What is a Green Card?
A Green Card is an official card also known as a permanent resident card or USCIS Form I-551. It is called a Green Card because the original card was made of green paper. The color of the card has changed and been redesigned several times since its first issuance, but it has remained known as the Green Card.
Today, the card is still green but is no longer made of paper. It also contains graphics and security features that are more resistant to forgery and safer than those used previously.
A Green Card holder (or permanent resident) does not have the same legal status as a U.S. citizen. However, individuals with a Green Card can apply for U.S. citizenship after a certain number of years of residency, with exceptions for those who marry U.S. citizens or enter the country as refugees.
Types of Employment-Based Green Cards
Individuals seeking a Green Card through employment can apply from their home country once assigned an immigrant visa number, which is organized based on employment-based preferences related to the job they are being hired for:
First Preference (EB-1)
Individuals with extraordinary abilities, outstanding academics, professors, researchers, and multinational managers are eligible for permanent residency in the first preference. People can provide evidence of why they deserve first preference. Such evidence can range from a Pulitzer Prize or Nobel Peace Prize, or a sports award, to membership in a professional organization or a publication.
Second Preference (EB-2)
Professionals with advanced degrees or those with exceptional abilities. This also includes foreigners interested in a national interest waiver, which is an application for visa status that a person can apply for if they already have a stable job offer.
Third Preference (EB-3)
Skilled workers and professionals are eligible for a third preference visa. Workers are required to have at least two years of experience, and professionals typically have degrees from accredited universities.
Fourth Preference (EB-4)
The following special immigrants may be eligible for a fourth preference visa:
- Religious workers
- Special immigrant juveniles
- Broadcasting employees
- G-4 or NATO-6 International Organization employees and their family members
- International workers of the U.S. Government abroad
- Members of the armed forces
- Panama Canal Zone employees
- Some physicians
- Afghan and Iraqi translators
- Afghans and Iraqis who provided religious support for U.S. operations
Fifth Preference (EB-5)
Individuals eligible for a fifth preference visa are immigrant investors who wish to invest between $500,000 and $1,000,000 in a project that creates at least ten new jobs for U.S. citizens or other permanent residents.
Note: Please refer to the visa bulletins issued by USCIS throughout the year for the most updated information. These include adjustments related to eligibility and the application process that occur during the current application cycle.
How to Obtain a Green Card Through Employment
There are four primary employment-related ways to obtain a Green Card, including the following:
Job Offer
An individual can apply for a Green Card after receiving a formal job offer in the United States.
Self-Petition
Individuals with extraordinary abilities or those who are granted a national interest waiver can apply for a Green Card.
Investment
An individual who opens a business creating new jobs in the United States can apply for a Green Card. Their Green Card will likely fall under the EB-5 category.
Green Card for Special Categories
This category includes workers in recognized special immigrant categories, such as broadcasters, international employees, and some religious workers, for example.
Process
Applying for a Green Card
The process for applying for a Green Card varies based on the method by which a person seeks to obtain the Green Card. The steps will depend on your personal circumstances.
In general, the employer will fill out the I-140, Notice of Approval, which grants the employer the option to permanently hire a foreign citizen. In some cases, foreign nationals with extraordinary abilities can file a self-petition for the I-140.
Once the petition is approved, the foreign national may apply for a Green Card using Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. In this application, the foreign national may request the removal of any conditional requirements from their status. If the current priority date of the foreign national is current, they should be able to file I-485 and I-140 at the same time.
Green Card Lottery Program
The annual Green Card lottery program (officially the Diversity Visa Immigration Program) is another opportunity for potential immigrants to become lawful permanent residents of the United States. This program runs every year and provides Green Cards to applicants who are randomly selected in a lottery process.
The annual lottery started in 1990 and aims to ensure diversity in immigration to the United States. To qualify for the Green Card lottery program, you must be a citizen of a country with a low immigration rate to the United States. Applicants from countries that have sent more than 50,000 foreign nationals to the United States in the past five years cannot apply for this visa.
You must also meet education or work experience requirements. To qualify for the lottery, a person must have at least a high school education or two years of work experience in the industry.
There is no cost to participate in the Green Card lottery. The only way to apply is to fill out and submit the form electronically through the U.S. Department of State’s website during the registration period.
Note: Many companies also offer assistance in the application process for a fee, but using these vendors does not increase a person’s chances of winning.
Types of Green Card Fraud
There are many types of fraud related to Green Cards and U.S. visas.
Green Card lottery fee fraud: In this scam, companies or individuals claim that for a fee, they can facilitate entry into the U.S. Department of State’s annual Diversity Visa Program or increase your chances of winning. There are no authorized organizations to assist with the Green Card lottery process, and they cannot increase your chances of winning a visa.
Visa application assistance: There are websites that offer assistance in processing visa paperwork or charge money to complete lottery forms. The only official way to apply for the permanent resident visa lottery program is directly through the official U.S. Department of State website during the registration period. There are no fees to apply.
Government form fees: There are never fees to pay for a U.S. government form. If there is a website asking for fees for government forms, it is a scam. Government forms and instructions for completing them are always free from the issuing government agency.
Service fees: Websites, emails, letters, and ads claiming they can help you get a visa for a fee are scams. These sites and messages cannot help you get a visa. For example, many fraudulent emails offer U.S. visas or “Green Cards.”
Source: https://www.thebalancemoney.com/how-to-get-a-green-card-to-work-in-the-us-2064317
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