A foreign national who wishes to become a lawful permanent resident and has been granted the privilege of living and working in the United States permanently can do so on the basis of a family member who is already a citizen of the country. An applicant desiring to become a lawful permanent resident must go through a multi-step process that is detailed below:

• The immigrant visa petition – I-130 Petition for Alien Relatives must be approved by USCIS. USCIS is the officiating body for all immigration procedures and stands for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. The relative of the applicant who is also a sponsor files the petition; the petition should be followed by the proof of relationship with the relative.
• The Department of State will then verify whether the immigrant visa number is already available to the foreign applicant. If it is available it is implied that the immigrant applicant can apply to have one of the immigrant visa numbers assigned.
• If the immigrant applicant is already in the United States he or she can apply to change the status to that of a lawful permanent resident once the visa number becomes available.
• If the immigrant applicant is outside the United States then the processing should be done through the United States Consulate Servicing office in the country of the applicant.