# Adjustment of Status Lawyer in Virginia

> Altius Immigration Law PLLC is a U.S. immigration law firm in Washington, D.C., serving clients in all 50 states. Principal attorney: André Matias. Practice areas: green cards, family-based immigration, employment-based and temporary work visas (H-1B, L-1, O-1, P-1), investment visas (E-2), adjustment of status, and citizenship & naturalization.

Source: https://altius.law/adjustment-of-status-lawyer-virginia/

Summary: What adjustment of status involves, and where in Virginia it actually happens — which office interviews you, where biometrics are taken, and which courts serve the area.

##### Services

Two routes to permanent residence run through Northern Virginia, and which one you are on decides what has to be established first.

## If your route runs through work

Northern Virginia's employers — federal contractors, universities, and the international organizations concentrated in Arlington, Alexandria, Tysons and Reston — mean a lot of people here reach permanent residence from **H-1B or L-1 status** through an employer petition rather than through a marriage.

That route carries problems a family case never encounters:

- **Gaps between jobs.** A transfer that slips or a role that ends can create time out of status, and how long it lasted matters.
- **Sequence.** Where the green card runs through an employer petition, the adjustment application is the final step. Filing early wastes the fee and the wait.
- **J-1 history.** The two-year home residency requirement applies to many exchange visitors and blocks adjustment until it is met or waived. If there is a J-1 in your history, it is the first thing to establish.

Altius also focuses on **family-based** adjustment, and there the decisive question is usually how you entered rather than who you married. Both are explained on our [adjustment of status page](/services/adjustment-of-status/) — Virginia does not change the law, only which questions apply.

## Where it happens

- **Your interview office** is assigned by **ZIP code** — check the [USCIS Office Locator](https://egov.uscis.gov/office-locator).
- **Virginia's immigration courts** sit in **Annandale** and **Sterling** ([EOIR listing](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/find-immigration-court-and-access-internet-based-hearings)).

Most Northern Virginia residents are interviewed on the Virginia side rather than in Washington.

## By city

- [Arlington](/drafts/adjustment-of-status-lawyer-arlington-va/) — the professional and J-1 caseload
- [Alexandria](/drafts/adjustment-of-status-lawyer-alexandria-va/) — long-established family-based communities

USCIS publishes live processing times per office and form type, and they move. Check the current figure for your own office on the [USCIS processing times tool](https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/).

## Government fees

Adjustment of status carries several government filing fees, and they change. Confirm current amounts on the [USCIS Fee Schedule (Form G-1055)](https://www.uscis.gov/g-1055) or the [USCIS Fee Calculator](https://www.uscis.gov/feecalculator).

These are **government filing fees only**. They are **not** Altius Law's attorney fees.

## Talk to us

[Schedule a consultation](https://calendly.com/altiuslaw/initial-consultation)

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Phone: +1 (202) 794-9140
Website: https://altius.law