Evidence of any familial relationships must also be submitted, if family members are seeking to adjust their status with the principle applicant. If the applicant wishes to work or travel abroad while the adjustment of status application is pending, additional forms must be filed. A person is work and travel authorized for only one year at a time, so in many cases, because of INS processing delays, the applicant must renew these documents. Not all adjustment of status applicants are interviewed, although the law provides that any adjustment applicant may be interviewed. Interviews are always conducted in marriage cases, but are less frequent in other family relationships.
Interviews are quite rare in employment-based cases.
After approval for adjustment of status, it takes some months before the physical green card is obtained. If the approval follows an interview, the INS will stamp the applicant s passport with an indication that they are a US permanent resident. If there is no interview, the applicant will receive a notice that the application has been approved, which they can take to a local INS office and obtain the stamp. A few months later, they will receive the green card. Choosing Between Consular Processing and Adjusting Status Deciding whether to pursue consular processing or adjusting status can be a difficult choice.