7th Army Training Command Legal Assistance Information
Resident Alien Card (Green Card)
1. What is a Green Card?
A green card, or a permanent resident card, allows you to live and work permanently in
the United States. Depending on your individual situation, the steps taken to get a
green card may vary.
2. Are you eligible to apply?
The eligibility requirements may vary depending on the immigrant category you are
applying under. One common category is:
Green Card through Family- You may be able to apply as an immediate relative
of a US citizen if you are the spouse of a US citizen, unmarried child under the
age of 21 of a US citizen, or a parent of a US citizen who is at least 21 years old.
You may also be eligible to apply as another relative of a US citizen or relative of
a lawful permanent resident under the family-based preference categories if you
are unmarried son or daughter of a US citizen, and you are 21 years old and
older, married son or daughter of a US citizen, sibling of a US citizen or fiancé(e)
of a U.S. citizen.
For more information about the eligibility categories, please go to https://uscis.gov or
https://de.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/.
3. How do I apply for a Green Card?
Please note that this Information Paper only provides basic information and is not intended to serve
as a substitute for personal consultations with a Legal Assistance Attorney.
The application for a resident alien card is a two-step process with two different
agencies: USCIS as part of DHS and Department of State.
The first step is filling out and submitting a petition, consisting of several forms, with
USCIS; the most current information for the required forms can be found at
https://uscis.gov. A Sponsor usually files the petition for you. The most common forms
are:
Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
Form I-130A, Supplemental Information for Spouse Beneficiary
The second step is processing the actual immigrant visa with the US Department of
State after the petition has been approved by USCIS.
4. Is the person needing the Green Card currently residing
inside or outside of the United States?
You must determine which process to use; either adjustment of status or consular
processing. If you are in the United States, you will use the adjustment of status
process with USCIS. If you are overseas, you will use the Consular process. All
military applicants in Germany petition through the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt.
5. Is the person filing the petition for foreign-born
relative’s currently residing inside or outside of the United
States?
Once again, you must determine which process to use: If residing in the US, you need
to file the petition with USCIS stateside. Upon arrival of the petition (step 1) the
application process with be continued with the National Visa Center as part of the
Department of State (part 2).
If residing in Germany (i.e. based on military orders), you may file the petition with the
USCIS Frankfurt. Upon approval of the petition (step 1) the application process will be
continued through the U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt Immigrant Visa Unit, as part of
the Department of State (part 2).
6. How does the Consular process work?
A. File the Immigrant Petition (Step 1)
When you know what category you believe best fits your situation, you usually will need
someone else to file an immigrant petition for you. Family-based immigrant petition:
If you want to apply for a green card based on your family relationship, a U.S. citizen or
lawful permanent resident relative must file a Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative on
your behalf.
Although people usually file immigrant petitions with USCIS in the U.S., sometimes they
can file a Form I-130 petition for an immediate relative (spouse, child, or parent of a
U.S. citizen) with a USCIS branch office located at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate
abroad. Military petitioners who live in Germany should apply with USCIS Frankfurt.
For more information, visit https://uscis.gov. Situations where this may be applicable
include:
If the U.S. citizen has been authorized to be continuously residing within the
jurisdiction of the consular office for at least the previous 6 months
Members of the military
Emergency situations
Situations involving the health or safety of the petitioner
When in the national interests of the United States.
It is important to note that all supporting documents (birth and marriage certificates) not
in English or German must be translated for submission. This may be done at no
charge through www.militaryonesource.com.
B. Wait for a Decision on Your Petition
USCIS notifies the petitioner of a decision. If USCIS denies the petition, the notice will
include the reasons for denying the petition and whether you may appeal the decision.
If the petition is approved and you live outside the United States (or live in the United
States but want to apply for your immigrant visa abroad), USCIS will then send the
approved petition to the Department of State’s National Visa Center. If the petition was
filed with USCIS Frankfurt and the visa should be processed in Frankfurt as well, the
approved petition will be forwarded to the Immigrant Visa Unit, Consular Section of the
U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt for further processing.
C. Wait for Notification from National Visa Center or the Immigrant Visa Unit
Processing the Application (Step 2)
The National Visa Center (NVC) or the Immigrant Visa Unit processing the visa (if the
petition was filed overseas) is responsible for collecting visa application fees and
supporting documentation. The NVC/Immigrant Visa Unit will notify the petitioner and
you (the beneficiary) when the visa petition is received and how to continue the process.
They will also notify you when you must submit immigrant visa processing fees
(commonly referred to as “fee bills”) and supporting documentation. Further information
about this process can be found on the following website for NVC Processing:
https://travel.state.gov/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/after-
petition-approved/begin-nat-visa-center.html and Immigrant Visa Unit processing
https://de.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/.
D. Attend Your Scheduled Appointment
Once a visa is available, the NVC or the consular office will schedule you for an
interview. The consular office will process your case and decide if you are eligible for
an immigrant visa. The immigrant visa interview usually takes place the U.S.
Consulate or Embassy where the beneficiary is located.
Please be aware that you do need to have a medical examination done with one of the
panel physicians located in the country where your immigrant visa gets processed.
Information about the medical examination in Germany can be found here:
https://de.usembassy.gov/immigrant-visas/medical-examination.
E. Notify the National Visa Center of Any Changes
You do not need to contact the National Visa Center or the Immigrant Visa Unit about
your petition; they will contact you for the information they need. You should, however,
contact the NVC or the Immigrant Visa Unit if:
You change your address,
You were under 21 but have now reached the age of 21, or
You change your marital status
These changes may affect your eligibility or visa availability.
F. After Visa is Granted
If your immigrant visa is approved, you will be sent a “Visa Packet.” Do not open this
packet. This is your ticket into the United States. If you open it, your ticket is invalid. If
you were issued a paperless immigrant visa, you will only receive your passport with the
visa foil inside along with the associated instructions.
You will need to pay a USCIS Immigrant Fee. USCIS uses this fee to process your
immigrant visa packet and produce your green card. You should pay the fee online
after you receive your visa packet and before you depart for the United States.
When you arrive in the United States, you should give your Visa Packet to the U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at the port of entry. The CBP officer will
inspect you and determine whether to admit you into the United States as a lawful
permanent resident. If the CBP officer admits you, you will then have lawful permanent
resident status and be able to live and work in the United States permanently. For
further information please view the following website links:
https://de.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/family-based-immigration/after-the-
interview/
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-
process/imterview/after-the-interview.html
G. Receive Your Green Card
You will be sent information about going to a local USCIS office for an interview and
biometrics appointment. If you do not receive this information within 45 days of your
arrival, please check your Case Status on https://uscis.gov for the most up-to-date
information.
H. How to Renew Your Green Card if Outside of The United States
If you are outside of the United States and your green card will expire within 6 months it
may be possible to renew it on-line. However, if your green card will expire within 6
months, and you will return to the United States within one year you may be able to
travel with the expired card and military orders, or may travel under a “travel letter”
issued by the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt and then file for your renewal card after you
return to the United States. You should contact the Consulate at
[email protected] to inquire about your options before traveling to the
United States. For information about renewals, please visit https://uscis.gov.
I. Contact Information
The most important number for your military immigration questions is the military help
line. USCIS has established a toll-free military help line, 877-CIS-4MIL (877-247-4645),
and e-mail address at [email protected] exclusively for current members of the
military, veterans, and family members: https://www.uscis.gov/military/military-help-line.
All client inquiries for visas should be directed to FrankfurtVisaInquir[email protected]
All client inquiries for immigration and citizenship should be directed to:
[email protected]
For a checklist of forms and supporting documentation if filing in Frankfurt go to:
https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-uscis-office/international-offices/germany-frankfurt-
field-office.
Checking the Status of Your Cases (if filed with USCIS
Stateside)
On the Customer Home Page of USCIS.gov, you can review your receipt number,
check the status of your case, read your status messages, and review your case
documents.
Follow the instructions below to log in to your account to check the case status and
case documents.
Step 1: Enter your Email Address and Password. Step 2: Select the Sign In button.
Step 3: In the Recent Cases section, open the case you want to review by selecting
the View Case Details button at the bottom to review the case information and
document links.
Note: You may see more than one case if you previously filed an application, petition or
request online. Otherwise, you will only see the application, petition or request you
recently filed. Write down the receipt number for your case to use later.
Military Help Line
Tel.: 877-CIS-4MIL (877-247-4645)
militaryinfo@uscis.dhs.gov
U.S Consulate General Frankfurt am Main
Gieβener Straβe 30, 60435 Frankfurt am Main
https://de.usembassy.gov
Visa (Nonimmigrant/Immigrant)
Visa Service Provider
http://ustraveldocs.com/de/
frankfurtvi[email protected]
American Citizen Services
Tel.: 069-7535-2102
Fax: 069-7535-2252
GermanyAC[email protected]
Federal Benefits Unit
Tel.: 069-905-551100 (M-Fr 00:00-11:00) / Fax: 069-749-352
https://de.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/social-security/
FBU.Frankfurt@ssa.gov
U.S. Citizenship + Immigration Services
Tel.: 069-7535-2233
https://de.usembassy.gov/visas/uscis-frankfurt
http://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-uscis-office/international-offices/germany-frankfurt-field-office
USCIS.frankfu[email protected].gov
U.S. Passport Service
Tel.: 069-7535-2100
(M-F 2:00-4:00 PM)
FrankfurtPassports@state.gov
FrankfurtBirth@state.gov
Renunciations@state.gov
Important Links
IRS: www.irs.gov and
https://de.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/internal-revenue-service-u-s-taxes
Travel: www.travel.state.gov
STEP: https://step.state.gov/step/
Voting: https://de.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/voting/
ESTA: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/esta.html
CBP: www.cbp.gov and
https://de.usembassy.gov/visas/customs-and-border-protection/
U.S. Department of State
Immigrant Visa Unit
American Consulate General
Giessener Str 30
60435 Frankfurt, Germany
CHECKLIST FOR MEMBERS OF THE U.S. ARMED FORCES
Petition for Alien Relative (Form I-130) filed for a spouse
Additional Supporting Documentation - If Applicable:
Divorce Certificate(s) (Absolute or Final) or Death Certificate(s) as proof
of the legal termination of all previous marriages for petitioner and
beneficiary. (Note: All pages of the divorce or death certificate must be
submitted. Ensure final divorce judgment has been entered with the court. )
Legally valid Record of Name Change if another name has appeared on
any identification document and explanation for use of any alias.
If a Proxy Marriage Certificate is submitted, there is evidence of the
petitioner and beneficiary being physically present in the same place at
the same time after the marriage. (Examples: hotel receipts with both
names, passport stamps, date-stamped photographs, and signed/sworn
affidavits from people with knowledge of the marriage)
Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Representative (Form G-28).
Filing Fee of $535
U.S. Cashier’s Check issued by an American bank in U.S. Dollars
payable to “U.S. Department of Homeland Security” (Barscheck
ausgestellt durch eine amerikanische Bank auf den Namen “U.S. Department of
Homeland Security.”) OR:
Bank Check or Counter Check issued by a German bank in U.S.
Dollars drawn on a U.S. bank. (Bankscheck ausgestellt von einer deutschen
Bank bezogen auf eine U.S. Bank in U.S. Dollars auf den Namen “U.S.
Department of Homeland Security.”) OR:
U.S. Dollar Money Order made payable to the “U.S. Department of
Homeland Security.” (Print your name and address on money order)
Cash, Credit/Debit Cards, Personal Checks, Travelers Checks ARE NOT accepted.
Where to File
Mail petition to U.S. Consulate General, Attn: IV, Giessener Str.
30, 60435 Frankfurt or use the diplomatic pouch address: U.S.
Department of State, Attn: IV, 7900 Frankfurt Place, Washington, DC
20521-7900 *Please note that items mailed with diplomatic pouch take
considerably longer to be delivered.
NOTE: The Form I-130 will be rejected if Section 6A is not
signed, incorrect payment is received, or petitioner does not
meet the Germany residence requirement. Processing delays are
also possible if all of the required evidence is not submitted.