US Green Card or Permanent Resident Visa

A Green Card, officially known as a Permanent Resident Card, is evidence of your status as a lawful permanent resident.
A Green Card gives you the right to live and work permanently in the United States.

There are several ways you can obtain a Green Card:

- Marriage to a United States citizen
- Through Investment
- Through Employment
- As a Special Immigrant
- Green Card Lottery (DV Lottery Program)

Green Card by Marriage or as a Family Member of an American Citizen

Marriage to a U.S. Citizen qualifies one for a green card.
The INS take a very serious look at the validity of the marriage and that it was not simply for immigration purposes.

Certain family relationships may qualify an individual for a U.S. green card.
They are often subject to long waiting periods due to annual quotas.
All immigrant visas are subject to a complicated quota system. Generally each country receives a maximum of 25,620 visas per year. The applicant will be subject to the country limit of his or her country of birth. A visa must be available in order to apply for adjustment.

There is a visa for fiancees of U.S. citizens.

Order of Preference for Family and Marriage Green Cards

First Preference: Unmarried children of U.S. citizens.
Second Preference: Spouses and unmarried children of U.S. Permanent Residents. (unmarried children under 21 have priority over unmarried & over 21)
Third Preference: Married children of U.S. citizens.
Fourth Preference: Brothers and Sisters of U.S. citizens.
Immediate Relatives: Parents & Spouses of U.S. citizens.

Green Card by Investment

Green Cards through investment are available to anyone who invests a certain amount of money U.S. by creating a business or expanding one that already exists.
The investor must be active in the management of the company.
A number of investors may join together in creating or expanding a U.S. business and each may qualify for a Green Card through one single company. However, the individual investment of each person, must still meet the minimum qualifying amount, and each investor must be separately responsible for the creation of new jobs.
Important: 10,000 Green Cards are made available every year to qualified investors. Only principal applicants are counted. Accompanying relatives are not. Therefore, in reality, many more than 10,000 per year can be admitted into the United States with Green Cards through investment.

Green Card by Employment

Green Card Employment Application Process:

Applying for a Green Card through employment is of a three-step process.
Step 1 - Labor Certification: Labor certification proves that there are no qualified American citizen suitable for the position that has been offered to you.
Step 2 - Petition: The petition proves that you do qualify for: a) A Green Card through employment and; b) You qualify for the job offered to you
Step Three: Green Card Employment Application: The application itself.

Green Card as a Special Immigrant

Special Immigrant Green Cards are available if the applicant fall under one of the following categories:
- Workers for recognized religious organizations
- Foreign medical graduates who have been in the United States for a for a certain time
- Foreign workers who were formerly longtime employees of the United States government
- Foreign nationals who have been declared dependant on juvenile courts in the United States Retired officers or employees of certain international organizations who have lived in the United States for a certain time

Green Card Lottery

The United States Government issues 50,000 permanent Green Cards every year through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, better known as the Green Card Lottery.
Applicants are selected randomly by a computer generated drawing.
If you are selected, you and your family will be authorized to live and work permanently in the United States.

Understanding the processing of a Green Card

The process for issuing permanent visas is as follows:

1. Filing petitions for approval in your preference category. Response from INS in approximately 90-120 days.
2. Assuming approval, when the visa becomes available, if in the United States, apply to INS for adjustment of status to permanent residence or apply for interview at the Consul Post nearest your foreign residence. Allow 8-10 months for the entire process.
3. A green card follows approximately six months.

Note: While in the United States, the alien must remain in legal immigration status, while waiting for the visa to become available. Unauthorized employment or staying in the US with an expired visa, bars adjustment of status to permanent residence in the US.