Montrose, NY Immigration Law Firms & Lawyers

Sorry to hear about the problematic family relationships you mentioned. It would be possible for you to file an application to receive a replacement "Green Card." Additionally, there may be steps to consider in trying to persuade your stepmother to release your "Green Card."

Processing of your I-130 petition will take from 5 to 14 months, depending on the USCIS Service Center where it is pending. However, an immigrant visa will not become available for your wife for about 2.5 years from the date the I-130 was filed, because the number of visas given each year is limited, and there is a waiting list.

It is impossible to know whether the way you identified your name accounts for the USCIS's delay in scheduling your naturalization interview/examination, since the government does not reveal to the public details about the security background checks. Nonetheless, what may appear to be relatively minor details in an immigration-related application process can have quite significant consequences, and it is wise to work with an immigration attorney to assure that an application is properly prepared and fully documented, and also to be available to follow-up when the USCIS delays an adjudication or otherwise questions the appropriateness of the application.