Does 485 approval mean green card/permanent residence is assured?

L

Lru

Member
Hi,

Had a few questions:
1.Does I485 approval mean the applicant is a green card holder ? Is it the end of the application process? Or are there any other steps involved?
2.Does the I485 approval mean the applicant is now a permanent resident and is not dependant on an employer to stay in the country?
3.If the answer to the above question is yes - can USCIS in anyway revoke the green card in a month or two after the approval?
4.Once the I485 is approved, is there anyway the employer who sponsored the green card application can revoke it?
5.How long does one have to work with the employer? Can one resign the week that the I485 approval arrives? or is it safer to wait for the passport stamp and/or the card to arrive?
6.My passport is expiring in august and I will renew it in July. Should I wait to get a new passport for the stamp? Or just get a stamp right away?
-lrugnevm
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Answers

1.Does I485 approval mean the applicant is a green card holder ? Is it the end of the application process? Or are there any other steps involved?

Answer 1 - Once the 485 is approved you are pretty much a GC holder. After approval it is necessary to get your PP stamped and give your index finger FP and photos at the time of PP stamping. This is a necessary step.

2.Does the I485 approval mean the applicant is now a permanent resident and is not dependant on an employer to stay in the country?

Answer 2 - Yes that is true but a lot of people encourage a new GC holder to stick with his/her job for atleast 6 months after getting approved. The reasonsing is that leaving a job immediately might cause problems at the time of getting US citizenship. I do not know of this to be a fact but speculations are rampant.

3.If the answer to the above question is yes - can USCIS in anyway revoke the green card in a month or two after the approval?

Answer 3 - I do not think USCIS can revoke the GC simply because you left the employer that sponsored you. Like I said earlier, their might be problems at the time of citizenship.

4.Once the I485 is approved, is there anyway the employer who sponsored the green card application can revoke it?

Answer 4 - I do not think so but I am not certain. If you are really worried about this then please consult a profession lawyer.

5.How long does one have to work with the employer? Can one resign the week that the I485 approval arrives? or is it safer to wait for the passport stamp and/or the card to arrive?

Answer 5 - I have already answered this question. To add to that I would suggest you stick around atleast till the PP stamping and physical GC is in hand. Just my opinion. I am not a lawyer.

6.My passport is expiring in august and I will renew it in July. Should I wait to get a new passport for the stamp? Or just get a stamp right away?

Answer 6 - I think the PP stamp becomes irrelevant when you get your GC. However before getting any visas, it is always recommended to have a PP that does not expire in 6 months from the day of the applying for that visa. Not sure if this applies to PP stamping. Again please consult a lawyer.

good luck.

saras
 
Last edited by a moderator:
pp stamping

FYI, when i went for stamping, my passport was to expire in 2 months. so, the guy stamped on the I-94 and told me that to transfer it when i get the new passport ..meanwhile i might get the cards....
- jdr
 
murthy.com and most immigration lawyers recommend change of job after 6 months of green card to show your intention to work with sponsoring employer was "permanent". It is much safer to change jobs under AC21 prior to I-485 approval - that is if ones 485 is pending more than 6 months and the job is in the same industry etc.

That said, the discussion on "life after the green card" forum did not indicate any one who had a bad experience at the time of citizenship.
 
lrugnevm said:
Hi,

Had a few questions:
1.Does I485 approval mean the applicant is a green card holder ? Is it the end of the application process? Or are there any other steps involved?
2.Does the I485 approval mean the applicant is now a permanent resident and is not dependant on an employer to stay in the country?
3.If the answer to the above question is yes - can USCIS in anyway revoke the green card in a month or two after the approval?
4.Once the I485 is approved, is there anyway the employer who sponsored the green card application can revoke it?
5.How long does one have to work with the employer? Can one resign the week that the I485 approval arrives? or is it safer to wait for the passport stamp and/or the card to arrive?
6.My passport is expiring in august and I will renew it in July. Should I wait to get a new passport for the stamp? Or just get a stamp right away?
-lrugnevm
Click to expand...

Just like you did, I had (and still have) lots of questions about what it means to be a PR, esp in terms of his employment, after my approval. I've been educating myself by looking at the forums for life after GC/citizenship. You might do the same.

Look, for instance, at <http://www.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?t=177392&highlight> to read about the guy who's been having some hard time with his citizenship application due to some gap in his employment history (even though he says he left the GC sponsoring employer THREE YEARS after his GC approval. In his case, the problem seems not really the duration with the GC sponsor, but the overall pattern of his employment history after his GC approval. So I'm now thinking that PRs may not be so free after all in terms of their decisions of whether or not to work for a certain period.
 
Thank you hanging_in_there

I appreciate the recommendations hanging_in_there.

I agree that we are not at a freedom and its to the discretion of the officer to decide what happens.

Its been such an arduous task getting the green card, that I am not thinking of the future in those ranges yet.
Right now, my outlook is to switch employment, for career reasons.

The recommendations and advice from everyone so far has been helpful.

I will cross the citizenship bridge when I get there.

In a global economy, one never knows where one will be in 2 years...and 5 years is a long term. At least for now I can fly in and out of the country as and when I want to..which is freedom enough for me:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top