ERM Immigration Law, PLLC
ERM Immigration Law, PLLC
E|R|M Immigration Law, PLLC

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Avoid These Common Mistakes As You Pursue A Green Card

Applying for permanent residency (obtaining a green card) in the United States is a more complex and risky process than many people realize. There is little or no room for error. Even if you are 100% convinced of your eligibility for a green card, you must follow the rules exactly or your application is likely to be denied.

At ERM Immigration in Seattle, we are in immigration law to help Washington clients achieve their goals. Below, we have summarized some of the most common mistakes that result in the denial of green cards.

Information Gaps

Applicants frequently fail or experience slowness in their green card applications for these reasons:

  • Giving false or incomplete information to justify eligibility
  • Failing to document eligibility correctly or convincingly
  • Leaving blanks in the application documents
  • Omitting signatures

It is the applicant’s responsibility to comply with all requirements and requests for information at any stage of the permanent residency application process.

Procedural Mistakes

People often delay their green card applications in these ways:

  • Missing dates and deadlines
  • Submitting incorrect fees
  • Omitting required signatures in all appropriate places
  • Failing to respond promptly to requests from USCIS for additional information

Green card applicants typically go through the process just a few times in a lifetime, but immigration officers review applications all day, every day. They are familiar with common errors and look for them during green card application interviews.

Interview Errors

Once the written application is received and approved, there is still an interview to pass. Many applicants fail at this point by:

  • Arriving late or failing to appear for the green card interview at the right time and place
  • Failing to bring original documents – such as marriage certificates – that the interviewing officer might ask to see
  • Failing to bring an interpreter if one is needed
  • Failing to treat the green card interview with appropriate formality

An interview with USCIS personnel for permanent residency is a common time and place when many applicants make mistakes when they apply without the help of lawyers.

Get Legal Help To Get It Right

The most common green card application mistake is to neglect to hire an attorney. With all the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) forms available online, it is common for applicants to believe they can apply without legal assistance. Correcting mistakes can waste time and much more money than legal help would have cost from the beginning.

Maybe you have already completed the green card application forms and want to hire us to review them for you. Or, maybe you want us to help from the beginning to the end. No matter what your plans and hopes are, we are ready to help you at ERM Immigration. Call our Washington team at 206-745-9241 or send an email request for a consultation.