Green card application requires a series of documents and activities to be furnished commencing from adjustment of status through the interview leading to final green card sanctioning.

AOS or Adjustment of Status permits qualified people who currently hold a U.S. visa to apply for green card without having to go to their parent country again to get an immigrant visa. The alternative of this procedure called Consular Processing is meant for people residing in different countries. It enables green card application processing through branches of U.S. consulates.

From the time one applies for Adjustment of Status, the candidate is legally recognized as an ‘applicant to adjust status’. Green card application form must be approved by the USCIS or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Before applying for AOS you should get an Immigrant Visa Number or Priority Date from the USCIS through an immigrant petition filed.

The number of Immigrant Visa Numbers is limited by annual numerical limits proposed each year, which means that it may take time to get Immigrant Visa Numbers even when the USCIS has approved your petition.

The AOS can be applied on the basis of employment, family, fiancée, refugee or asylee, diversity visa, etc. depending upon the category where you fit into.

The green card application demands several documents to be processed. Some of them are mandatory while others are optional. The documents include fee payment, application to adjust status, copy of passport, identical photographs, application for EAD or Employment Authorization Document or work permit, application for travel document, biographic information sheet, police clearances, medical examinations, evidence of status, birth certificate and various other documents depending upon your green card application requirements.

Incase you leave U.S after applying for an immigration petition, and then your re-entry requires an Advance parole or travel document.

The medical examination for the green card application is carried out by experienced physicians as authorized by the USCIS. It is a procedure not only to confirm your health but also to identify serious medical situations that needs follow-up.

Then the finger prints are recorded at the FBI database for future references. You may also be called for an interview to cross check the originality of your documents.

The green card application form can also be downloaded from the internet. Beware of bogus sites pirating money offering help towards green card processing; they may not be recognized by the USCIS!