You will receive conditional permanent resident status if it is based on a marriage that was less than two years old on the day you were given permanent residence. You are given conditional resident status on the day you are lawfully admitted to the United States on an immigrant visa or receive adjustment of status. Your permanent resident status is conditional, because you must prove that you did not get married to evade the immigration laws of the United States.

You and your spouse must apply together to remove the conditions on your residence during the 90 days before your second anniversary as a conditional resident. Otherwise, you could lose your conditional resident status and be removed from the country.

A: A sponsor organization is designated by the U.S. State Department to administer individual exchange visitor programs. Sponsors select and place exchange visitors in the programs they provide.

Minister means an individual duly authorized by a recognized religious denomination to conduct religious worship and to perform other duties usually performed by authorized members of the clergy of that religion. In all cases, there must be a reasonable connection between the activities performed and the religious calling of the minister. The term does not include a lay preacher not authorized to perform such duties.

You will need to replace your Permanent Resident Card if:

• Your previous card was lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed

• Your card was issued to you before you were 14 and you have reached your 14th birthday

• You have been a commuter and are now taking up actual residence in the U.S.

• You have been a permanent resident residing in the United States and are now taking up commuter status

• Your status has been automatically converted to permanent resident status, this includes Special Agricultural Worker applicants who are converting to permanent resident status

• You have a previous version of the alien registration card. For example, Form AR-3, Form AR-103, or Form I-151 ?all no longer valid to prove your immigration status, and must replace it with the current permanent resident card Form I-551

• Your card contains incorrect data

• Your name or other biographic information on the card has been legally changed since you last received your card

• You never received the previous card that was issued to you by the USCIS

A: A host organization is an institution that provides a training placement within one department or their office as a whole. A host organization can be a museum, gallery, performance center, magazine, dance studio, opera house, or an architecture, design, fashion, or web-design firm.

Family-based immigration is also called relative immigration, a kind of immigration through a family member who is a US citizen or permanent resident. The US citizen or permanent resident is called the petitioner while the alien relative is called the beneficiary.

Bona fide organization which is affiliated with the religious denomination means an organization which is closely associated with the religious denomination and which is exempt from taxation as described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as it relates to religious organizations.

Permanent resident status based on EB-5 eligibility is available to investors, either alone or coming with their spouse and unmarried children. Eligible foreign nationals are those who have invested, or are actively in the process of investing, the required amount of capital into a new commercial enterprise that they have established. They must further demonstrate that this investment will benefit the U.S. economy and create the requisite number of full-time jobs for qualified persons within the U.S.

A: The time it takes to be naturalized varies from one local office to another. In 1997, in many places, it took over 2 years to process an application. USCIS continues to improve the naturalization process. As of October 2001, USCIS reported that it takes, on average, between 6 and 9 months to become naturalized.

A re-entry permit does not guarantee admission into the U.S. Aliens with re-entry permits are still subject to the inspection process at the port of entry. It is also important to note that travel outside of the U.S for more than one year will under most circumstances break the continuous residence requirement for later naturalization purposes. Travel for over 6 months may break the continuous residence requirement.

A: The H-2B visa category allows U.S. employers in industries with peak load, seasonal or intermittent needs to augment their existing labor force with temporary workers. The H-2B visa category also allows U.S. employers to augment their existing labor force when necessary due to a one-time occurrence which necessitates a temporary increase in workers. Typically, H-2B workers fill labor needs in occupational areas such as construction, health care, landscaping, lumber, manufacturing, food service/processing, and resort/hospitality services.

A: When the university admits a student, it sends the student an immigration form called the I-20. This form indicates your field of study (major), the length of your course, and the date when you must report to the university. The form I-20 allows a student to apply for a student visa known as the F-1.

A special kind of property ownership that's only for married couples. Both spouses have the right to enjoy the entire property, and when one spouse dies, the surviving spouse gets title to the property (called a right of survivorship). It is similar to joint tenancy, but it is available in only about half the states.

A Permanent Resident Card, commonly known as a Green Card, is evidence of your status as a lawful permanent resident with a right to live and work permanently in the U.S. It also is evidence of your registration in accordance with U.S. immigration laws. The Permanent Resident Card is also called Form I-551.

Some people with disabilities need special consideration during the naturalization process. USCIS will make every effort to make reasonable accommodations in these cases. For example, if you use a wheelchair, we will make sure your fingerprint location is wheelchair accessible. If you are hearing impaired and wish to bring a sign language interpreter to your interview, you may do so.