address of the service centres is in the instructions for the form.
What it costs: You must pay a fee to file Form I-751 or Form I-829. Before you submit the form, check for the most current USCIS filing fees at www.uscis.gov/fees.
If you file Form I-751 or I-829 on time, USCIS will usually send you a notice extending your CR status for up to 12 months. During this time USCIS will review your application.
If You Are a Victim of Domestic Abuse
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, you can find help through the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224 ( for hearing impaired ). Help is available in Spanish and other languages.
The Violence Against Women Act allows abused spouses and children of U.S. citizens and permanent residents to self-petition, or file their own petition, to become a permanent resident. See www.uscis.gov or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for more information.
TIP
Keep several copies of all forms you send to USCIS and other government offices. Send copies, not originals. Sometimes forms get lost, so keeping copies can help avoid problems.
Finding Legal Assistance
If you need help with an immigration issue, you can use the services of a licensed immigration lawyer. You can check with your local bar association for help finding a qualified lawyer. Some states certify specialist in immigration law. These attorneys have passed tests to prove that they have special knowledge about immigration law. The following states currently list certified specialist on their states bar websites: California, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas. Note: You are responsible for determining whether to hire an attorney. USCIS does not endorse or recommend any particular attorney.
If you need legal help on an immigration issue but do not have enough money to hire a lawyer, there are some low-cost or free assistance option. Consider asking for assistance from one of the following places:
- A Recognized Organization: Organization that is recognized by the Board of Immigration Appeals(BIA). For an organization to be recognized, it must have enough knowledge and experience to provide services to immigrants. A recognized organization can charge or accept only very small fees for those services. For a list of these BIA-recognized organizations, visit www.justice.gov/eoir/
- An Accredited Representative: people who are connected to the BIA-recognized organization. These representatives can charge or accept only very small fees for their services. For a list of these BIA-accredited representatives, visit www.justice.gov/eoir/
- A Qualified Representative: People who will provide free service. This representation must know about immigration law and the rules of practice in court.
Law school student and graduates, and people with good moral character who have a personal or professional affiliation with you ( relative, neighbour, clergy, co-worker, or friend) are all examples of qualified representatives.
- Free Legal Service providers: The Department of justice has a list of recognized free legal service providers for people who are in an immigration proceeding. This is a list of attorneys and organizations that may be willing to represent immigrants in proceedings before immigration courts. The attorneys and organizations on this list have agreed to help immigrants pro bono ( free of charges) only in immigration proceedings. Some of them may not be able to help you with non-court-related matters, such as visa petitions, naturalization, etc. The list is available at www.justice.gov/eoir/free-
- Pro Bono Program: Local lists of recognized pro bono organizations and their representatives are usually available at each local USCIS office.
For more information about finding legal services, please visit www.uscis.gov/legaladvice.
Beware of Immigration Fraud
Many immigration practitioners are well qualified and honest, and they can provide good services to immigrants, however, there are some people who take advantage of immigrants.
This article is to be treated as guidance for Settlement and completing formalities for all new greencard holders, landing in USA, an awareness article in public interest by OM International, a leading VISA consultant in Gujarat. Please call us on 9227656608/09/10 for more details or write to us @ info@ominternational.net or omvishal.shah@gmail.com
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