The Green Card, officially known as the Alien Registration Receipt Card, gives foreigners legal residency status in the United States. Achieving this status can be through family support, employment-based paths such as labor certification, national interest waivers, special categories for people with extraordinary skills, or the Diversity Visa Lottery. Possessing a Green Card lets the user to live and work freely in the U.S., serving as proof of their lawful status.
Page Contents
Categories of Green Cards
Green Cards can be categorized into various types based on the eligibility criteria:
Family-Based Green Cards
Relatives of U.S. Citizens:
- Spouse
- Unmarried child (under 21)
- Unmarried stepchild (under 21)
- Adopted child (under 18)
- Parent or stepparent
- Unmarried son or daughter (over 21)
- Married son or daughter (any age)
- Brother or sister
Relatives of U.S. Green Card Holders:
- Spouse
- Unmarried child (under 21)
- Unmarried stepchild (under 21)
- Adopted child (under 18)
- Unmarried son or daughter (over 21)
Employment-Based Green Cards
Employment First Preference (EB-1):
- Individuals with extraordinary ability
- Outstanding professors and researchers
- Multinational executives and managers
Employment Second Preference (EB-2):
- Professionals with advanced degrees
- Individuals with exceptional ability
- Exceptional professors and researchers
National Interest Waiver (NIW):
- Individuals whose work substantially benefits the U.S.
- Advanced degree professionals contributing to U.S. national interests
Employment Third Preference (EB-3):
- Professionals with a U.S. bachelor’s or equivalent foreign degree
- Skilled workers
- Unskilled workers
Schedule A Occupations:
- Registered nurses and physical therapists
- Workers in shortage occupations listed on Schedule A
Green Card Lottery
Diversity Visa Lottery: Conducted by the U.S. Department of State, this Green Card lottery provides a limited number of visas each year to promote diversity.
Investment-Based Green Cards
EB-5 Investor Visa:
- Foreign entrepreneurs investing $500,000 in a targeted employment area, creating at least 5 full-time jobs
- Foreign entrepreneurs investing $1,000,000 in a commercial enterprise, creating at least 10 full-time jobs
Adoption-Based Green Cards
Adopted Children:
- Children under 16 adopted by U.S. citizens or Green Card holders
Registry-Based Green Cards
Registry Provision: For foreign nationals continuously residing in the U.S. since January 1, 1997.
Private Bill Green Cards
Humanitarian Cases: Granted by Congress for foreign nationals with compelling humanitarian factors when the USCIS cannot grant permanent resident status.
Diplomat-Based Green Cards
Diplomats: High-level diplomats on A-1 visas unable or unwilling to return to their home country due to persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution.
Asylum and Refugee-Based Green Cards
Asylum Seekers:
Individuals unable or unwilling to return to their home country due to persecution based on race, religion, nationality, off site seo services, social group, or political opinion.
Refugees:
- Individuals displaced by war, famine, civil unrest, or persecution.
Special Immigrant Green Cards
Special Immigrants:
- Religious workers
- Former U.S. government employees
- Former Panama Canal Zone employees
- Former U.S. Armed Forces employees
- Retired international organization employees
- Former U.S. consulate employees in Hong Kong
- Employees of international broadcasting companies
- Special agricultural workers
- Foreign medical graduates
- Abused spouses and children of U.S. citizens or Green Card holders
- Permanent residents who left the U.S. for over 12 months
- Foreign children declared dependent by U.S. juvenile courts
Green Card-Related Services
Advance Parole: Allows re-entry to the U.S. after traveling abroad without a visa.
Adjustment of Status: Process of changing from a nonimmigrant visa holder to a Green Card holder within the U.S.
Consular processing: The process of applying for a Green Card via an overseas U.S. embassy or consulate.
Employment Authorization: An immigration-related permit that enables employment in the United States.
Fiancé(e) Visa: The SEO Paragon company said that this kind of visa allows fiancés of US residents to visit the country and, upon marriage, apply for a Green Card.
To prove a qualifying connection for a family-based Green Card, submit an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative.
For applications for Green Cards based on employment, utilize the I-140 Petition: Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker.
Labor Certification: Indicates that there are no suitable U.S. workers available for the position and is necessary for many employment-based Green Cards.
Getting married to a US citizen is the basis for obtaining a Green Card.
Re-entry Permit: Enables Green Card holders to return to the United States after a lengthy stay overseas.
Removal of Conditions: The procedure for taking a married person’s Green Card out of conditional status.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS): Permits visitors from certain nations to temporarily reside in the United States while they are affected by an ongoing war or natural catastrophe.
Procedure for PERM Labor Certification
Getting a PERM labor certification is necessary for many Green Cards that are employment-based. In order to complete this procedure, you must prove to the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the U.S. Department of Labor that there aren’t enough competent Americans to fill the position and that employing the foreign worker won’t have a detrimental effect on American workers’ pay or working conditions.
The PERM Process Steps:
Position Posting: In order to show that they are making an attempt to recruit Americans, the company must post the position.
Application Submission: Sending the Department of Labor’s ETA Form 9089.
Evaluation and Approval: After reviewing the application, the ETA grants the employer permission to go forward with the Green Card application.
For immigrants living in the United States, obtaining a Green Card is a difficult but worthwhile procedure that offers up a world of opportunity. To properly traverse the system, one must be aware of the precise criteria and procedures associated with each category and route.
Author Bio:
Emma Thompson has written about cosmetics for vivid shop over ten years and has been an avid beauty devotee. Her interest in the science behind beauty products began while she was a makeup artist. Emma writes excitingly and educationally, simplifying complex ideas about beauty. She discusses everything from thorough skincare evaluations to cosmetics lessons. Emma wants to demystify the world of vaginal whitening cream cosmetics for her readers because she thinks everyone should be able to achieve beauty. Emma enjoys going to beauty expos and keeping up with the newest trends in the business when she’s not blogging.
