Green Card
by Debbie McGoldrickRSS 
Recent Posts
- Extending your stay with a 90 day holiday waiver - is it possible?
- Renewing my Irish child’s US passport without getting her American Dad involved
- Having divorced my American wife can I get my new Irish girlfriend a visa?
- I-94 arrival and departure cards in United States will soon be obsolete
- Can I reclaim an old Green Card and move back to the US?
Archives
Applications can only be lodged electronically via Form DS-5501, available only through the State Department’s DV website at www.dvlottery.state.gov.
The 50,000 green cards on offer for fiscal year 2013 are not – repeat, not – available to undocumented residents of the U.S. It’s quite usual around this time of year for immigration-related agencies and what not to offer services “guaranteeing” success in the lottery – some of the come-ons are particularly enticing, promising results no matter what the circumstances.
It is possible for people who awaiting processing in the U.S. to travel abroad using a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service document called advance parole – but in your case it would be extremely unwise to do this as you could jeopardize your future here if you leave without first being approved for permanent resident status through your marriage.
Advance parole is available for those who are adjusting status while in the U.S. from non-immigrant to permanent resident. While an adjustment of status case is pending, an applicant is not permitted to leave the U.S. without advance parole. Departing without parole is considered to be an abandonment of the case, and the applicant could be considered inadmissible when attempting to re-enter the U.S.
