What's a Green Card and How Do You Get One?

The term "green card" is often mistakenly used to describe anydocument granting permission to live or work in the U.S., including temporarywork permits and travel documents. When immigration lawyers talk of a greencard, they usually mean evidence of lawful permanent residence, or the status ofbeing a lawful permanent resident. The most common green card document is FormI-551, alien registration receipt card, which is not actually green, but was inan earlier version. When we refer in this web site to green card, we meanlawful permanent resident status. Lawful permanent residents are also sometimescalled legal immigrants; nonimmigrants are authorized to stay here onlytemporarily.

Green cards are available to immigrants on the basis of certain qualifyingfamily or employment relationships in the U.S., or on the basis of extraordinarycredentials, a major investment in a job-producing enterprise, or luck in thevisa lottery. Those who qualify as refugees may also succeed in adjusting topermanent residence. Green cards are not automatically granted upon marriage toa U.S. citizen or hiring by a U.S. company. Rather, the U.S. citizen or companymust first have a petition approved by the Immigration Service. Once thepetition is approved, the immigrant must make his or her own application, eitherwith the Immigration Service in the U.S. or with a consular officer abroad. Tofind out which family relationships qualify, click on It's a Family Affair. Several topics below cover various employment-based immigrant categories: "Outstanding" Researchers and Scientists,Persons of "Extraordinary" or "Exceptional"Ability, and Other Professionals.

If someone is not eligible for a green card, or if the processing times taketoo long, there may be a temporary (nonimmigrant) status available. A generaloverview of temporary statuses is provided in AlphabetSoup. One temporary status is covered in detail: H-1Bfor Professionals. Students and exchange visitors, who are also here intemporary status, may be interested in How to Obtain Employment Authorizationand Change Status from F or J to H-1B.

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