Green Cards

Nashville Green Card Attorneys

Experienced Immigration Lawyers Committed to Helping Foreign Nationals Obtain, Renew, and Fight for Lawful Permanent Residency in the U.S.

A green card, also known as an immigrant visa or a lawful permanent resident card, allows foreign nationals to live and work within the United States of America lawfully. With a valid green card, the foreign-born immigrant can reside in the USA without concerns related to their legal status. For many immigrants, having lawful permanent residency is one of the significant steps in their immigration goals and their idea of the American dream. Depending on their eligibility, many green card holders eventually apply for United States citizenship, granting them the same rights as any citizens born initially in America.

There are many ways for a foreign national to obtain a green card and begin the naturalization process to become a United States citizen. Depending on your situation, you could qualify for family-based, employment-based, and asylum-based immigration to achieve lawful permanent residency in the USA.

In the history of serving immigrants from around the world at our law firm, we’ve come to understand that many clients face unique difficulties and complex legal matters that often overwhelm and sometimes discourage them during the legal immigration process. We do not want all your hard work to come to America to go to waste because the green card application process is too confusing or complex in your situation. We would much prefer you to contact our immigration law offices in Middle Tennessee to discuss your case with our highly skilled green card attorneys.

As your legal representative, we will answer all your immigration questions and try to assuage your concerns throughout the various immigration legal procedures related to permanent residency in our country. We will provide compassionate immigration services in and out of court to help you and those who depend upon you achieve your immigration goals. To learn more about green card applications, renewals, and other related practice areas, contact our legal team to discuss your immigration case in a consultation today. We look forward to speaking with you.

Are You Eligible for a Green Card?

Applying for lawful permanent residency in the United States is also known as an adjustment of status. Before you apply for your green card, you must determine whether you are eligible to receive permanent residency in the country. Our knowledgeable green card lawyers can help you through the various procedures and eligibility criteria to help you learn your options for obtaining a green card in Nashville, TN.

Depending on your unique circumstances, you may be eligible to apply for a green card if you meet specific criteria.

Potential green card eligibility requirements include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Being the spouse or recent widow or widower of a United States citizen
  • Being an unmarried person under age 21 whose parent is a U.S. citizen
  • Being parents of a U.S. citizen who is over the age of 21
  • Being adopted by a U.S. citizen
  • Having immediate family relatives who are U.S. citizens

There are also immigration options that fall under employment-based and business-based immigration. If you are a foreign worker or investor, a U.S. employer could sponsor you for a green card. You may also be able to apply for legal permanent residence in the U.S. if you have an O-visa or a national interest waiver.

Political refugees can also apply for permanent residence one year after being granted asylum in the country.

How to Help Foreign-Born Family Members Achieve Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S.?

There are different categories of visas with varying priority levels for family-based immigration.

Immediate relatives are given the highest priority. For example, the spouses, minor children, and parents of United States citizens have the easiest pathway to obtaining green cards through family immigration.

From there, unmarried sons and daughters (21 years or older) of U.S. citizens are given first preference. Second preference includes the spouses and minor children of green card holders and unmarried sons and daughters who are aged 21 or older. The third preference category includes the married sons and daughters of United States citizens.

There are also conditional permanent residents. For example, foreign nationals allowed entry into the U.S. on a fiancé visa must marry their U.S. citizen spouse within 90 days of entry.

Can You Obtain a Green Card Through Employment-Based Immigration?

There are several options for employment-based immigration, each with its own requirements and procedures.

Depending on your unique needs, you may qualify for different types of business-related visas, including the following:

  • The E-1 treaty trader visa
  • The E-2 investment visa
  • The H-1B visa for foreign professionals in specific occupations
  • The H-2A visa for foreign workers doing agricultural work
  • The L-1 visa for foreign workers with specialized knowledge or who work in managerial positions
  • The O-1 visa for foreign individuals who possess extraordinary abilities and skills
  • The R-1 visa for religious workers
  • And more

How Do You Apply for Asylum?

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services allows foreign refugees to seek asylum in the USA if they have suffered persecution or fear that they will suffer persecution based on specific defining characteristics. The US immigration laws include race, political opinions, nationality, religious beliefs, and social group membership as groups with defining characteristics that can be granted legal status through the asylum process.

Those seeking political asylum in the USA must file Form I-589 within one year of arriving in the country. If you have a spouse or children in the USA, they can be included in your asylum application. To successfully obtain asylum, the foreign applicant must establish that they have a well-founded fear of persecution if they are deported back to their home country.

Can You Lose Your Legal Immigration Status?

It is entirely possible to lose your legal status in the United States.

If you are convicted of certain criminal charges, you may face deportation proceedings and be forced to surrender your legal green card status. In such cases, you must retain the legal services of experienced criminal defense attorneys to represent your case.

Green card holders who leave the country for more than a year without obtaining a reentry permit could lose their green card immigrant status.

You may also lose your legal status if you do not file U.S. taxes or declare yourself a non-immigrant.

Contact Our Law Firm to Discuss Your Immigration Issues with Our Nashville Green Card Lawyers Today

Those seeking to obtain green cards for themselves or their family members are strongly encouraged to seek the professional legal services of an experienced immigration attorney.

At Community Law Group, we save lives, unite families, and are the voice for those without one. We are warriors of justice, and we will treat your case with the dignity and respect it deserves throughout the immigration process.

To discuss your green card case in more detail, please get in touch with our Nashville law office to schedule your initial consultation with our legal team today. You can reach us by phone at 615-616-6775.