Daily News from New York, New York • 112

neighborhood 23Ca DsiOd GaCsSiM'sOQainD A NEW LABORATORY at the New York Botanical Garden will give researchers the tools to dig deeper into the science of plants and the possible medical cures they contain. Yesterday, garden scientists and officials gathered to celebrate the completion of the building's skeleton with the installation of the final steel beam. Scientists are expected to move into the Pfizer Plant Research Laboratory in May 2006, when the $23 million construction project is com point for looking for new pharmaceuticals, new approaches to human health problems, as well as our understanding of endangered species," he said. The new facility's locale also will bring scientists closer to the garden's LuEsther T. Mertz Library and the William and Lynda Steere Herbar 1 r'' i-- ft i i 7 BY SONDRA WOLFER DAILY NEWS WRITER pleted.

"The old lab was a state-of-the-art lab in ium, which holds a collection of about 7 million dried the '50s. It has outlived its usefulness," said Dennis Stevenson, the garden's vice president for botanical science. The two-story, building will house nine labs, 16 offices, 16 research support rooms and other facilities. "This is going to more than double our lab space," Stevenson said. The new labs will contain cutting-edge technology for the study of plant genomics, enabling scientists to research the evolution of plant biodiversity and genetics.

"It becomes the starting specimens of plants and fun-gi- The laboratory will house The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics Studies, a graduate studies program, and the garden's research collaboration with the New York Plant Genomics Consortium. When it is complete, the laboratory will be the final addition to the garden's International Plant Science Center, one of the world's leading institutions of plant research. The new center and lab were paid for by a mix of public and private funding. MARIELA LOMBARD Ceremony at New York Botanical Garden yesterday marks completion of skeleton for new Pfizer Plant Research Laboratory as steel beam tops off $23 million facility, which opens May 2006.

Ira sumaO pxioir gT(8DD Oirafl DLTQ 'HAT GOES ON at a green card interview? How long does it last? If all goes well, will my wife receive her green card right then and there? the information on the form. The questions in Part 3 of the 1-485 application is designed to help the examiner decide whether anything your wife has done makes her inadmissible ineligible for permanent residence. If she will be answering "yes" to any of the questions, she should speak to an immigration law expert before the interview. Mail order marriage If my boyfriend and I marry in another state, must we apply for my residence in that state? I came here to visit, then overstayed. I am a U.S.

citizen. Based on my petition, my wife applied for permanent residence. The CIS has scheduled our interview for April. Ronald and Elvira Babineau, Freeport, II. A.

If you bring all the necessary documents to the interview, the CIS examiner believes yours is a real, or bona fide, marriage, your wife isn't ineligible under one of the dozens of grounds of inadmissibility AND the CIS has completed the required security check, the examiner will approve your wife's application. Then, the examiner will stamp her passport with temporary proof that your wife is a permanent resident. The proof is val My boyfriend and 1 are i planning to get married sometime this year, pending my divorce in my native divorce, you will be free to marry in the state where you hold your wedding. Card trick Will my having used an illegally obtained Social Security card prevent me from getting permanent residence? I came here on a visitor's visa. I obtained an illegal Social Security number, which I used to open a bank account and to get credit cards.

Soon I'll be marrying a U.S. citizen. Jay, Queens A. I doubt your having used a false Social Security card will keep you from getting permanent residence. An exception would be if you applied to the Social Security Administration (SSA) for the card and made a false claim of U.S.

citizenship. If you simply bought a phony card, then a CIS examiner shouldn't hold that against you. Once you marry and apply for permanent residence, you'll qualify for CIS employment authorization. With CIS authorized work permission, you can apply for your own, valid Social Security card. Allan Wernick is an attorney and chairman of the City University of New York's Citizenship and Immigration Project He is the author of "U.S.

Immigration and Citizenship Your Complete Guide, Revised 4th Edition." Send questions and comments to Allan Wernick, Daily News, 450 W. 33rd St, New York, N.Y. Professor Wiernicfe's Web site: www.allanwemick.com ir3iCOUntry- id for all purposes, The permanent resident card, whatlJliGRATIONS IX. A. Once you marry, you can apply for you call a green card, will come in the ADVICE 1K adjustment of status to permanent resi- mail.

jaence in ine state you uve in wnen you The typical interview lasts 20 to 30 min il Jsuhmit your application. utes. The wait between your scheduled1 The CIS recognizes marriages from ev interview time and the time the examiner actually calls you in can be two to three hours. The examiner will want to see your wife's medical exam results, and you'll submit your affidavit of support, with a job letter and income tax returns. And of course, proof that yours is a real, or bona fide, marriage.

The examiner will review your wife's application, CIS form 1-485, Application to Register Permanent Resident or Adjust Status, asking her to confirm the accuracy of ery state and from all over the world. One caution: whether the CIS will recognize a foreign divorce depends on the state where you many, not the state where you file your application. For instance, New York State is restrictive in ing absentee, or "mail order" marriages. New Jersey, less so. You may want to check with a family law expert The expert can check to make sure that after your KJ (Jl.