Registry

Registry is a provision contained in section 249 of the US immigration and Nationality Act. It provides that a person may be granted permanent residence in the United States if he or she can prove that they have resided in this country continuously since before January 1, 1972. Departures from the United States during this period of time will not preclude permanent residence as long as they are not so lengthy as to constitute an abandonment of residence.

In order to qualify for registry, the alien must show that he or she is a person of good moral character, is not inadmissible to the US as a criminal, procurer, subversive, narcotics law violator, or alien smuggler, and must not be ineligible for citizenship. The application is filed on US immigration form I-485, together with biographic form G-325A, photographs, appropriate filing fees for the application and fingerprints, and evidence that the person has resided continuously in the United States since before 1972. No medical exam is required.

If the application is approved, the alien is granted lawful permanent residence status as of the date of the interview. If the application is denied, the applicant may renew the application for registry in removal proceedings before an US immigration judge.