{"id":7560,"date":"2022-12-22T14:54:22","date_gmt":"2022-12-22T14:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/?p=7560"},"modified":"2023-11-02T10:04:26","modified_gmt":"2023-11-02T10:04:26","slug":"green-card-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/green-card-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Card Basics: What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Applying for Green Cards<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Foreign people granted legal permanent resident status in the United States reap several advantages. Such individuals are granted the freedom to enter, exit, work, and reside in the United States for the rest of their lives if they so choose (and provided they don&#8217;t take any actions that might render them subject to deportation).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They typically use a &#8220;green card&#8221; to confirm their immigration status. If everything goes according to plan and they master English, they will eventually be eligible to petition for naturalized citizenship, the highest status offered by U.S. immigration law.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This article will discuss the following topics to help you understand Green Cards:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is Green Card?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Who is Eligible to Apply for Green Card?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How Can I Apply for a Green Card?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is a Green Card?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7253\" src=\"https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/green-card-application-300x201.webp\" alt=\"what is a green card?\" width=\"300\" height=\"201\" srcset=\"https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/green-card-application-300x201.webp 300w, https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/green-card-application.webp 612w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Form I-551, also known as the <\/span><b>Lawful Permanent Resident Card<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is the official name of the US Green Card. Anyone who obtains a highly competitive US immigrant <a href=\"\/u-visa-vawa-attorney\/\">visa<\/a> &#8211; through application procedures &#8211; is given unrestricted authorization to work and dwell in the United States of America.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Green Card is the only viable route to immigrate to the US, unlike other US visas. This is because a lawful permanent residence is valid for life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Temporary work visas allow you to stay and work in the US for a limited amount of time, but they also come with a permanent risk: your visa&#8217;s expiration date.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Advantages of Green Card<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Green Card is the only long-term method of immigration to the U.S., unlike other US visas. A Lawful Permanent Residence is <\/span><b>valid for life<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. While temporary work visas allow you to stay and work in the US for a limited period of time, they also come with a permanent risk when they expire. Here are some of the advantages of earning a <a href=\"https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/difference-between-us-green-card-citizenship\/\">Green Card<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unrestricted right to stay in the U.S.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlimited work permit<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unrestricted and simple entry and exit<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eligibility for Medicare benefits and other government assistance after five years of bearing a Green Card<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Opportunity to enroll risk-free and for up to 80% less than it would have cost without a Green Card in U.S. universities<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Potential chance for student federal loans<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Security during a crisis: Travel embargoes typically have no impact on Green Card holders<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simple process for obtaining commercial and business permits<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The spouse and unmarried children under 21 who are family members are also immediately eligible for a Green Card<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is possible to apply for US citizenship three or five years after receiving a Green Card<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Who is Eligible to Apply for Green Card?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure you fall into one of the following specific categories before considering applying for U.S. permanent residence. Here is a brief summary of the most popular green card categories and the number of worldwide applicants for each.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Immediate Family of American Citizens. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Close relatives are at the top of the list when it comes to being eligible for and swiftly acquiring U.S. green cards.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Other Family Members of U.S. Citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Certain close family members of U.S. citizens or permanent residents are also eligible for U.S. green cards\u2014but typically not right away. They fall into the &#8220;preference categories&#8221; listed below, meaning that only a certain number of them will receive green cards each year.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Preferred Workers and Employees, Mostly With Job Offers From American Businesses.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Each year, 140,000 green cards are made available to individuals whose work abilities are in demand in the American market. A work offer from a U.S. firm is typically also necessary. Additionally, the American business must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the American government that it has performed thorough hiring for the position, held interviews, and has not located any willing, competent, or qualified Americans to hire in place of the immigrant.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Diversity Green Card lottery every year.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> People from the nations that have recently sent the fewest immigrants to the United States are eligible for a fixed number of green cards.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How Can I Apply for a Green Card?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to live in America, here are some of the questions you can ask yourself:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do I have family living here in America?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do I possess unique talents that would be valuable to an American employer?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do I meet the prerequisites to participate in the Green Card Lottery?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>File a family-based Green Card application<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Green Cards are a great way for families to reunite because most other scenarios (such as siblings applying for Green Cards) have lengthy waiting periods. This is why spouses and children of US citizens can benefit most from these privileges.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In theory, there are no waiting periods if you are a <\/span><b>spouse, an unmarried child under the age of 21, or the parent of a U.S. citizen<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> who is at least 21 years old. These are the so-called &#8220;Immediate&#8221; categories. But in reality, it will take five to eighteen months for your application to be processed before you have your Green Card (or 3 &#8211; 12 months in the case of children).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Married children and siblings of a US citizen (who is 21 or older), as well as unmarried children over the age of 21, are also eligible to apply for a Green Card, but they must be prepared for substantially lengthier waiting periods.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Apply for a Green Card through a U.S. employer<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting a <\/span><b>Green Card through your place of employment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is challenging and somewhat uncommon because of the severe burden of proof and expensive fees for U.S. firms. Those who still intend to apply for an employment-based Green Card must pick one of the following five categories:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>EB-1A<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Extraordinary Ability<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>EB-1B<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Outstanding Professors and Researchers, Managers and Executives\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>EB-2<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Advanced Degree, Exceptional Ability\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>EB-3<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Skilled Workers, Professionals, Other Workers\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>EB-4<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Special Immigrants and Religious Workers\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>EB-5<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Investors<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Apply for a Green Card based on investments<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is feasible to obtain a Green Card by making a <\/span><b>sizable financial investment in a U.S. business<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In remote or underdeveloped areas, $900,000 is the required minimum amount. In any other situation, $ 1.8 million is needed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EB-5 visa that was granted here is comparable to a Green Card on hold. If all conditions are satisfied, the residency status is changed upon application after two years, at which point the investor becomes a Lawful Permanent Resident.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Winning the Green Card Lottery and obtaining a Green Card<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The quickest route for most people to obtain a green card is through the Green Card Lottery, commonly known as the Diversity Visa Lottery. The lottery attracts 55,000 participants annually worldwide, thanks to its meager entry requirements.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apply for a Green Card Today and Live Your American Dream!<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Determined to live your U.S. dreams but unsure where to start? Schedule a call with a reliable immigration lawyer now and speed up the process compared to when you try to DIY your way to the U.S.! A competent immigration lawyer knows the ins and outs of the application process and the system. While hiring a lawyer to work with might cost money, it is a great investment to start with that will definitely pay off! Call us today to learn how you can get started with your Green Card application.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Applying for Green Cards Foreign people granted legal permanent resident status in the United States reap several advantages. Such individuals are granted the freedom to enter, exit, work, and reside in the United States for the rest of their lives if they so choose (and provided they don&#8217;t take any actions that might render them [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7253,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7560"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7560"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8405,"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7560\/revisions\/8405"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoinmigracion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}