Immigration Guides

The National Interest Waiver, commonly called the NIW, is an employment-based immigrant pathway that does not require a job offer or a labor certification. For professionals whose work benefits the United States broadly rather than a single employer, it can be a meaningful option worth understanding. This article explains what the National Interest Waiver is, the legal standard used to evaluate eligibility, and what the application process generally involves.

You may be able to travel while a marriage green card case is pending, but you should not assume it is safe to leave the United States just because your case has been filed.

If you are applying for adjustment of status from inside the United States, traveling without the proper travel document can cause serious problems, including the possible abandonment of your pending green card application.

Short answer: Yes, in some cases, you may be able to apply for a marriage green card after overstaying a visa.

A visa overstay does not automatically prevent every person from getting a green card through marriage, but the answer depends on several important facts, including how you entered the United States, whether your spouse is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, whether you have other immigration violations, and whether you plan to apply from inside or outside the United States.

An Alien Documentation, Identification and Telecommunication (ADIT) stamp, also known as an I-551 stamp, may be issued to Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) as evidence of their lawful permanent resident status in limited circumstances.

Real estate is one of the most misunderstood topics in the E-2 treaty investor space. It is easy to see why: real estate is a familiar, tangible, and substantial form of investment, so it seems natural that buying property in the United States would support an E-2 visa.

Green card holders are often asked to provide a “document number” when completing forms or reviewing immigration records. This can create confusion, especially because multiple numbers appear on the card.

Marriage-based green card cases often involve multiple forms working together. One of the most commonly misunderstood is Form I-130A, Supplemental Information for Spouse Beneficiary, which supplements the main family petition and provides detailed background information about the beneficiary spouse.

One of the most common questions immigration attorneys hear is simple but rarely has a simple answer: How long will this take? Whether a foreign national is waiting for a green card, an interview notice, or a work permit, the anxiety around timing is understandable, especially in processes such as a green card through marriage. Lives, jobs, and family plans often hinge on the answer. 

The EB-2 visa category remains one of the most common employment-based green card pathways for professionals, yet it is also one of the most backlogged for individuals born in India.

PERM processing is often one of the longest and most uncertain stages of the employment-based green card process. Current Department of Labor (DOL) processing times for PERM-related steps can be lengthy and may vary significantly depending on the stage of the case, agency workload, and whether the case is selected for audit. Posted processing times are general benchmarks, not case-specific guarantees, and actual timelines for any individual case can vary.

Immigration recommendation letters may be used as supporting evidence in many immigration matters, but whether they are useful, expected, or required depends on the specific case type and the governing form instructions or regulations.

Travelers are often asked to provide their U.S. visa number when completing immigration forms, travel documentation, or government applications. Despite how frequently it is requested, many people are unsure where to find it or how to distinguish it from other numbers on the visa stamp.

“Good moral character” is a legal concept that matters in some immigration benefits more than others. In certain cases, such as naturalization and some VAWA self-petitions, it is an express eligibility requirement. In other cases, similar conduct may be considered as part of a broader discretionary review.