I-526批准之后的详细步骤(中/英)
当I-526批准通过之后，同时您的签证名额排期也排到了，您和您的家属就可以开始绿卡的申请了。
如果您和您的家属正在美国境内合法居住，你们可以申请I-485（调整身份）；如果你们在海外，就需要向美国驻中国领事馆申请移民签证和面试。 在I-526递交时，是可以选择在美国境内调整身份或在海外办移民签证的。如果原来表格填是写在美国境内调整身份但之后出现变动，需要改成在自己国家办理移民签证的话，必须付费并递交I-824（改动已批表格申请）给美国移民局，这样，您的档案才会被送到美国签证中心开始海外移民签证，并准备进行面试。如果原来I-526是自己国家申请移民签证和面试，后面又可以在美合法调整身份，只要填写I-485并递交到美国移民局。当移民局收到您的I-485申请之后，会直接通知美国签证中心把您的档案转回移民局。
在美国境内调整身份
一、把非移民身份变成绿卡
如果您想把非移民身份变成绿卡，您需要递交I-485给美国移民局。他们收到此表格后，会判断您是否符合资格申请绿卡。如果您的年龄在14至79岁之间，美国移民局会另要求您去打指模，以便美国联邦调查局审查您有无犯罪记录。美国移民局对绿卡和公民申请都有此要求。在递交I-485同时，您也可以申请I-765（工作卡）和I-131（回美证）。大约三个月后您会收到工作卡，持此卡有两个作用，第一是能够在合法美国工作，第二是在I-485未批准期间离开美国后，能够合法回到美国境内。 递交I-485表格时，必须把民事文件如出生证，结婚证，护照传记资料等，一起送去给美国移民局。在送出文件之前，您必须在美国移民局批准的医生处通过体检，医生会交给您一封密封信件，这封信要与I-485申请文件一起送出。通常，I-485从审核到批准的全程时间是6到12个月。当然，也有少数表格被拒，被拒的原因有可能是犯罪，传染性疾病，或严重触犯移民法。当您的I-485被批准后，您将拥有美国合法居留权。
在美国境外领事馆面试
二、签证中心流程
美国移民局批准案子以后，会把所有要在海外申请签证的档案送到签证中心。签证中心负责安排所有档案的时间，进行下一阶段的审批，并与领事馆约定面试时间。 签证中心从美国移民局收到您被批的I-526档案后，会通知您和您的律师上网付移民签证费。此费用必须用支票户口直接付费，不接受信用卡，签证中心需要大约5个工作日确认付款。当确认您的费用已支付后，您就可以去网上填移民签证和外国人注册表格(DS-260)。请注意，DS-260表格要求的资料非常全面，您需要尽早准备。DS-260表格填写好之后，您就可以开始准备需要送签的文件。需要准备的文件程序是：把签证中心印有条码的信作为封面，随后附上DS-260付费收据，DS-260填表证明，两张护照式照片，同时附上民事文件如结婚证、护照资料、警察证书等等。不是每一个档案都要用信件的方式寄送，有些档案是需要电邮给签证中心的。这个资料在签证中心网站上可以查得到 ：移民签证步骤，第六项，递交文件给签证中心。因为签证中心每日会收到大量的信件，有时甚至每天1万封以上，如果您的档案是以文件方式处理，您最好是寄挂号信和需回执签名的信。
当签证中心收到您寄去的文件后，您会收到一封30天文件处理信。30天后，签证中心会通知您的档案是准备好了还是需要补交额外文件。您的档案审核完毕后，必须等签证排期日子到了，签证中心才能帮您与海外领事馆安排面试时间。如果您的档案需要补交文件，您必须了解清楚这些文件需要事先交给签证中心，还是直接带给移民官在面试时审核。签证中心的信件可能写得并非十分明确，因此需要十分仔细地阅读此信件。例如，在某个要补件的部分，信里会说您的档案将会被送去领事馆审核，但在另外要补件的部分，却没有明确的说法。如果这里没有明确说明，就表示补充文件需要先送去给签证中心审核，等30日文件处理过后，签证中心才会通知下一步的操作方式。
面试信是由签证中心发出来给您的。但是，所有面试时间是由海外的领事馆安排给签证中心的。每一个月，分布在世界各地的领事馆会通知签证中心可用的面试时间。所有签证排期已到和审核完毕的档案会被分给配额。对I-526档案来说，等待配额的时间大约在60日左右。
三、领事馆面试
您的面试时间会安排在面试信件收到后的四到六个星期。面试准备包括体检。领事馆面试说明书有列出合格的体检处。您需要提前预约，并且在体检时带上所有以前医疗记录，例如x-光照片，疫苗接种等等，才能顺利完成移民体检。多半体检报告在五到七个工作日后就能完成。但是，如果初步检查有发现问题，会拖延体检报告。如果目前您有小孩在美国读书，您应该委托律师去小孩的学校申请大约三个星期的请假，确保小孩有足够的时间回国准备面试。体检报告是一份密封的信件，请勿打开，需要与其它已经送至美国移民局和签证中心的正本民事文件，一起带去面试。每一个正本民事文件都需准备复印件，正本是给移民官面试时审核，而复印件是给移民官备档用的。您的律师会帮助您准备面试事项和项目方的最新投资信， 当您在面试时，这封信可以让移民官确认您投资的资金已被项目使用，并了解项目目前的情况。
四、入境来美国
您通过签证面试3个工作日后，您会收到领事馆通知，告知您的移民签证包裹的状态。包裹递送方式包括邮寄或自取。移民签证包裹通常大约在7个工作日后准备好。此包裹装有您的移民签证，应该已经贴在护照里，还有一份密封的小包。 此小包是在您入境美国时交给海关审核的，因此必须保持密封。您在拿到移民签证后，六个月内必须入境美国。如果想顺利地在抵达美国120日内取得绿卡，在来到美国之前，您必须在美国移民局网站上支付移民绿卡打印费。根据美国社会安全局资料，如果您年龄在18岁以上，而社会安全卡号也已在填写DS-260时就申请过，美国国务院以及国土安全部将会把您的资料分享给美国社会安全局，而您不需要去美国社会安全局填写表格，您的社会安全卡应该在您入境后3个星期内寄到。年龄在12至18之间的人士必须亲自到美国社会安全局去申请。
Procedures after Approval
Step-by-Step Instructions on Procedures after I-526 Approval
After I-526 is approved and a visa number is available, you and your family can apply for conditional permanent residency through adjustment of status by filing the I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence) if you are in the United States. If you and your family are currently abroad, you will need to apply and obtain your immigrant visa through a US consulate in your home country, known as consular processing. If you chose the option to adjust status on the I-526 but later decide to proceed with consular processing, you will need to notify the USCIS by filing form I-824 – Applicant for Action on an Approved Application or Petition, pay appropriate fees, in order for the USCIS to send your file to the National Visa Center to prepare for overseas consular processing. If your I-526 indicated consular processing but later on you are available to adjust status in the United States, all you will need to do is file for I-485. Once USCIS receives your I-485, it will request the file back from the NVC.
Adjustment of Status
1. Adjust your status
To adjust your status from a nonimmigrant to that of an immigrant, you will need to file I-485 with the USCIS, it will then determine your eligibility for permanent residency. At the same time of your filing of I-485 and if you are in the age range of 14-79, you will also be asked to pay a fee for biometrics-fingerprinting. USCIS requires green card and naturalization applicants to be fingerprinted in order for FBI to conduct criminal background checks. You may concurrently file I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) and I-131 (Application for Travel Document) with your I-485. It generally takes 3 months for you to receive your Employment Authorization Card with the text that reads, “Serve as I-512 Advance Parole.” A card with this text will serve as both an employment authorization and advance parole document. This document allows you to work and travel outside of the United States before your I-485 approval. The documents you need to submit to USCIS along with the I-485 application are standard civil documents, e.g. birth certificate, marriage certificate, passport biographic data page, etc. You will also need to pass a medical examination conducted by a USCIS approved civil surgeon, and enclose the sealed envelope in the submission package. It takes approximately 6 to 12 months for USCIS to process most I-485 that result in approval. However, there are times when these applications can be denied on the basis of criminal convictions, possession of certain communicable diseases, or serious immigration law violations. If your I-485 is approved, you will become a conditional permanent resident in the United States.
Consular Processing
2. National Visa Center
National Visa Center (NVC) processes all immigrant visa petitions after they are approved by the USCIS in order to ensure these petitions are handled at the correct time, it also retains the files until the cases are ready for adjudication by overseas consulate general.
Once NVC receives your approved visa petition, you and your legal counsel will receive notification to pay the immigrant visa fee online. The fees must be paid via Automated Clearing House (ACH) debit transaction through a checking account, not by credit card, and payments are usually posted within 5 business days. When you verify the immigrant visa fee is paid, you may complete your online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application (DS-260). Please note the information required to complete DS-260 is quite extensive, you should start gathering the information as early as possible. After the DS-260 is complete, you can prepare your file for submission to NVC. You must put NVC Case Number Barcode Sheet as coversheet, include your DS-260 payment receipt, the DS-260 confirmation, 2 passport-sized photos along with copies of civil documents, e.g. marriage certificate, passport biographic data, police certificate, etc. Not all files are processed in paper form, some cases must be submitted to NVC electronically. This information is available through NVC website, The Immigrant Visa Process Section, Step 6: Submit Documents to the NVC. Due to the enormous volume of mail NVC receives, sometimes over 10,000 pieces a day, if your case is processed via mail, you should send the package via “signature required” for tracking purposes. Within a week of NVC’s receipt of your package, you should receive a standard 30-day file review letter. When the 30 days are up, NVC will notify you that your file is either ready or further action is required. If your file is complete, you will now wait for your priority date to become current before NVC can schedule your interview with the consulate general abroad. If further action is required, you will need to determine whether documents need to be sent to NVC or be brought to the interview. The NVC notification letter is very unclear, and you must review it carefully. For example, the letter may state that your file is being sent to the consulate general for processing under one listed item, but the same language may not appear under another item. If said language is not in place, the missing and/or update-required items must be sent to the NVC for review first, wait for another 30 days for file review, before you will be notified of the next step. Interview letters are sent by NVC to you. However, interview dates are provided to NVC by overseas consulate general. Each month, consulate generals worldwide will send to NVC available interview dates. Cases that are complete with priority dates current will be matched with said available dates to generate specific interview dates. For I-526 cases, the turnaround time for an interview letter is approximately 60 days.
3. Consulate General Interview
Your interview date and time are set 4-6 weeks from the date of the interview letter. To prepare for the interview, you will need to complete the medical examination process. Consulate general interview instructions will have a list of approved health care provider(s). You need to make an appointment, acquire all prior medical records, e.g. x-rays, vaccinations, etc., before you are ready for the immigrant medical examination. Most health care providers will have results ready between 5-7 business days. However, if there are findings from the initial examination, results will be further delayed. Therefore, if you have a minor child currently attending school in the United States, you should notify your attorney to make a Leave of Absence request with the school, on behalf of your child, for a period of not less than 3 weeks, in order for your child to return home and prepare for the interview amply. Please do not open the medical results envelope; it must be brought to the interview in its sealed state. You will also need to gather all civil documents that were previously submitted to USCIS and NVC, make a duplicate copy of each original civil document that you are bringing to the interview, the original is for you to present to the immigration officer, the duplicate copy is for the officer to keep in your file. Your attorney will prepare you for the interview and also provide you with the updated letters from the EB-5 project you invested in, for you to present to the immigration officer at the interview, to prove that your investment capital has been applied to the project, and the current progress of the project.
4. Admission to the United States
Once you have passed your interview, you will receive notification from the consulate general the status of your immigrant visa package in 3 business days. Delivery methods are either by mail or in person pickup. The immigrant visa package is usually ready within 7 business days. The package contains your passport with your immigrant visa, which is placed on a page in your passport, and a sealed immigrant packet that you must present to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer, unopened and sealed, at a port-of-entry upon your arrival in the United States. You must apply for admission to the United States within 6 months. In order to receive your conditional permanent resident card within 120 days upon arrival, you should go online to pay the USCIS the immigrant fee for green card printing, prior to departing for the United States. According to Social Security Administration, if you are over 18 years of age, if social security card was applied for during DS-260 application, Department of State and U.S. Department of Homeland Security will share your information with Social Security Administration, you do not need to complete any forms to apply, and you should receive your social security card within 3 weeks after arrival. Persons between the ages of 12-18 must appear in person at the Social Security Administration to apply.
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