Immigrant Visas
Obtaining a "green card" — indicating lawful permanent residency in the U.S. — is the primary goal of our clients who are planning to enter this country.
If that is your goal, too, please contact the Law Offices of Cheng, Cho, & Yee, PC today to arrange an appointment and to learn how we can help you.
Having lawful permanent residency enables you to live and work in the U.S indefinitely. However, because obtaining permanent residency has become more complicated, applicants regularly need help navigating the process.
We can assist you in obtaining permanent residence through the categories listed below:
1. Employment-based immigrant visas
- Immigrants with extraordinary ability in business, arts or sciences
- Managers and Executives of multi-national businesses
- Outstanding professors or researchers
- Immigrants with advanced degrees and performing work in the national interest
- Immigrants with job offers and a Bachelor degree or higher, or work experience
- Religious workers and ministers whose services are required by their non-profit religious organization
- Immigrant investors with substantial funds invested in the U.S.
PERM process: Some employment-based applications require you to go through a process called Program Review Electronic Management (PERM). This is a procedure by which the U.S. Department of Labor certifies there is a lack of qualified U.S. workers in your job category. Once the labor shortage is certified you can apply at the CIS level for your immigrant visa. We can help you navigate this procedure as well.
J-1 Waivers: Some individuals who entered the U.S. on a J-1 exchange visitor visa may be subject to a requirement that they return to their home country for two years upon completion of their training in the U.S. before they are eligible to apply for an immigrant visa. However, waivers of this two year requirement are available based on: 1) possible persecution; 2) exceptional hardship; 3) a no objection waiver; 4) a request by a U.S. federal executive agency; 5) or a recommendation by an interested state or federal agency if you are a foreign medical graduate. We can assist you with this procedure also.
2. Family-based immigrant visas
- You are an immediate relative of U.S. citizens, such as parent, child or spouse
- You are the adult child, married or unmarried, of a U.S. citizen
- You are the spouse or unmarried child of a lawful permanent resident
- You are the brother of sister of a U.S. citizen
- You are being adopted by a U.S. citizen
3. Other visas
Diversity Lottery Visa
Each year, the Diversity Lottery Program makes 55,000 new immigrant visas available for individuals from underrepresented nations. Administered by the U.S. State Department, the Diversity Lottery Program requires that you have either a high school education, its equivalent, or two years work experience within the last five years in a job which demands two years training. You or your spouse must be a native of a nation eligible for the Diversity Lottery Program.
Battered Spouse/Child Self-Petition
The spouse, child or parent who is subject to extreme cruelty or battered may file a self-petition independently of the abusive U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse/parent. The battered spouse or child must show that s/he resided with the U.S. citizen/lawful permanent resident spouse/parent; was battered or subject to extreme cruelty during the marriage, and the marriage was entered into in good faith; and s/he is otherwise eligible for status and has good moral character.
Find out more about this program, as well as other means of obtaining legal permanent residency in the U.S., by contacting us today.