Dossier
Visas, green cards, citizenship, asylum, and employer compliance under U.S. federal immigration law.
Immigration is one of the few areas of American law that is almost entirely federal, which means the rules you read here apply whether you live in Texas or Vermont. What changes constantly is everything else: fees, processing times, interview practices, and the policy priorities of the agencies that run the system — USCIS, the Department of State, and the immigration courts.
This dossier covers the routes people actually ask about: family and marriage cases, work visas from H-1B to TN, investor and extraordinary-ability categories, asylum, naturalization, and the employer-side duties that come with hiring across borders. Each guide links to the official form pages and current fee schedules rather than freezing numbers that go stale.
A map of the major green card categories — family, employment, humanitarian, diversity visa, and special programs — with the forms each path uses and how annual limits shape the wait.
If you are new to the system, start with the map before the territory: learn which of the main green-card paths could apply to you, then read the guide for that specific path. Employers should begin with the I-9 guide, which explains obligations that apply to every U.S. hire — citizen or not.
A walkthrough of the marriage green card process — which forms to file, the evidence that shows a genuine marriage, what happens at the interview, and the two-year conditional card.
Two roads lead to the same green card — filing Form I-485 inside the U.S. or interviewing at a consulate abroad. Here is how they differ on eligibility, work, travel, cost, and risk.
What the K-1 visa really is, who qualifies, how the I-129F-to-embassy process unfolds, why the 90-day marriage deadline has no extension, and the green card steps after the wedding.
Who qualifies for U.S. citizenship, how the Form N-400 process runs from filing to the oath ceremony, and what the 2025 version of the civics test requires at the interview.
A plain-language guide to U.S. asylum: who qualifies under the five protected grounds, the one-year filing deadline and its exceptions, how affirmative and defensive cases differ, and what evidence matters.
A calendar-driven guide to the H-1B: what counts as a specialty occupation, how cap registration and the new wage-weighted selection work, LCA obligations, petition mechanics, and the six-year limit.
How Canadian and Mexican citizens use TN status to work in the United States: the USMCA profession list, qualification rules, border and consular procedures, and the 2025 USCIS policy tightening.
The E-2 visa has no fixed minimum investment. This guide explains what actually matters: treaty nationality, the substantiality and marginality tests, 50% ownership, and the consular and USCIS application paths.
Most employment-based green cards move through three stages — PERM labor certification, the I-140 petition, and adjustment of status — with the Visa Bulletin controlling the pace at every step.
A side-by-side comparison of the EB-1 first-preference categories and the EB-2 National Interest Waiver, covering evidence standards, the Dhanasar framework, self-petitioning, and how visa backlogs shape strategy.
A practical walkthrough of employer duties under Form I-9 — completion deadlines, document rules, the three-year/one-year retention formula, ICE inspections, penalty exposure, and where E-Verify fits.
H-4 status follows the H-1B worker, but the right to work does not follow automatically. This guide explains the two qualifying triggers for an H-4 EAD and how the paperwork fits together.
The Child Status Protection Act does not stop birthdays, but it can subtract government delay from a child's age. Here is the calculation, the one-year deadline, and where cases fail.
A working guide to F-1 status: the SEVIS record, full course of study, the 12-month OPT grant, unemployment limits, and the E-Verify and training-plan conditions on STEM OPT.
Section 212(e) sends some J-1 exchange visitors home for two years before they can take certain U.S. immigration steps. Here is what triggers it, and the five ways it can be waived.
Leaving the United States with a pending adjustment application usually abandons it. Advance parole is the document that prevents that — with limits worth understanding before you book.
Form I-90 covers expiring, lost, damaged, and inaccurate green cards — but not conditional cards or name-only changes in every case. Here is how to tell which filing you need.
Time abroad does not end permanent residence by itself — intent does. This guide covers reentry permits, the SB-1 visa, and the evidence officers actually weigh.
Some people are already U.S. citizens and do not know it. This guide explains automatic acquisition through a parent, and how Form N-600 documents a status that already exists.
Not every naturalization applicant must take the standard tests. Age and residence rules, interpreter rights, and the N-648 medical exception each work differently.
Temporary Protected Status is country-specific and date-specific. This guide explains how designations set the residence and presence cut-offs, how registration and re-registration work, and what TPS does not provide.
DACA has spent years in litigation. This guide explains the position as of mid-2026 — renewals continuing, initial requests unprocessed — and what recipients should watch when filing.
SIJS is unusual: a state juvenile court makes the findings, and only then does USCIS decide the immigration petition. This guide walks through both stages and the visa queue that follows.
The H-1B cap is decided by an electronic registration run each spring. Since 2024 selection has been beneficiary-centric, which changed how employers and candidates should approach the season.
Two trade-agreement categories let certain nationals work in specialty occupations without the H-1B lottery. Both require a certified Labor Condition Application and both carry trade-offs.
EB-3 covers skilled workers, professionals, and other workers. It is the widest employment-based door, but it runs through PERM, an I-140, and a queue that varies sharply by country.
Before recruitment starts, the Department of Labor sets the wage a PERM job must pay. How that number is calculated — and how the job description drives it — shapes the entire case.
EB-1A lets a person petition for a green card on their own record. Approval turns on three of ten regulatory criteria plus a separate judgment about sustained acclaim.
A blanket L approval lets a qualifying multinational send employees straight to a consulate on Form I-129S instead of filing a separate petition for each transfer.