Green Card Attorney in New York

Green Card Guidance Backed by Experience Representing More Than 30,000 People

The appropriate route depends on your eligibility category, current status, immigration history, supporting evidence, and any legal issues that could affect admission or adjustment of status.

At Ureña & Associates, we focus exclusively on immigration and naturalization law. Since our founding in 2017, we have rejected one-size-fits-all legal strategies. We review each client’s circumstances to identify a viable pathway, anticipate complications, and prepare the case around the applicable requirements.

Our staff speaks English, Spanish, Arabic, French, and Portuguese. Call (888) 817-8599 or contact us online to schedule a case consultation with a New York green card lawyer today.

Green Card Pathways We Can Review

There isn’t one application route that works for every prospective permanent resident. We assess the qualifying relationship or immigration category, the applicant’s location, visa availability, and any prior immigration issues before recommending how to proceed.

Common pathways that may warrant legal review include:

• Family-Based Immigration: A qualifying relative may begin the process with an immigrant petition, followed by adjustment of status or consular processing when the applicant is eligible.
• Asylum or Refugee Adjustment: People granted asylum or admitted as refugees may pursue lawful permanent resident status after meeting the applicable physical-presence and eligibility requirements.
• VAWA Self-Petition: The Violence Against Women Act can allow certain abused spouses or children of United States citizens or permanent residents, as well as parents abused by a United States citizen son or daughter, to pursue immigration relief without relying on the abusive relative.
• Employment-Based Immigration: Some workers may qualify through an employment category, subject to the relevant petition requirements and visa availability.

Adjustment of status is generally pursued from within the United States, while consular processing occurs through a United States embassy or consulate abroad. We also offer remote consultations for clients who can’t come to the office.

From Asylum Status to a Green Card in New York

Winning asylum isn’t the same as receiving a green card. An asylum grant gives you asylee status, which allows you to live and work here lawfully and protects you from being returned to the country you fled. Permanent residence is a separate application that comes afterward.

After meeting the applicable one-year physical-presence requirement, you may be eligible to apply to adjust your status. Whether a spouse or unmarried child under 21 can apply as a derivative depends on the underlying asylum case and that family member’s circumstances. The application can require evidence that you continue to qualify as a refugee, haven’t permanently resettled in another country, and aren’t barred from admission. If an inadmissibility ground applies, the availability of a waiver depends on the specific ground and facts.

Withholding of removal and protection under the Convention Against Torture are different. Both can protect a person from removal, but neither creates a path to permanent residence on its own. If you hold one of those forms of protection, our attorneys can review your immigration history and determine whether another pathway may be available.

Green Card Application Hurdles & Denials

The federal government reviews the forms, supporting records, and eligibility basis submitted with each application. Our attorneys manage the document-heavy filing process from start to finish. We prepare you for your government interviews and gather the evidence necessary to establish your eligibility. If United States Citizenship and Immigration Services issues a Request for Evidence, a formal notice seeking missing or additional information, we prepare a response tailored to the issues the agency identified.

Complications can include inconsistent records, prior removal proceedings, unlawful presence, criminal history, a fraud allegation, or an earlier denial. These issues should be reviewed before refiling or pursuing a different remedy. Principal Attorney Rafael Urena is a federal litigator who has taken the government to court over stalled and unlawfully delayed immigration cases, experience that is particularly relevant when agency action or delay requires closer legal scrutiny.

How to Keep Your Green Card Valid After Approval

Maintaining permanent resident status requires attention to travel, criminal matters, and renewal deadlines. Extended trips abroad can raise questions about whether you intended to give up residence, while criminal matters can carry immigration consequences long after the court case is closed. These issues may arise at a port of entry or during a future naturalization interview.

Conditional permanent residents generally need to apply to remove conditions instead of filing an ordinary green card renewal. The filing window, evidence requirements, and potential waivers depend on how the conditional status was obtained and the applicant’s current circumstances.

We discuss those obligations while your case is still open. For many clients, the next step is citizenship, and we handle the eligibility review, the application, and preparation for the interview that follows. Whether you are applying for the first time or protecting a status you already hold, your initial consultation at our Brooklyn office is free. Virtual consultations are also available for a standard fee.

Call (888) 817-8599 or contact our team online today to schedule a case consultation with a green card lawyer in New York.