The Form I-485 Application for Adjustment of Status

 Carl, can you walk us through about the I-485 the adjustment of status process?

If the nurse is in the United States as non-immigrant status, so that usually means she has some type of temporary visa. So she might be here on a TN, which is for Canadian and Mexican nurses and other professionals who might be here on an H-1B, which is for professionals for various countries, you might be a student in the US and after you graduate, you get something called OPT, optional practical training, which is a work permit.

So, if you're on any of those statuses, any legal status, non-immigrant status in the US, then you can apply for Adjustment of Status when your number comes out in the visa bulletin.

Don't spend the $1,440 on premium processing, because you can file the I-140 petition and my application for Adjustment of Status the I-485. Together, it would make no sense. Since you have to wait about a year for an interview make no sense to try to get the I-140 approved in a couple of weeks, you know, give me a bonus on my salary and spend the money giving it to the immigration.

So once this is submitted a few weeks later, you get a receipt in the mail that the money has been paid for the filing fees. In about six months, you get an employment authorization document, we call it an EAD work permit. And then you also with the work permit, as long as you're maintaining legal status, you ask for an Advance Parole. So with the Advance Parole, you can easily travel in and out of the US so you can fly to Manila, see your family, you know, you can take a vacation to another country if you want. And you'll eventually in about a year although it varies from city to city across the country. You don't have your interview for a green card.