Green card
13 articles, newest first.
Special Immigrant Juvenile Status in 2026: The State Court Order, the 21st Birthday, the Visa Queue, and the End of Deferred Action
A child abused, neglected or abandoned by a parent can obtain a green card through a state court order and a petition filed before the 21st birthday. The petition is decided in 180 days; the visa behind it takes years. Since May 10, 2026 the wait comes with no deferred action and no work permit, and a denied request for either can now end in immigration court.
Public Charge in 2026: The Rescission That Takes Effect September 18, Which Benefits Count From That Day, and Who Is Exempt
On September 18, 2026 DHS's rescission of the 2022 public charge rule takes effect, USCIS's new Policy Manual guidance replaces it, and a new I-485 edition becomes mandatory with no grace period. Applications filed before that date are decided under the old test, which counted only cash assistance and long-term care. What is in force, what is only guidance, what the consulates are doing, and who the statute exempts.
Marriage-Based Green Cards in 2026: Concurrent Filing, the Bona Fides File, the Separate Interview, and the Two-Year Card
A spouse of a citizen files the petition and the green card application together and pays $2,115 before a work permit. A spouse of a resident can file now under September's chart. What USCIS demands as proof of a real marriage since October 2025, what the separate interview is, what a fraud finding costs, and what a marriage under two years old at approval means for the next two years.
The Visa Bulletin Explained: Two Charts, One Country of Birth, and What Happens to a Green Card Application When the Date Moves Backwards
The September 2026 bulletin put the spouse-of-resident category at August 2026 for final action and made it current for filing everywhere, while EB-2 India sits at "unavailable" and the State Department warns of retrogression before October 1. How the two charts work, which one USCIS accepts each month, why a spouse's birthplace can move a case years, and what a pending application does while the number is gone.
Renewing or Replacing a Green Card in 2026: The 36-Month Extension, the 90-Day Window, and the Re-Reviews
The forms are the same ones this site described in 2021. What has changed is the length of the receipt-notice extension, the fees, and an agency that now re-examines green cards it has already granted. A current guide for ten-year cards, two-year cards and everything that can go wrong with either.
Adjustment of Status as "Administrative Grace": The May 2026 Memo That Points Applicants Abroad
A USCIS memo dated May 21, 2026 tells officers to weigh the availability of consular processing against anyone applying for a green card from inside the United States, and to demand "unusual or even outstanding equities" from applicants with any adverse factor. Who is exposed, what it does not say, and why leaving to apply abroad can be worse than waiting.
Family Petitions in 2026: Who Can Sponsor Whom, What It Costs, and How Long It Takes
The categories have not changed since this site first laid them out in 2021. The fees, the waiting lines and the scrutiny have. A current account of family-based immigration, from the citizen petitioning for a spouse to the asylee petitioning for a child.
Covid-19 Vaccination Required to Apply for Green Card
Starting on October 1, 2021, green cards will only be issued to those applicants, who are vaccinated against COVID-19, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced.
Green Card application for asylees
Everyone who wants to live in the U.S. has a question – how to get a Green Card or become a Permanent Resident?
Green Card Lottery / Electronic Diversity Visa Program – a Quick Guide
On May 8, 2021, entrants can check the status of the DV Lottery (green card lottery) at https://dvprogram.state.gov . This is free and entrants do not need to pay anything to verify their information.
Renew or Replace Green Card
If you are a permanent resident, who already has a Permanent Resident Card (Green Card), but lost it, or it was stolen, destroyed, then you have to replace it.
Green Card for Two Years
A green card which is valid only for two years is called a conditional permanent resident card (conditional green card).
Green Card Application Vaccination Requirements
An immigrant who applies for a Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) or Immigrant Visa (outside of the United States), needs to receive vaccinations or prove that he/she has already received them according to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), section 212(a)(1)(A)(ii).