Getting a Green Card is an important step toward becoming a US citizen. It gives you many benefits, including the right to live and work anywhere in the United States.
In addition, you can apply for a variety of public benefits with a Green Card. These include health care, education, and more.
Employment-Based
Employment-based green cards are the second most popular way for foreigners to become permanent residents in the United States. These are based on an employer’s willingness to sponsor you through a job offer, and this route is often more accessible than family-based applications.
In this pathway, your US employer will file various immigration forms on your behalf. Typically, this will include a visa petition and a green card application (Form I-485) to obtain your green card. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services will either approve your application or deny it.
Depending on the category, there are a variety of qualifications that need to be met. For example, EB-1 and EB-2 categories require applicants to have advanced degrees or relevant professional experience. In addition, you must show that you have a job offer from a qualified US employer.
These categories also include labor certification requirements, which are designed to protect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed Americans. This is an expensive and time-consuming process, so many employers choose to hire American employees rather than foreign workers.
The most common way to qualify for an employment-based green card is through a job offer, but this route does not necessarily lead to success for every applicant. This is because there are several different criteria that must be met for a green card to be issued.
First, your employer will need to prove that the job you are pursuing requires a bachelor’s degree or higher. In some cases, this is enough to qualify for a green card if it’s a professional position and you already have experience in the field.
Another important factor is that the work you will do must be full-time. Otherwise, the labor certification process will fail and your green card will be delayed or denied.
Finally, your employer will need to prove that the work you are performing is considered by the USCIS to be in the national interest. This is not always easy to do, but it can be accomplished if you have substantial evidence that your work has significance and benefits the US.
Asylum
Often, the pathway to becoming a Green Card Holder is through an asylum application. This is an ancient right enshrined in the United Nations Refugee Convention of 1951 and its 1967 Protocol. This means that the United States has a responsibility to protect refugees from persecution in their home countries.
The process can be long, and it takes some people years to get their asylum cases approved. In the meantime, they’re living in limbo and are unable to work or pay for housing. They’re also putting their mental health at risk.
To qualify for asylum, you must have a “credible fear” of persecution in your home country on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. This is the main criteria that USCIS uses to determine whether an individual has asylum.
Once they’ve filed an asylum claim, people typically have an interview with a USCIS asylum officer who will examine their case and see if it is strong enough to win. If it is, they will receive a receipt and a court date for the hearing. The applicant then waits for the case to be decided in an immigration court, which can take a long time.
While most asylum applications are processed within 180 days of filing, some take longer. For instance, a recent report by the nonprofit TRAC found that applicants were waiting 1,500 days for their asylum hearing in 2018.
Asylum is an important part of immigration law, and it offers an alternative path to legal permanent residency. However, it can be revoked if you are no longer meeting the definition of an asylee or if you no longer meet USCIS’s “firmly settled” conditions in your home country.
A person who is a refugee or asylee can apply for a green card one year after being granted asylum. If they receive a green card, they can continue to live and work in the United States.
The application for a green card can be challenging and frustrating, but it’s also necessary. It requires an extensive review of your past and present circumstances by a USCIS officer to ensure that you are not inadmissible for any reason.
Family-Based
The Journey to Becoming a Green Card Holder
Ultimately, the goal of becoming a Green Card Holder is to relocate to the United States permanently. You can accomplish this in a few different ways: through the Green Card Lottery, by securing a job that will allow you to gain legal status and ultimately citizenship, or by adjusting from work-based immigration to family-based immigration with the help of a qualifying relative.
Family-based immigration is the most popular pathway to obtaining permanent residency (green cards) in the United States. It is the pathway that most immigrants use today to secure their green cards, and it’s the pathway that is behind many of the new immigrants that arrive in the United States each year. You can also opt for the marriage option to obtain a green card, just be sure to prepare yourself for the marriage green card interview.
There are several paths to becoming a Green Card Holder through family-based immigration, but the main ones are through the immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, the preference relatives of U.S. citizen/Green Card holders, and those who are accompanying those who have filed for a visa through a preferred relative.
The family-based green card process is a lengthy one, with a number of steps and forms involved. This is why it’s important to consult with an experienced immigration lawyer if you have questions about whether family-based green cards are possible for you or your relative(s).
Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and permanent residents may have a limited number of green cards available each year, called “family preference” visas. Because of this, these categories usually have long wait times.
These wait times are exacerbated by annual per-country limits and by a cap on the number of family preference green cards that the government can distribute each year. This means that people from countries with high rates of immigration often face longer wait times to become a green card holder.
On the other hand, people from countries with lower rates of immigration often have access to an unlimited supply of family-based green cards, which are referred to as “immediate relative” visas. As a result, there are no wait times to receive a green card through these visas.
Green Card Lottery
The Journey to Becoming a Green Card Holder
The process of becoming a US citizen can be a long, hard one. Traditionally, getting a Green Card required the skills of a family member or an employer to petition for you, which often meant waiting years to become a lawful permanent resident (LPR).
But now, this has changed, and a new pathway to obtaining a US Green Card is available to millions of people each year. It’s called the Green Card Lottery, and it’s a great way to accelerate your immigration path.
You can enter the Green Card Lottery once a year, usually between October and November. You’ll need to register and submit your application as soon as possible.
When you’re selected, you will be given a case number that will help track your progress throughout the visa process. You can also use this number to contact the immigration service if you have questions or concerns.
This type of visa is known as a Diversity Visa or DV, and it’s unique in that it makes Green Cards available to randomly-selected applicants from low-immigration countries. The program is run by the State Department, which selects and notifies the winners through an online process.
The winners of the lottery receive a Green Card, which allows them to live and work in the United States as lawful permanent residents. They can also bring their spouses and unmarried children younger than 21 to the country to join them.
If you’re eligible, the Green Card Lottery is a free and easy way to get your foot in the door to living and working in the USA. It’s not a shortcut, however; you’ll still need to complete the rest of the application process and undergo a medical exam and interview.
In addition, the Green Card Lottery process can be confusing and time-consuming, so it’s a good idea to get expert assistance in your immigration journey. This can reduce the risk of any mistakes being made, as well as ensure that you’re submitting your application correctly.
Ultimately, the Green Card Lottery is based on the belief that immigration from countries with lower rates of immigration to the US will lead to a greater variety of immigrants and a more diverse population. But, in reality, the program only works for a small percentage of those who qualify.
