U.S. immigration introduces new application form for Green Card

British Columbia people who have been living and working in the United States may be interested to know of changes to the application form to obtain a Green Card. Changes in the U.S. immigration process are abundant at the moment, and anybody wanting to live and work there would be well advised to gain legal counsel. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) reported applicants for Green Cards would have to use the new form, which will become effective on Aug. 25.

Any person who wants to gain permanent residence in the United States must provide the information required on the official Form I-485. USCIS says it collected public comments along with those of other stakeholders. Based on these observations, substantial updates were made to the application form. The new version contains 18 pages that include updated questions to gain more background information of people who apply for adjustments to their immigration statuses.

USCIS also says the new application form’s updates serve to simplify a previous complex version. It now provides applicants with better information that will enable them to complete it accurately. The new Form I-485 will be easier to navigate to the relevant sections for each candidate based on his or her situation. Once they have identified the parts to fill out, there are clear instructions to guide them through the questions and requirements. The immigration service believes the changes would increase adjudication efficiency because the numbers of errors and requests for substantiating evidence would be reduced.

Despite the changes to Form I-485, U.S. immigration remains a complicated process. Applicants for Green Cards or any type of visa to enter the United States from British Columbia may find the support and guidance of an experienced cross-border immigration lawyer to be an asset. A lawyer can explain the latest immigration laws along with the requirements for eligibility and assist with gathering the necessary substantiating documents for visa or green card applications.

Source: Miami Herald, “USCIS revises application form for green card applicants”, Mario J.Penton, July 8, 2017