Last Updated on March 2, 2023
Green Card Interviews Update
The USCIS has announced that effective October 1, 2017, individuals adjusting status to a permanent resident will be required to attend an in-person interview with a USCIS officer before the permanent resident card can be approved. While this is currently standard practice for people obtaining a permanent resident card through a family-based process (i.e. marriage to a U.S. citizen), it is not common within the employment-based immigration process.
The USCIS stated three reasons for this process change:
- The opportunity to verify the information provided in an individual’s application,
- To discover new information that may be relevant to the adjudication process, and
- To determine the credibility of the individual seeking permanent residence in the United States.
Based on these reasons, Global Immigration Associates, Envoy’s affiliated law firm, highly recommends that you carefully review all of the information in your I-485 case when applicable and if you need to make changes to reach out to your attorney. This will ensure that the information being reviewed and questioned during the interview will have already been verified by you.
Finally, the USCIS has not released information on whether this will impact any I-485s filed on or after October 1, or whether it will also impact cases pending as of October 1. Once we do find out more, we will be sure to keep all of you updated as more information is available on this topic.
