How long will it take for me to fix my immigration papers?

In this particular case, first the Consulate Processing must be completed. This allows the petition to first be sent to the National Visa Center, and then the appropriate documents and package to go to the U.S. Consulate or Embassy. This would be the basic procedure whereby the petitioner in the United States submits a petition to allow the beneficiary to come into the United States as a lawful permanent resident. Generally speaking, from the time we submit the Consulate Processing until the interview at the U.S. Consulate or U.S. Embassy, the time is around one year. A Waiver of Inadmissibility will have to be obtained. The procedure for this will be that the Waiver will be able to be submitted to the USCIS inside the U.S., rather than outside the U.S. Additionally, once the regulations are finalized, it will be able to be submitted PRIOR to leaving the United States and if approved, a Provisional Waiver will be issued. In this case, upon exiting the U.S., you would not have to wait years for adjudication of the Waiver as the hope is that is already approved and it would simply be a matter of having the Consulate Processing interview and returning. This is an application that will include a legal brief, forms, documents, exhibits, declarations and other evidence. My firm can prepare the entire waiver, and attach all of the necessary documents. It will take several months for the decision, and if done correctly, there is a good chance of an approval. The Waiver essentially makes the crime or ground of ineligibility disappear so that entry or re-entry will be allowed into the U.S. Please note that the Waiver is the critical part of this application, and unless approved, there cannot be any other petition that will allow entry into the U.S. Therefore, the Waiver must be prepared with significant supporting documents.

As soon as you get married, you can file your papers immediately. Within few months, you will have your work authorization, social security, and driver license. Then within a year you should receive your conditional green card. This is the case if there are no other impediment to the process of your case like criminal records.

Since you are a longtime "overstay" but entered initially on a valid visa you may have the opportunity to have your new US citizen husband file a series of concurrent spousal adjustment petitions to allow you to receive an I-551 "green card" (assuming you have not departed the US since your initial entry).

Your paperwork can be fixed in as fast as 4-6 months without having to leave the US.

Your USC husband can file an I-130 petition for you and you can file an I-485 application for permanent residency at the same time. You can file an I-765 application for work permit at the same time and it should be issued within 90 days if you are eligible. With that you can get a SS card. If all is proper, you may get an interview and LPR card in about 3 or 4 months.

It only takes about 3 months to get a green card from start to finish. As long as you have proof that you entered the country legally (even if it was 20 years ago), you can apply for your permanent resident status after marrying a US citizen.