A green card, issued by USCIS, allows foreign people to live and work permanently in the United States. It grants them the right to work in any industry, receive social benefits like Social Security and Medicare, and can lead to naturalization. Cardholders can apply for it through family-based, employer-based, asylum seekers, or the Diversity Visa Lottery. Eligibility depends on family, employer, and refugee backgrounds.
Foreign people may live and work permanently in the United States with the help of a green card, also known as a Permanent Resident Card. The green card, which is issued by US Citizenship and Immigration Services, denotes a person’s status as a legal permanent resident and confers several rights and advantages inside the nation.
The benefits of a green card
Permanent residency: The ability to live permanently in the United States is perhaps the biggest benefit of having a card. People may live and work in the nation indefinitely with this status.
Authorization for Work: Individuals holding green cards are free to work in any industry or occupation in the US. Cardholders have more alternatives for employment than holders of temporary work visas, which are sometimes restricted to certain companies or sectors.
Social Security, Medicare, and other government-sponsored programs are among the social benefits that green card holders are entitled to. They are able to sponsor family members for cards and have access to public schooling.
The path to becoming a citizen of the US is made possible by having the card. Green card holders may seek naturalization and become U.S. citizens, with all the rights and obligations that come with citizenship, after fulfilling certain residence criteria.
Flexibility in travel: Those who possess the card are free to enter and exit the country without requiring any further authorizations or visas. Extended stays overseas, however, can have an impact on their eligibility for naturalization.
Who may submit a Green Card application?
Family-based immigration: If a person has a qualified family member who is a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States, they may apply for a green card via family sponsorship. Parents, siblings, children, and spouses are among the eligible relations.
Employer-based immigration: Those with specialized training, advanced degrees, or extraordinary ability may also be eligible for this card via employer sponsorship. When there is a dearth of competent U.S. workers in a particular profession, employers may sponsor foreign workers for green cards.
Asylum seekers and refugees: Following a year of continuous residency, those who have been awarded asylum in the United States or who are refugees may apply for a green card. In order to get permanent residence, they have to fulfill certain requirements and pass background checks.
Diversity Visa Lottery: Also referred to as the Green Card Lottery, the Diversity Visa Lottery is an initiative that chooses candidates at random from nations with low rates of immigration to the U.S. Lottery winners may submit an application for the card.
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