## How to apply for a green card from Montana A **green card** (formally, Lawful Permanent Resident or LPR status) lets you live and work in the United States permanently. Federal law controls eligibility — but where your case is processed depends on where you live. ### Montana processing Helena Field Office. ## The four main paths to a green card **1. Family-based.** Spouses, parents, children, and siblings of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. **2. Employment-based.** Sponsored by a U.S. employer; tiered into preference categories (EB-1 through EB-5) based on skill level, education, and investment. **3. Humanitarian.** Refugees, asylees, U-visa holders (crime victims), T-visa holders (trafficking victims), VAWA self-petitioners, Special Immigrant Juveniles. **4. Diversity Visa Lottery.** ~50,000 visas/year for nationals of countries with low immigration rates to the U.S. Other paths exist for specific groups (Cuban Adjustment Act, special religious workers, certain physicians, etc.). ## Two procedural routes — choose carefully **Adjustment of Status (AOS) — Form I-485.** Filed if you're already inside the U.S. in lawful status. Process happens entirely within USCIS; you stay in the U.S. throughout. **Consular Processing — Form DS-260.** Filed if you're outside the U.S. (or, less commonly, must leave). Process completes at the U.S. embassy / consulate in your home country. Requires international travel and (for some applicants) substantial waiting time abroad. Choosing wrong can trigger 3- or 10-year bars to re-entry — a costly mistake. ## The basic family-based green card timeline (immediate relative) Spouse, unmarried minor children, and parents of U.S. citizens are "immediate relatives" — no annual cap, faster timeline: 1. **I-130 petition** — files by the U.S. citizen sponsor; establishes the relationship 2. **I-485 application** — files by the foreign national; requests adjustment of status 3. **Biometrics appointment** — fingerprints, photo at a USCIS Application Support Center 4. **Interview** — at the local USCIS Field Office 5. **Decision** — typically 12-24 months end-to-end Other family categories (siblings of citizens, married/adult children, spouses of LPRs) face annual caps and can wait years to decades depending on country of birth and category. ## Employment-based green cards Employer-sponsored process generally requires: 1. **Labor Certification (PERM)** — employer demonstrates no qualified U.S. workers are available (most categories) 2. **I-140 petition** — filed by employer establishing the foreign national qualifies 3. **Priority date wait** — wait for visa to be available (current backlogs run from months to decades depending on category and country of birth) 4. **I-485 (AOS) or DS-260 (consular processing)** — once priority date is current EB-1 (extraordinary ability, multinational executives, outstanding researchers) and EB-2 with National Interest Waiver skip the labor-certification step. ## What slows everything down - **Country of birth** — applicants born in India, China, Mexico, and the Philippines face severe backlogs in family and employment categories - **Priority date** — your place in line, set when the petition was filed - **Visa Bulletin** — published monthly by State Department; tells you when YOUR priority date is current - **USCIS workload** — processing times vary by office and case type, sometimes by years - **Background checks** — security checks can stall otherwise-approvable cases - **Requests for Evidence (RFEs)** — USCIS requests additional documentation; common but adds 60-90 days each ## Conditional vs unconditional residence Spouses who get green cards through marriage of less than 2 years receive **conditional** permanent residence (2-year green card). They must file Form I-751 within 90 days before the 2-year anniversary to remove conditions and become unconditional permanent residents. Failure to file timely results in loss of status and possible removal. ## What can disqualify you Major grounds of inadmissibility: - **Criminal history** — many crimes trigger inadmissibility, especially crimes involving moral turpitude, drug offenses, multiple convictions - **Health issues** — communicable diseases, lack of required vaccines, certain physical/mental disorders - **Public charge** — applicants likely to become primarily dependent on government support - **Immigration violations** — prior overstays, false documents, deportations - **Misrepresentation** — fraud or false statements on prior applications or at the border - **Failure to register for Selective Service** — for males who entered the U.S. before age 26 - **Affirmative misrepresentation** in the visa or status process Many grounds have **waivers** available — talk to an immigration attorney before assuming a problem is fatal. ## Working while you wait AOS applicants can usually apply for an **Employment Authorization Document (EAD)** (Form I-765) and **Advance Parole** travel authorization (Form I-131) while their I-485 is pending. EADs typically take 3-7 months to issue. ## Costs Federal government fees (2024): - I-130 (family petition): $675 - I-485 (AOS): $1,440 (paper) / various (online) - I-765 (EAD): $260 (when filed alone) - I-131 (Advance Parole): $660 (when filed alone) - Biometrics: $30 - DS-260 (consular processing): $445 - Affidavit of Support fee: $120 Plus medical exam (~$200-$500), translations, mailing, and (often) attorney fees ($1,500-$5,000+ for typical cases). ## What you should do The green-card process is the longest, most expensive, and most consequential immigration matter most people undertake. Mistakes can cost years and (sometimes) cause permanent inadmissibility. Use a licensed immigration attorney — most offer free or paid initial consultations to assess your situation. Montana has multiple non-profit organizations (Catholic Charities, IRC, AmericanGateways, local immigration centers) that offer free or low-cost help to those who can't afford private counsel. --- *This guide is general information about U.S. federal immigration law as of early 2026 and is not legal advice. Immigration law shifts with regulation, USCIS policy memoranda, and (occasionally) statute. Talk to a licensed immigration attorney about your specific case.*