If you have ever been interested in living in the United States, you have probably come across the need to have a document called a Green Card. Officially called the US Permanent Resident Card. The green card is like a permanent residency visa in the United States that grants the citizen the right to live and work in a legal way in the United States. Nevertheless, how do you know who is eligible for a Green Card?
What is the Green Card?
The Green Card is a permanent residency visa in the United States. This means having the right to work and live permanently in North American territory. In addition, citizens who hold the card have access to education, healthcare, and various other benefits offered by the United States government. However, the Green Card has some restrictive rules. If a citizen wants to be absent from the United States for more than one year, he must notify the country’s immigration authorities, at the risk of losing the right to permanent residence in the country.
Although it grants several rights to citizens, such as permanent residence, it does not grant the right to vote or to be elected to public office. The Green Card is not a lifetime document, which is why it must be renewed periodically. This period is usually every 10 years. In the long term, green card holders can apply for US citizenship without affecting their citizenship of origin. However, the rules for obtaining citizenship are very strict, so not all people apply.
What is the difference between a Green Card and US citizenship?
A person can only be considered a US citizen if he was born in the United States, was born outside the country but is the son of an American (father or mother) or if he submits an application for naturalization. The Green Card consists of an application for permanent residency, which is different from an application for naturalization. Therefore, they are two different institutes.
Naturalization is a lengthy process that involves governmental and even national security issues. In addition, the applicant for the naturalization application must remain in the US during the entire processing of his/her application, in addition to having to prove that he/she has lived in the country legally, for a period of at least 05 years. Legally residing in the country implies having a Green Card, so some people confuse citizenship with the right of permanent residence.
How to get a Green Card
Only those people who meet the requirements required by the US government are eligible for a permanent residency visa. Do you have an immediate relative or a direct family member (preferably first degree) who is already a US citizen and can sponsor your Green Card? It is the family sponsorship process. Possess some type of visa to the United States that allows you to apply for a green card. The best known are EB-5 (foreign investor), H-1B visa through employment sponsorship, and transfer visas.
Marriage to a US citizen and winning the Green Card through a lottery (which is held annually in the United States) are two considerations.
