Green Card: Types, Application Process And FAQs

The Green Card is a document that provides permanent residence in the US. With a Green Card, you can live in any US state, work, and raise a family.

Many immigrants first consider coming to the US. It offers several job and residency opportunities. Its economic success draws tourists and immigrants from around the world. How to get a Green Card?

You can also leave the US. However, you cannot stay outside the US for more than a year or your Green Card will expire and you will have to reapply.

What are the Types of Green Cards for USA?

There are different types of US Green Cards depending on your situation and how you will obtain it. There are basically four categories of Green Cards, each one with their separate visas and requirements:

• Family sponsored Green Cards – this Green Card is given to you if you have close family in the US and you want to reunite with them. This type of Green Card is given only to immediate family, such as spouses, children, siblings, or parents of a US citizen or a US permanent resident.
• Employment sponsored Green Cards – If you get a job in the US from home, you get this Green Card. Your employer will pay for the application and sponsorship. You must work for your employer until your contract expires with an employment-sponsored Green Card. You can switch employers when your sponsorship terms are met.
• Returning resident Green Card – This Green Card is for persons who possessed a Green Card but left the US for more than a year for unavoidable reasons. If you’re held abroad or can’t return for familial or cultural reasons, it’s beyond your control. To get this visa, you must provide evidence showing you had no chance to return.
• Diversity Visa Green Card – every year the US holds a visa lottery for citizens of countries with low immigration rates to the US. If you apply for this lottery and get a diversity visa, then you are on your way to getting a Green Card.

Do I Qualify to Apply for a Green Card?

There are several conditions for each USA Green Card. Below are the requirements for each US immigration visa:

• You must live in a foreign country – most people seeking a Green Card must apply from their home country. If you are within the US, there are other requirements that you must meet.
• If you are in the US, you must have a dual intent visa – a dual intent visa is one that is temporary, but allows you to apply for a Green Card after a certain period of time. An example of a dual intent visa is the H-1B visa.
• For family-based Green Cards, you must have a family member living in the US – your family member must either be your fiancé/spouse, your child, your sibling, or your biological or adoptive parent. The family member must be a US citizen or a US permanent resident and willing to sponsor your application forms. Additionally, the family member must prove that they are financially able to support you for the first few months after you move to the US, until you find a job:
  • The family member must be at least 21 years old and must have a valid US address – if your family member is under 21 years old, then they are not allowed to sponsor you for a Green Card. Also, your family member must be currently living in the US and present a valid US address where you would also be moving once you get the Green Card.
• For employment-based Green Cards, you must have a job offer – if you have found a job in the US, then you must have proof of it. This includes a signed contract or a signed letter from your employer stating when you will start working after you get your Green Card. Oral agreements are not accepted by any US institution when it comes to Green Cards, so make sure that you have a valid document which proves you have a job in the US.
• Your employer must meet minimum conditions on financial stability – even if you have a job, you must make sure that your employer has enough money to pay your salary. The US institutions responsible for Green Cards and immigrant visas will request financial statements from the company sponsoring your visa. If the financial statements show that the employer does not have enough money to pay your salary, then you will not get an approved Green Card.
• If you were in the US in the past, you must have respected all laws and regulations and not overstayed your visa.
• You must not have a criminal past.

How to Apply for a Green Card?

After reviewing the options of US immigrant visas, reviewing the requirements, and choosing one, you must start the Green Card application, which will take 7 to 33 months. Most Green Card applications need these steps:

Have a sponsor petition for you

Your sponsor—family or employer—must petition on your behalf. Family-sponsored petitions use Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relatives, while employment-based petitions use Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker. USCIS must receive the petition and the Green Card fee must be paid.

Receive the NVC Package

NVC will provide you a package if the petition is granted, and USCIS will review it to determine eligibility. If your petition is approved, the National Visa Center (NVC) will send your paperwork to your home country. The application package includes instructions and forms. Your priority date must be current before NVC sends this package.

Apply for a visa at the US embassy

You must apply for the visa at a US Embassy – following the instructions from the NVC package, you will pay all necessary application fees and apply at a US Embassy in your country of residence. You will submit supporting documents as well as have your visa interview.

Travel to the US

If your visa is approved after all the stages, the US Embassy will provide you an arrival package. You must fly to the US with it. The arrival package is unopened and must be brought to the US. Only a US immigration official at a port of entry can open it and decide if you can enter. Remember that a visa does not ensure US entry. US immigration officers decide.

USCIS requires Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, once in the US. This form grants permanent residency. USCIS will mail your Green Card after one to four weeks.

Is Health Insurance for Green Card Holders Mandatory?

Citizens and immigrants do not need health insurance. Due to US healthcare expenses, coverage is advised. A doctor’s consultation costs hundreds of dollars, while hospitalization costs thousands per night, not including medical treatment.

What Are the Differences Between Green Card and a US Visa?

The difference between a Green Card and a visa is that the Green Card is permission to stay in the US permanently, while a visa is of temporary nature.

Visa and green card differences outweigh similarities. As mentioned above, an immigration visa can lead to a green card, which can lead to US citizenship, the highest status a foreigner can attain in the US. Green cards can be gained in different ways. Comparing both:

The form

A Green Card is issued in the form of a green plastic photo identification card whereas a visa is issued in the form of a stamp or sticker affixed to a traveler’s passport.

Validity

A Green Card is Permanent, which means it does not expire, though it needs renewal every 10 years. Whereas, a visa is temporary but it still can be extended for another limited amount of time.

Working

Green card holders are allowed to work. On the other hand, visa holders are not entitled to work if they are not on a specific type of visa work.

Living in the US

Green Card holders should be careful and not use this document as a multiple-entry visa, since their status may be revoked if they spend a lot of time outside the US, and use it as a second home. Whereas, visa holder, depending on the visa, may be entitled to enter the country once, or enter as many times as they want.

Similarities Between a Green Card and a Visa

In order to understand the differences between a Green card and a US visa it is best to know their similarities first, which are not that many:

• Firstly, both a visa and a green card are issued by the United States Civil Immigration Authorities
• Secondly, both a visa and a green are issued to a foreign citizen.
• Green Card holders and most Visa holders (aside of those entering the US under purposes as tourism, health treatment, training etc.) are allowed to work in the US.
• If being found guilty of committing crimes the green card or visa would be revoked and the foreigner would be deported.
• None of them are allowed to vote.