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Experienced Boston Green Card attorneys helping families and professionals with family-based residency, marriage Green Cards, employment-based Green Cards, renewals, travel concerns, and permanent resident status issues.
Obtaining lawful permanent residency (a Green Card) in the United States is a decisive step for many individuals and families building their future in America. A Green Card allows eligible individuals to live and work permanently in the United States while providing additional opportunities, protections, and long-term stability.
FitzGerald Law Company’s green card attorneys help individuals, families, workers, and businesses navigate the U.S. residency process with strategic legal guidance tailored to each client’s unique circumstances, helping them prepare the strongest application possible from the beginning.
This page is part of the firm’s broader Immigration Legal Services and is designed for clients pursuing a family-based Green Card, marriage-based Green Card, employment-based Green Card, Green Card renewal, adjustment of status, waivers, consular processing, residency through 10-year cancellation of removal, or any other related U.S. residency matters.
Whether you are applying for U.S. residency through a family member, marriage, employment sponsorship, or another immigration pathway, working with one of our immigration attorneys with a long successful track record can help you avoid delays, requests for evidence and costly mistakes. Call 617-303-2600 or contact us online today to schedule a consultation.
Our Boston immigration lawyers have over 30 years’ experience effectively assisting clients throughout Massachusetts and across the United States, with complex cases involving permanent residency applications, Citizenship and Naturalization, and legal concerns of lawful permanent residents. Our multicultural and multilingual legal team understands first hand that Green Card matters often affect employment, travel, family reunification, and long-term immigration status of our clients and is dedicated to helping you achieve your immigration goals with empathy and the best quality of service.
What Is a Green Card?
A Green Card, also known as lawful permanent residency, allows eligible individuals to permanently live and work in the United States. Green Card holders may work for most employers, travel internationally with few restrictions, sponsor qualifying family members, and eventually pursue United States citizenship when eligible.
While non-immigrant U.S. Visas may provide temporary authorization to enter or remain in the United States for a limited purpose, a Green Card or lawful permanent resident status provides substantial rights and protections under the U.S. immigration law. For example, unlike individuals with a non-immigrant visa, a person with a Green Card may not be denied entrance to the U.S. solely at the discretion of an immigration official.
How Does Someone Get a Green Card?
Green Cards may be obtained through several pathways, such as a petition filed by a qualified family member like a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident spouse, an employment-based immigration petition filed by a business, a petition based on humanitarian protections like asylum, non-immigrant visas like U visas, T visas or VAWA, and certain investment immigration or business categories.
For general government information, clients can also review the USCIS Green Card Resource Page. FitzGerald Law Company helps clients translate those requirements into practical next steps based on their specific circumstances.
Need Help Determining your Eligibility for a Green Card?
Our Boston immigration attorneys can evaluate your immigration history, explain your options, and help you avoid delays or filing mistakes.
Call FitzGerald Law Company today at 617-303-2600 or contact us online to schedule a confidential consultation.
Family-Based Green Cards
Family immigration remains one of the most common pathways to lawful permanent residency. A family-based Green Card petition may allow certain relatives of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents to apply for permanent residency, including spouses, children, parents, and siblings in qualifying circumstances.
The family immigration process generally involves detailed documentation, financial sponsorship requirements, immigration interviews, and government review. Errors in applications, misrepresentations, incomplete documentation, or insufficient evidence may create additional complications and/or processing delays. Our attorneys work closely with families to help them understand eligibility, select and prepare the appropriate supporting evidence, respond to requests from USCIS, and move through the process with greater clarity and certainty.
Family residency pathways include marriage-based Green Cards, same-sex marriage Green Cards, and fiance visa options for couples preparing for marriage in the United States. Discuss your family immigration options with one of experienced family residency lawyers who will help guide you through the process to ensure you do it right the first time and are not subjected to unnecessary denials or delays. Call 617-303-2600 or contact us online today to schedule an appoitnment.
Marriage-Based Green Cards and Conditional Residency
Marriage to a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident may provide one of the fastests pathways to lawful permanent residency for eligible individuals. However, marriage-based immigration cases generally require substantial supporting documentation and careful preparation to demonstrate eligibility and the legitimacy of the relationship, which often receives heightened scrutiny from USCIS. FitzGerald Law Company helps clients pursue marriage-based Green Cards and related residency options through a process designed to anticipate questions before they become obstacles. scrutinized
Conditional Residency or Conditional Green Cards, which are valid for 2 years, are issued in marriage-based cases where the marriage is less than two years old at the time residency is granted. Additional legal steps are required later to remove these conditions and obtain unconditional lawful permanent resident status, also known as a 10-year Green Card, through an I-751, Petition for the removal of residency conditions. Our attorneys help clients prepare for interviews, organize documentation, and address issues that may arise during the marriage Green Card process.
Employment-Based Green Cards
Employment immigration may provide opportunities for lawful permanent residency through sponsorship by an employer, professional qualifications, investment, creation of a business, or though other specialized employment classifications. FitzGerald Law Company assists individuals and businesses with employment-based Green Card applications, work authorization questions, and immigration compliance concerns.
Many employment-based residency cases involve detailed documentation regarding education, employment history, requirements related to Labor Certification Applications, employer sponsorship obligations, and government filing deadlines.
Professionals who initially entered the United States through H-1B visas, L-1 visas, O visas, TN visas, or E-1 and E-2 treaty trader and investor visas, and others may eventually explore permanent residency options.
For employers, Green Card sponsorship may be part of a broader Business Immigration strategy to recruit, retain, and support international talent. Contact our immigration attorneys at FitzGerald Law Company, who have more than three decades of experience handling complex cases, to plan your employment immigration strategy. Call 617-303-2600 to schedule a consultation or complete our appointment request form.
For government resources and information about Green Cards and employment-based visas, visit the USCIS Green Card for Employment-Based Immigrants page and the Employment Visas page of the U.S. Department of State.
Green Card Renewal, Replacement, and Documentation Issues
Lawful permanent residents may eventually need to renew their Green Cards because their card is lost, stolen, damaged, or expiring. Permanent resident Green Cards are valid for a limited period, generally 10 years, although “conditional” cards are valid only for 2 years, and generally should be renewed before their expiration. Processing times for renewal applications can vary depending on government backlogs, application volume, and individual case circumstances.
FitzGerald Law Company assists clients with Green Card renewal applications, replacement applications, issues with an expired card, conditional residency concerns, and with question related to immigration documentation and procedures.
Green Card vs. Citizenship
Many lawful permanent residents eventually consider applying for United States Citizenship through the naturalization process. Although Green Card holders may permanently reside and work in the United States, lawful permanent residency is different from citizenship. While Legal Permanent Residents have virtually all of the obligations to the U.S. government that citizens have, such as the obligation to register for the military draft, to pay taxes on world-wide income, and to financially support family members who they sponsor for residency, there are certain rights that are available exclusively to U.S. citizens such as voting in federal elections.
Naturalization eligibility depends on several factors, including length of residency, immigration history, physical presence in the U.S., criminal history, ability to pass a Civics exam, and compliance with immigration laws. FitzGerald Law Company helps lawful permanent residents understand when it may be appropriate to consider Citizenship and Naturalization and how to prepare for that process.
Travel, Deportation, and Protecting Permanent Resident Status
Lawful permanent residents often have questions about international travel, residency obligations, and immigration enforcement concerns. Although Green Card holders generally have important immigration protections, certain criminal convictions, immigration violations, lengthy periods of international travel, physical absences from the U.S., false claims of U.S. citizenship, or other legal issues may create substantial immigration risks.
In addition, legal permanent residency can be lost in certain situations, such as an extended absence outside the United States without permission (Form I-131, Advanced Parole), specific criminal convictions, presenting false or misleading information, and failure to meet the requirements for removal of conditional resident status. Individuals who may face any of these issues should seek legal representation from an excellent immigration attorney with extensive experience.
Also, if you are a Legal Permanent Resident but you are facing an Immigration Court proceeding, or criminal allegations, you may need immediate legal representation from attorneys with substantial experience related to Deportation Defense, Cancellation of Removal, the immigration complications from criminal charges or convictions, and how to resolve a criminal case in a way that will reduce or eliminate the risk of deportation or removal.
Request a consultation with the criminal defense and immigration litigation attorneys at FitzGerald Law Company for help with these cases that require experience in both criminal defense and immigration court, or call 617-303-2600.
Humanitarian and Special Residency Pathways
People who have been granted refugee status, Asylum, a U Visa, VAWA residency petitions, TPS (Termporary Protected Status) , a T visa, a Special Immigrant Juvenile Visa Petition or NACARA, are eligible to apply of Legal Permanent Residency under certain conditions and once they met certain criteria..
If you have been granted a special humanitarian status, it is important to know how and when you will be eligible for residency. These matters can involve sensitive personal histories, complex government rules, substantial documentation, and strict filing deadlines and requirements. and the attorneys at FitzGerald Law Company can assist you with managing the procedures.
When the government is taking longer than the average USCIS processing times to process your immigration application, our federal litigation and immigration attorneys can help you evaluate the possibility of filing a Writ of Mandamus lawsuit against USCIS to compel the government to issue a decision on your case as part of a broader immigration strategy.
Green Card Processing Times and the Visa Bulletin
Other than residency petitions filed by an “Immediate Family Member,” which is defined as a U.S. Citizen Spouse, a U.S. Citizen child who is over 21, or a U.S. Citizen parent when applying for a child under 21, all other Green Card are subject to the waiting times established by the Visa Bulletin which is published by the U.S. Department of State. There are a number of different Family-Based categories and Employment-Based categories, and each category has additional sub-categories based upon one’s country of birth.
For many cases, the priority date is the date the initial residency application was filed. The government publishes current priority dates through the Visa Bulletin, which is updated on a monthly basis and can help estimate where a case stands in the waiting line. Because these timelines can be unclear, clients often benefit from legal guidance to interpret what the dates mean for their specific case.
What is Adjustment of Status?
Adjustment of Status is the procedure though which individuals obtain Legal Permanent Resident status (Green Card) when they are present in the U.S., as opposed to the alternative procedure used to obtain residency at a U.S. Consulate, commonly referred to as “Consular Processing.”
Adjustment of Status can be achieved in different ways, through different application forms. The most common way is by filing Form I-485, a petition that can be approved by an immigration officer with USCIS or a judge at the Immigration Court or at the Board of Immigration Appeals. Eligibility to file Form I-485 depends on your immigration category and whether an immigrant visa number is currently available.
Immigrants that may be eligible to file for adjustment of status with an I-485 include:
- Immediate Family members of U.S. citizens seeking permanent residence from within the United States (spouses, parents of U.S. citizens over 21, unmarried children under 21)
- Foreign professionals sponsored through employment-based immigration petitions
- Individuals granted asylum or refugee protection
- Immigrants qualifying under U visas, T visas, VAWA petitions and SIJ petitions
- Immigrants selected under the Diversity Visa lottery already lawfully present in the U.S. or qualified under section 245i of the Immigration & Nationality Act
Another form that can be used to obtain Adjustment of Status from immigration officials or judges, is the Form I-881, used applicants who qualify for residency under NACARA law.
Some forms of Adjustment of Status may only be approved by Immigration Judges in the Immigration Court or at the Board of Immigration Appeals, such as Form EOIR-42B, used for residency through Cancellation of Removal (the 10-year law), or Form EOIR-40, used for residency through Suspension of Deportation.
There are many advantages to obtaining U.S. Legal Permanent Resident status (Green Card) from within the U.S., if you are eligible. For example, it may allow you (or your employee) to continue to work in the U.S. without interruption, as Consular Processing generally requires a person to spend a period of time outside the U.S. It may also eliminate separation from family members, and in the event an application is not initially approved, the law generally provides for several levels of additional review or appeals that are not available with “Consular Processing.”
While not all individuals qualify for Adjustment of Status, ones who do should give it serious consideration. The immigration lawyers for adjustment of Status at FitzGerald Law Company have extensive experience and can help you identify the best way to adjust status to U.S. legal permanent resident in the U.S. Call now to schedule a legal consultation with an adjustment of status attorney at: 617-303-2600
New Adjustment of Status Policy Announced by the Trump Administration and Why it Will Likely be Challenged in Court and Not Prevail
On May 21, 2026, the current Trump administration issued a Policy Memorandum, PM-602-0199, stating that USCIS “will grant ‘Adjustment of Status’ only in extraordinary circumstances”. In addition, the government claims that “adjustment of status under section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is a matter of discretion and administrative grace not designed to supersede the regular consular processing of immigrant visas.”
The memorandum inaccurately cites prior Supreme Court decisions in an attempt to support their contention that Adjustment of Status in the U.S. was intended to be an “extraordinary” or unusual act of discretion. For example, the memorandum cites the 1978 Supreme Court case, Elkins v. Moreno, 435 U.S. 647, 667, as stating “adjustment of status is a matter of grace, not right.” While this is a direct quote from the decision, the memorandum excluded the word that began the sentence, “Although,” and the words that followed it. The decision in fact clarified that unless there are adverse factors “it would appear that any respondent could adjust his or her status to that of a permanent resident without difficulty.” Elkins v. Moreno, 435 U.S. 647, 668 (1978)
It should also be worth noting, that in an effort to find support of their claim, the administration had to use a partial sentence from a 1978 case that was not even related to an Adjustment of Status, but instead was a case about a class action by nonimmigrants seeking domiciliary status for tuition purposes at Maryland State University, that merely mentioned “Adjustment of Status.” Elkins v. Moreno, 435 U.S. 647 (1978)
This unlawful new “policy” raises numerous additional legal concerns, and we anticipate multiple lawsuits will be filed challenging the administration’s arbitrary interpretation of the law. In addition, we expect that these lawsuits will prevail and prevent the administration from manipulating the law to justify its improper execution and support their anti-immigrant agenda.
Additional Support for Green Card Clients
FitzGerald Law Company’s Green Card legal representation is supported by a broader immigration practice. Depending on the situation, clients may also benefit from guidance on fiance(e) visas, U visas, OPT, I-601 and I-601 A Waivers, or other Immigration Legal Services. The firm is conveniently located in downtown Boston and we are accessible via public transportation, to those seeking immigration lawyers in the greater Boston area, Massachusetts, and New England.
Visitors can also explore the firm’s Immigration Articles, Immigration Videos, Client Reviews, and Client Immigration Success Stories to better understand about the different legal immigration processes and the experience of working with FitzGerald Law Company. Our firm charges a flat rate for our immigration legal services and we publish our immigration legal fees. Learn more about Our Mission and Values and how to prepare to meet with us.
Speak With a Green Card Immigration Lawyer
Green Card and lawful permanent residency matters can affect your family, employment opportunities, travel, and long-term future in the United States.
FitzGerald Law Company has successfully provided experienced legal guidance for over 30 years for individuals and families throughout Boston, Massachusetts, and the U.S. seeking assistance with Green Card applications, marriage-based residency, employment immigration, Green Card renewal, deportation concerns, and citizenship matters. To discuss your options, call 617-303-2600 to schedule an appointment to speak with the firm’s experienced immigration attorneys or complete the online contact form.
Whether you are pursuing permanent residency for the first time or need assistance protecting your lawful permanent resident status, our attorneys and multicultural and multilingual legal team are committed to helping clients understand their legal options and move forward with confidence.
