Green card is a familiar term that is used in the US. Its importance and popularity is due to the fact that it authorizes the card holder to work and live permanently in the US. Since a majority of the immigrants move to the US, only with the aim of securing a prospective job and getting their own living space, the green card is always in great demand.
Ways to apply for green card
The USCIS has facilitated the process of getting a green card in such a way as to suit each category of applicant. All the applicants need to do is determine the category under which they are going to apply for a green card and then follow the specific instructions. The following list illustrates the available ways of getting a green card
- Through Family
- Through employment
- Through Refugee or Asylee status
- Through Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
- Through the Diversity Immigration visa Program (DV Lottery)
Apart from the above mentioned, there are options available for case specific situations like Green card for Cuban citizens, Armed forces member, informant, crime victims , trafficking victims etc. The two easiest ways of getting a green card are by marrying a US citizen and through the DV lottery program.
Apply for Green card as a result of marriage
This is easier and comparatively quicker than the other possible routes to apply for green card. A US citizen can sponsor a green card for his/her fiancé, who is a foreign national. First step is getting the fiancé into the US on a Fiancé visa and then marrying within 90 days of entering into the US. After the marriage and before the expiry of the fiancé visa, the fiancé (who is now a wife) should apply to adjust status to that of permanent resident.
Initially, the fiancé would be conferred with a conditional resident status only. When this term gets over by the end of 3 yrs, they should apply for permanent residency. Why this is considered as an easy way of becoming a green card holder is that immediate relatives (spouse in this case) need not wait in the long queues to get their visas approved.
However, this advantage is being misused greatly by many whose sole purpose is to apply for green card. They seek to marry a US citizen to primarily get a green card and then call off the supposed genuine marriage. That is why the USCIS has the rights to revoke anybody’s green cars, if it finds out that the marriage was a fake, made purposefully for becoming a permanent resident.
Apply for green card through the diversity Lottery route
This is another interesting privilege given by the US Department of State to enable immigrants from any country to get a green card. Every year it decides the countries that are eligible to participate in this program and issues 50,000 diversity visas to those selected. Selection of applicants is purely based on random computer selection. However getting selected in this program does not ensure an assured entry into the US. The winners should be able to demonstrate that they are eligible for a visa to get into the US. Additionally their immigrant visa should be immediately available at the time of applying to register permanent residence.
Although these two methods have many takers, the other ways of how to apply for green card are also helpful to many applicants. Whatever be the method of getting a green card, applicants should ensure that they go in for periodic renewals of the same. This is mandatory as it is always advisable to have a valid and fully updated green card at all times.
