Employment authorization??

Question

My husband is sponsoring me for a green card and I was wondering how long does the process take and how long will it take before I get my employment auth??

Answer 1

It depends on the method you are taking to enter the country.

If you are arriving on a non-immigrant family based visa (K class) then you will have to apply to adjust your status to that of lawful permanent resident upon entry and meeting any required conditions of your specific visa. Your Adjustment of Status (AoS) application should also contain form I-765, which is Application for Employment Authorization Document. This is an application for an interim benefit while your AoS application is being processed.

It takes on average 90 days to process and approve an I-765. If approved, the I-766 card (Employment Authorization Document) you will receive will be valid for a year. This should cover you until your AoS is approved and you receive your I-551 card (green card) which supercedes the I-776 card. Should your AoS application still be pending when your I-766 card is 6 months from expiring, you are able to submit another I-765 form to obtain another I-776 card with a new 1 year validity period.

If you're entering on a Cr-1/IR-1 visa, then you will be a lawful permanent resident upon entry, and your passport will be stamped with a temporary I-551 stamp, which is a stamp version of the green card and is documentary proof of your work authorization.