Title: Green Card Definition: A Complete Test of Your Eligibility
1Green Card Definition Test Your Eligibility
- www.DoItYourselfGreenCard.com
- March 2016
2Green Card Definition From USCIS
- A Green Card holder (permanent resident) is
someone who has been granted authorization to
live and work in the United States on a permanent
basis. As proof of that status, a person is
granted a permanent resident card, commonly
called a "Green Card."
3Common Knowledge Folk Name
- Green Cars is
- Informal name for a document that identifies
- Legal Permanent Resident
4Green Card Benefits
- Right to live in the United States
- Right to work
- Right to travel (enter and leave, with some
limitations) - Right to enjoy certain privileges available to
general public (like services of police, social
security, health care, public transportation,
etc.)
5Responsibilities of Green Card Holders
- Pay taxes
- Obey laws
- Follow certain residency requirements and address
regulations as defined by immigration authorities
6Green Card Path to Citizenship
- Available but not automatic
- One has to apply
- Pay fees
- Pass medical and civic test
- Take oath
- Generally, green card holders are eligible for
citizenship after being a permanent resident for
five years - Green card through marriage allows for a fast
track to citizenship three years
7How to Get A Green Card
- Green card is NOT available to all who wants it
- You can get legal is not available for all
immigrants, legal or illegal
8How to Get a Green Card (continued)
- One must be eligible
- One must apply and prove their eligibility
- One must pay fees
- One must submit ones biometrics (photograph and
figure prints, etc.) - One must participate in an interview
- One has to receive a green card number (may take
years!) - Once the number is available, one can have his or
her green card finally!
9Green Card Categories
- Family
- Employment
- Diversity visa/lottery
- Refugee
- Asylee (aka asylum seeker)
- Other
- Approximately 1 million green cards are issued
every year
10Green Card Categories Family (Immediate Family)
- Green card through marriage
- Sponsor US citizen or
- Sponsor green card holder
- Green card through marriage to US citizen is the
largest green card category - 25 of all green cards issued
- Green card through marriage to a green card
holder (together with green card holder children)
account for 10 of green card issued annually
11Green Card Categories Other Family
- Available to people sponsored by US citizens
- Adult unmarried children of U.S. citizen and
their children - Married children of U.S. citizens, their spouses
and their children and - Adult brothers/sisters of U.S. citizens, their
spouses and their children - These categories combined account for 11 of the
green cards issued annually - Note green card holders can only sponsor their
spouses and unmarried/minor children they
cannot sponsor other family members
12Green Card Categories Employment
- Require employer/corporate sponsorship
- Foreign executives of domestic or international
businesses operating in the United States - Skilled employees
13Green Card Categories Employment (continued)
- No sponsorship required
- Advanced degrees (designated by the government,
such as medical doctors) - Aliens with exceptional abilities (example Noble
Prize winners, Olympic medalists) - Alien US government employees abroad (example
Afghani translator to US military) - Religious workers
14Green Card Categories Employment (continued)
- No sponsorship required but must qualify
- EB-5 program
- Investors spending between 500,000 and
1,000,000 in direct contribution to the United
States economy - Must demonstrate the investment creates job
15Green Card Categories Diversity Visa or Lottery
- As the name implies distributed through lottery
- 50,000 green cards annually
- Favor given to countries, from which immigration
to the US was low over the past five years - Certain countries are ineligible because of too
high of immigration rates - For 2013 lottery, 12.5 million people applied
- Chance of winning this lottery is 0.4, or 4 out
of 1,000
16Green Card Categories Refugees
- Applicants
- Must demonstrate that they were persecuted or
fear persecution based on race, religion,
nationality, political opinion, or membership in
a particular social group - Must be outside of the United States
- Must secure referral to the U.S. Refugee
Admissions Program (USRAP) - Must enter the United States as refugee
- Must wait one year to apply for green card
17Green Card Categories Asylum
- Applicants
- Must demonstrate that they were persecuted or
fear persecution based on race, religion,
nationality, political opinion, or membership in
a particular social group - Note this condition is the same as for refugees
- Must be at the port of entry to, or inside of,
the United States
18Green Card Categories Other
- Very small bucket of green cards less than 2
annually - Typically not considered an immigration path
- Includes previously scheduled to be deported
illegal immigrants, who petitioned their case in
front of the immigration judge and received
authorization to stay - Also includes continuous residents since 1972
- Direct order of certain government agencies like
CIA
19What About Your Eligibility Test?
- In short, it is tough to qualify
- Unless you are married to a US citizen easiest
and most certain green card path - Other categories require sponsorships, may
involve spending a lot of money, time or both - When politicians argue get legal to illegal
immigrants, or illegal is illegal is illegal,
perhaps they should try going through the green
card application themselves
20Link to the Detailed Article
- http//www.doityourselfgreencard.com/blog/green-ca
rd-definition-complete-test-of-your-eligibility
21Thank you!
- www.DoItYourselfGreenCard.com
- 8?00-756-9706
- support_at_doityourselfgreencard.com
- www.plus.google.com/Doityourselfgreencard_Now
- www.facebook.com/doityourselfgreencard
- www.twitter.com/DIY_GreenCard
22Disclaimer
- The statements expressed in this presentation are
opinion of the author. - The opinions are based on research of public
information, and may not be complete nor 100
applicable to ones specific situation. - One should seek qualified legal advice regarding
his or her specific circumstances.
23Thank you!
- www.DoItYourselfGreenCard.com
- 8?00-756-9706
- support_at_doityourselfgreencard.com
- www.plus.google.com/Doityourselfgreencard_Now
- www.facebook.com/doityourselfgreencard
- www.twitter.com/DIY_GreenCard