The green card is the center of gravity of immigration law: nearly every case we handle either defends one, leads to one, or turns one into citizenship. Verde Law files adjustment of status cases for clients inside the United States and manages consular cases for family abroad, in Miami and nationwide.
The paths to a green card
- Family: through a U.S. citizen or resident spouse, parent, child, or sibling
- Humanitarian: one year after an asylum grant, or through VAWA, U Visa, or T Visa relief
- Cuban Adjustment Act: for Cuban nationals meeting its requirements
- In court: adjustment of status raised as a defense in removal proceedings
- Employment: through a sponsoring employer
The path determines the rules, and the rules determine the strategy. Step one is always the same: figure out which doors your history actually opens, and which need a waiver to unlock.
Adjustment of status vs. consular processing
Adjustment lets you complete the entire process inside the United States, interview included. Consular processing finishes the case at a U.S. consulate abroad. The choice can hinge on how you entered the country, your travel needs, and whether leaving would trigger a bar on returning. Choosing wrong is one of the most expensive mistakes in immigration law. We choose first, file second.
While your case is pending
Most adjustment applicants can apply for a work permit, and travel permission may be available. One rule we repeat until it sticks: do not leave the country without approved travel permission, because departing can be treated as abandoning your application.
Where cases go wrong, and how we prevent it
Entries without inspection. Unauthorized work. A prior overstay. An old removal order nobody mentioned. Insufficient sponsor income. Weak marriage evidence. These are the landmines, and every one of them is more survivable when found before filing instead of at the interview. Our intake is built to find them.
Already have a two-year green card?
Conditional residents must file to remove conditions before the card expires, including after a divorce, where a waiver may apply. Missing that window puts your status at risk. Calendar it with us the day your card arrives.
I entered without inspection. Is a green card impossible?
Not necessarily. Depending on your history, options such as special provisions, waivers, or consular processing with a provisional waiver may exist. This is exactly the analysis a consultation is for.
How long does adjustment of status take?
It varies by category and office. Immediate relative cases generally move fastest. We give you a case-specific timeline, in writing, at the strategy stage.