Green Cards and Permanent Residency

A green card is slang for a card which serves as evidence of an immigrant’s permanent residence status. The first cards made were in fact green and the name stuck even though the color of the card has changed several times over the years. Government Green cards allow foreign nationals to live and work in the United States permanently. While green card employment, or permanent residency card, offers a great deal of opportunity for immigrants, getting one can be a very frustrating process that can take years to complete, and applicants are highly advised to seek help from an Immigration Lawyer. Permanent residence status does not afford all the rights of U.S. citizenship, but does offer an immigrant the opportunity to work and live in the United States permanently (barring any illegal activity which can result in removal and loss of permanent residence status).

If you want to become a lawful permanent resident of the United States, the first step requires a sponsor to file a petition for you when applying for a green card. The following is a list of categories under which you might be able to find a sponsor:

Family-Based Relationships
Spouse, fiancé or unmarried child under age 21 of U.S. Citizen

Spouse or unmarried child under age 21 of Lawful Permanent Resident

Employment-Based Relationships
Priority worker (workers nationally recognized as experts in their field)

Highly-skilled professionals

Ordinary workers

Special Immigrants
Religious workers, former employees of the U.S. government, and other specifically designated categories of people

Entrepreneurs
A sponsor is not necessary in this category, but the entrepreneur has to be willing to invest $1,000,000 or $500,000 and employ ten U.S. workers.

Protected Status
Aliens seeking protection from persecution based on specific factors