How Fast Can I Get a Green Card

If you're a professional worker seeking a Green Card, today was your day. Immigration Services here in the United States said they would begin to accept applications immediately. It was earlier this month (July 2007) that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stopped the process altogether - leaving the Green Card requests for skilled workers (H1-B visas), with nowhere to turn.

There were a lot of the H1-B visa holders who did everything they could to make it under the July 1 deadline but the State Department said there was such a backlog, they wouldn't be able to process anything until the Fall.

Naturally people were upset.

Senator Charles Schumer, D NY, called on the State Department to reverse that decision, and it apparently worked - USCIS Director Emilio Gonzalez said that the public reaction to the July 2 announcement made it clear that the federal government's management of this process needs further review.

The reversal is very welcome. If you are a H1-B visa holder, you have a breath of fresh air.