Green Card through Consular Processing

Green Card through Consular Processing
Once your petition has been approved and the immigrant visa status as a beneficiary is current or available you have two options to file for Permanent residence or green card.
For more updated information on consular processing, F4 India refers you the following links:
Consular Processing Procedure:
Step 1: File a Petition
The United States Citizens and lawful permanent resident petitioners living in the U.S. must file Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, with the USCIS (The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). Our Firm file the petitions electronically or through the traditional paper process (through the mail) on the behalf of our clients and corporates. We have an experienced and result oriented team for filling all types of family-based petitions and employee-based petitions.
To learn more about how to access forms and eligibility test, please click here.
Filing Petitions from Inside the United States
U.S. Citizens and LPR sponsors living in the U.S must file Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, U.S. employers must file Form I-140, Petition for Alien Worker with the USCIS Chicago Lockbox facility. Our Attorneys are best in the world for filling all types of petitions.
Filing Petitions from Outside the United States
Most immigrant visa petitions are filed inside the U.S, filling certain types of petitions outside the U.S is possible. Petitioners those who are residing outside of the United States can file Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, online or by mail to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox. Our F4 India Team has filed thousand petitions successfully.
Approval
Your immigrant petition must be approved by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) before your case can proceed to the National Visa Center (NVC).

Pros And Cons of Consular Processing
It is your decision, whether or not to go through consular processing—Another option you may have, if you are currently in the united states, is applying for an adjustment of status. There should be a proper discussion between you, your family and your lawyer. To start your thinking on whether or not this path is right for you, here are the most common advantages and disadvantages associated with consular processing.
Advantages
The main advantage of consular processing is comparatively much faster, It takes an average of 5 to 13 months in the consular process but The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) can take one or two years to decide the Adjustment of Status petition.
There is an element of certainty and comfort for those who go through the consular process because intended immigrants know when and where the interview will take place, and consular officers are likely to be more aware of local customs than would USCIS officers in the U.S. The combination of these two can help in reducing hiccups involved in explaining, for example, technicalities or certain documentation to intended immigrants.
$1,140 fee for Adult petitioners, an Adjustment of Status application is more than double the price of consular application fees, which is $345, depending on the type of underlying petition.
Disadvantages
Consular processing interviews cannot be waived, and you cannot take your attorneys along during the interview
You cannot challenge the Decisions taken by consular officers. There is, therefore, the potential for re-adjudication or outright revocation of an intended immigrant initially approved immigrant visa petition. intended immigrants undergoing consular processing also tend to have less access to consular officials than do AOS applicants with USCIS officials.
Depending on where an intended immigrant resides, he or she may be subject to dangerous conditions or subject to additional costs related to travel from his or her home to a U.S. consulate.
Aging Out in Consular Processing
Age Out refers to the Possibly ambiguous situation involving a child who is nearing twenty one years of age and is applying for an adjustment of status (AOS) or for an immigrant visa through consular processing. Why is this situation potentially precious
Who’s a child, and why does it matter?
According to federal law, for purposes of immigration, a “child” is an unmarried person under the age of twenty one.
In many circumstances, immigrant children are eligible for immigration benefits for any reason other than being the children of United States citizens or permanent residents, or the beneficiary of an immigrant petition, whether family-based or employment-based.
In the past, if a child reached the age of twenty-one while their Adjustment of status application or application for immigrant visas through consular processing was still pending, then the child will lose the eligibility for a green card on the basis of being child beneficiary. A child who turned twenty-one before his/her application was processed was, therefore, said to "age out." Aging out meant that the child is no longer qualified for many of the immigration benefits for which he/she was eligible before turned twenty-one years old.
Green Card Application Process |
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Consular Processing |
Adjustment of Status |
If you are living outside the united states, you have to file at U.S. Consulate abroad. This process is called as Consular Processing. |
If you are already living in the united states, you can file for permanent resident status or Green Card from inside United states. You don’t have to go back your home country for completing the Green Card Processes & Procedures. You can obtain your permanent resident status through Adjustment of Status. |
CONSULAR PROCESSING | ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS |
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![]() Consular Processing: Department of State |
![]() Adjustment of Status: USCIS |
Accessing Authority: Under the process of consular processing, the U.S. Department of State is responsible for your immigrant visa application. | Accessing Authority: Under this process your application will go to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). |
Time: For immediate relative processing time under Consular Processing takes 5 to 12 months. | Time: For an Immediate relative Processing time for Adjustment of Status usually takes 10 to 18 months. |
Travel: Being an applicant for immigrant visa and having a pending immigration petition It may be much more difficult to visit the United States Though it’s possible to get a B1/B2 visa but it shouldn’t be expected. | Travel: While waiting for your I-485 Adjustment of Status application approval from USCIS you may travel outside the U.S. provided you have obtained the correct authorizations. |
Fees: Consular Processing path for getting a green card is almost always less expensive than the path of Adjustment of Status. | Fees: The set of forms to be filed for a family-based adjustment of status package is generally more extensive than consular processing. |
Consular Processing |
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FEES FOR USCIS, NVC OR U.S. CONSULATE |
FEE (USD) |
Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative |
$535 |
Form I-130A, Supplemental Information for Spouse Beneficiary 1 |
$0 |
DS-260, Immigrant Visa Application |
$325 |
Form I-864, Affidavit of Support 3 |
$120 |
Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record |
$0 |
USCIS Immigrant Fee |
$220 |
Total for Typical Adult Applicant | $1,200 |
Adjustment of Status | |
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USCIS FEES |
FEE (USD) |
Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative |
$535 |
Form I-130A, Supplemental Information for Spouse Beneficiary 1 |
$0 |
Form I-485, Application to Adjust Status 2 |
$1,140 |
Form I-864, Affidavit of Support |
$0 |
Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record |
$0 |
Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization 4 |
$0 |
Form I-131, Application for Travel Document 4 |
$0 |
Biometrics (applicants ages 14-78) |
$85 |
Total for Typical Adult Applicant | $1,760 |
Consular Processing Services We Provide
F4 India is Here to Help
Applying for an immigrant visa through counsular processing can be a complex process for many people. This is why we recommend you seek the advice of an experienced immigration attorney regarding your situation. At F4 India our attorneys have decades of experience successfully facilitating consular processing for our foreign-based clients. Our associates worked for several years as a consular officer at multiple U.S. diplomatic posts worldwide. Click here to contact our firm for Online Consultation. For the latest updates and official news on consular processing, click here.
Why You Need an Immigration Attorney to Help You Prepare The I-485 Application
To avoid running into unnecessary trouble, it is a good idea to hire an immigration attorney when applying for your Adjustment of Status. Keep in mind that, each year, USCIS rejects or denies thousands of I-485 applications.
An Attorney will do the Following Tasks in Order to Make Your Case Stronger for Approval.
Just Remember
“A good attorney can be the difference between an approval and a denial and its always better to get it right the first time.”