The Long Road to Obtaining a Green Card byJerryGrzecaandJohnSesini September2010 Antiimmigrationadvocates backloggedinthesystem.Infact,Filipinosendurethe oftenurgeimmigrantsto longestlinesastheUSCISisnowprocessingcasesformarried “getinline”andplaybythe FilipinochildrenofU.S.citizenswhohaveaprioritydateof rulesiftheywanttogeta May1994. visatoliveandworkinthe UnitedStates.Butunder Second,theallocationofimmigrantvisasisfurther currentU.S.immigration subdividedintoasystemofsubcategories,orpreferences, policies,theremaynotbea determinedbyavarietyofcriteriasuchaseducation, linetogetin,andevenif exceptionalability,managerialstatus,shortageofUnited thereis,manylinesfor Statesworkers,levelsofskill,amongothervariables.Once obtainingagreencardmay placedina“preferencecategory,”therateofprogress leadnowhere.Giventhe dependsonanadditionalsetoffactorssuchasageand preferencecategorieson maritalstatus;forexample,theunmarriedson/daughterof immigrationandthelow citizenstendtohavetheshortestwaits,whiletheadult numberofgreencards siblingsofcitizenscomelast. available,coupledwith Complicatingtheprocessevenfurther,inorderfora outdatedimmigrationlaws, potentialimmigranttogetaspotinline,asponsorneedsto thechanceofreceivinglegal,permanentresidencyinthe fileapetition.Familybasedandemployerbasedapplica UnitedStatesislow.Someanalystsestimatethatatleast4 tionstakedifferentpaths,butthewaitinggenerallybegins millionpeopleintheU.S.andoverseasarenow“waitingin whenthatfirstpetitionisfiled.Afterapprovalofthefirst line”foranimmigrantvisa. stage,thetruewaitbeginsforthegovernmenttomakeavailR TheImmigrationActof1924,includingtheNationalOrigins ablea"visanumber,"whichcanthenbeuseddowntheroad ActandAsianExclusionAct,wasaUnitedStatesfederallaw tosecureapprovalforagreencard. thatlimitedthenumberofimmigrantsforadmittancefrom Anotherhugeproblemwiththe“getinline”theoryisthat anycountryto2%ofthenumberofpeoplefromthatcountry theU.S.doesnothaveaworkablevisasystemforgranting whowerealreadylivingintheU.S.Thelawaimedtorestrict permanentjobstatustolowskilledworkers.Forallour SouthernandEasternEuropeans,aswellasprohibitthe immigrantconstructionworkers,housekeepers,restaurant immigrationofEastAsiansandAsianIndians.AfterJuly1, andhotelstaff,landscapersandtruckdrivers,thereisnoline 1927,thetwopercentrulewasreplacedbyanoverallcapof togetin!Withoutcreatingarealisticvisastatusforthese 150,000immigrantsannually. workers,wewillneversolveillegalimmigration. Despitethearchaicnatureofthequotasystem,permanent TheU.S.immigrationsystemisoutdatedandisoverwhelmed migrationtotheUnitedStatesisstillregulatedbyquotasand bygreencardapplicants.Theroadtolegalityisn’tassimple categories.Since1995,theworldwideimmigrationcaphas as“gettinginline.”ManyU.S.citizenspointtheirfingersat beensetat675,000withmanycategoricalrestrictionswhich illegalimmigrants,criticizingthemforcomingtotheUnited shapethesizeandscopeoftheimmigrantpopulation. Stateswithoutfirstobtainingagreencard,butwemust First,theU.S.DepartmentofHomelandSecuritymandates rememberhowimpossibletheroadistogethere. that“greencards”forcitizensofasingle,independent Formoreinformationontheprocessofobtainingagreen foreignstatemaynotexceed7%ofthetotalgreencards cardorotherimmigrationrelatedmatters,pleasecontact available.Thismeansthatnomatterthesizeofthecountry, GrzecaLawGroupat(414)342R3000orvisitourwebsiteat bigorsmall,eachisallowedthesamepercentage.Thus, www.grzecalaw.com. peoplefromChina,India,Mexico,andthePhilippineshavean extralongwaitasmanyoftheircountrymenarealready Milwaukee: 414-342-3000 GRZECA LAW GROUP, S.C. Madison: 608-234-5004 1434 West State Street www.grzecalaw.com Toll Free: 866-342-0445 Milwaukee, WI 53233 [email protected] .