We serve immigration clients nationwide. Contact Us to schedule a consultation with one of our lawyers today.

The prospect of becoming a legal permanent resident of the United States can be exciting. However, the process might be confusing for you, and you may be concerned about your chances of achieving this desired status.

Every year, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) receives thousands of applications from people seeking a change in their category of residency. An experienced immigration lawyer may be a helpful guide and resource when applying for legal permanent resident (LPR) status in Aurora.

Legal Permanent Resident Status Explained

USCIS defines the legal permanent resident category as including people who are not United States citizens but lawfully live in the United States under a legally recorded and continued residency. To learn more about LPR statuses, a potential applicant may wish to contact an experienced attorney.

Types of LPR Status Applications in Aurora

Some LPR applications require sponsorship, meaning someone could apply on behalf of the beneficiary. Other types of green card filings could be done on your own or independently with guidance from an attorney in Aurora.

Various resident alien permit petitions may be fined for different types of applicants, such as immigrant workers, specialist immigrants, human trafficking and crime victims, and victims of abuse. Reaching out to a seasoned attorney in Aurora could help a potential applicant better understand these categories.

Types of Employment-Based Green Cards in Aurora

The USCIS categorizes applications for legal permanent residency as an immigrant worker in Aurora based on preferences. Different qualities in applicants may lead to their applications being prioritized in a different order.

Extraordinary Ability

Immigrant workers applying for a green card in Aurora under the first preference, or EB-1, must either demonstrate that they are a foreign citizen of extraordinary ability, an outstanding researcher, an uncommonly superb professor, or one of a small percentage of workers who has risen to the top of his or her field as a multinational executive or manager.

National Interest Waiver

Individuals in Aurora with advanced degrees may seek a green card under the second preference level, also referred to as a national interest waiver or EB-2 visa. Under this category, an applicant must prove that he or she has an advanced degree beyond his or her undergraduate diploma. If he or she has a foreign transcript, it would need to be evaluated and certified.

After substantiating the advanced degree, potential residents must provide proof that his or her work has outstanding merit. They must also demonstrate that it is in the best interest of the United States on a national level to waive the labor certification process that would be required from his or her employer.

Professional and Skilled Workers

An EB-3 visa is the third level of preference for petitioning to become a permanent worker. The third preference divides immigrant applicants into subgroups: professional, skilled, and unskilled.
An applicant may be successful at this preference level if qualified persons are currently unavailable in America to perform the specialized tasks in that industry. All subcategories for an EB-3 application require a full-time job offer at a company which must complete a labor certification to make sure that American workers are not currently available to be hired.

Investors, Soldiers, and Religious Workers

An EB-4 covers religious workers, certain juveniles, members of the armed forces, and translators. Finally, the fifth preference, or EB-5, is also called an immigrant investor application.

Those filing for LPR status in Aurora under the latter distinction must show that they could make an investment of $1 million—or $500,000 under certain circumstances—and have the intent of creating at least ten American full-time jobs. USCIS has stated that the purpose of this form of petition is to stimulate the economy in the United States.

Contact a Lawyer about Aurora Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) Status Applications

Applying for legal permanent resident (LPR) status in Aurora does not have to be done on your own. There are attorneys available who could help with completing forms and providing the correct documents and letters to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Call today to learn how one could help you.

Lead Counsel Rated
expertise
Illinois State Bar Association
American Immigration Lawyers Association
ASLA
DCBA