Thank you for deciding to retain our services to assist you with your petition for adjustment of status. We are are looking forward to working with you. Please read the information on this page carefully. We explain in detail the what you need to do next to move forward with your case and what you can expect along the way.

Setting Up Your Case

In order to set up your case we need you to do the following 3 things:

• Complete our new client intake sheet. This form is located on the right-hand side of this page. This is basic information that we need about you and your foreign national family member to set up your case.
• Fee Agreement. At the bottom of this page there is a link to a file attachment. Please click on this link and down load my fee agreement. Review the agreement carefully and contact me with any questions you have. If you don't have any questions about the agreement, sign the agreement where indicated and email, fax, or mail it back to me.
• Send payment. Please send the first pay of $750.00 (or other initial payment that my be agreed to) to phil@pcurtislaw.com via Paypal. If you do not have a Paypal account or prefer to pay by check you can mail a check made payable to P. Curtis & Associates, PLLC to:

  P. Curtis & Associates, PLLC
  1737 Spring Arbor Rd.
  PMB 206
  Jackson, MI 49203

Communicating with Us

We are always here to answer your questions. Anytime you have a question about your case please do not hesitate to contact me directly. I am generally fairly easy to reach by phone and I always respond to emails very quickly.

My assistant, Heather Ruhlman, will likely contact you during the process to gather missing information or documents. She is also always available to answer questions regarding the case management system, required documentation lists, or the questionnaires.

All of the information that you provide us will be held in strict confidence and is protected by the attorney-client privilege.

Getting Started with Your Case

Once we receive your Client Intake Form, signed fee agreement, and initial payment we will set up your case. Once your case it set up you will receive an email from us which includes a username and password along with login instructions so you can login to your case using our online case management system. When you receive this email please login to your case and begin working on the questionnaires by clicking on the "Questionnaires" link in the upper left-hand corner of the page. When you are finished with the questionnaires please be sure to type your name and date in the indicated fields and click the "I AM DONE" button. This will let us know that you have completed your work on the questionnaires. We will then review the questionnaires and follow up with you regarding any missing information or questions we may have.

We will also send you a second email with a list of supporting documents that we will need for your case. Please gather these documents and upload them to your online case file by clicking on the "Documents Forms" link and then clicking "upload document. If the required document is not something you can upload (passport photographs for example) just hang on to them and you can mail them to us later in the process when you send us the finalize forms. If you are not able to upload the documents for any other reason you may mail them to us at the address provide above. You can also review a list of the documents we need from you at any time by clicking on the "Required Documents" link on the upper left hand side of your case file page. When we receive documents from you we will mark them as received so you can easily see what you have submitted and what remains to be submitted at any time.

Preparing and Filing Your Case

Once we have received all the required documents and you have completed the questionnaires we will prepare drafts of your petition and email them to you for review. After we make any necessary changes we will email you the finalized forms for signature along with an invoice for the second payment of $500 and USCIS filing fees. You will sign the forms and return them to us along with any outstanding required documents (and your payment if you pay by check) by mail. We will then prepare your petition and supporting documentation and file it with the USCIS. We will mail you a complete copy of the petition for your records. Please keep this copy in a safe place as you will need to take it with you to your Adjustment of Status interview later in the process. The USCIS will send us a receipt notice in about 30 days indicating that your case has been accepted for processing.

USCIS Processing

Shortly after the USCIS accepts your case for processing you will be schedule for a biometrics appointment. We will receive a letter from the USCIS when this is schedule and I will send you a reminder through the case management system. You will have to travel to the nearest USCIS application support center on your appointment day to have your fingerprints taken.

About 60 days after your biometrics appointment you should receive your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and your Travel Document. The EAD will allow you to work in the U.S. The travel document will allow you to travel outside the U.S. while your petition is pending. **DO NOT travel outside the U.S. until you have received your travel document. Once your case is approved and you receive your Lawful Permanent Residency card you will no longer need the Travel Document or EAD.

Once the USCIS has completed the initial processing of your case you will be schedule for an Adjustment of Status interview. You and your U.S. Citizen relative will have to travel to the USCIS District Office that has jurisdiction over your place of residence for this interview. You should take your copy of the petition along with any other documentation I have sent to you to this interview. These interviews are generally very routine and typically take less than 30 minutes. The USCIS adjudicating officer will then make a decision on your case which will be sent to us by mail. We generally receive these about 30 days after the interview.

After we receive the approval notice for your case and we confirm that you have received your Lawful Permanent Resident card we will provide you with some information about your new immigration status, including preparing to file a petition to remove the conditions on your residency if your Adjustment of Status petition is based on marriage to a U.S. Citizen.

At this point our work on your case will be complete and we will close your file.

A Word on Timing

Although you and I have no control over USCIS processing times, the time that it takes to complete your case is greatly impacted by how quickly you complete your questionnaires and provide us with the required supporting documentation. We cannot prepare or file your case until you have completed the questionnaires and provided us with the required supporting documentation. Generally, it takes us about 10 business days to prepare and file a petition once we have received everything from you.

Closing Thoughts

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope that it will help you better understand the adjustment of status process and allow us to work together efficiently. If you have any questions about this information don't hesitate to ask.