A green card is a type of card which is issued for providing authorization to live and work in the United States permanently. It is a permanent resident card that is issued by the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to a person based on certain conditions. The US Government issues millions of green cards every year but among them, most are given to the family members of US citizens and the workers from other countries who seek employment in the US. However, you can get a green card through family, employment, special immigrant, refugee or Asylee status, registry, victims of abuse, human trafficking, and crime victims, etc.
For getting the family-based green card you need someone from your family who is a green card holder and who will sponsor you as well as prove that he or she can support you financially. The US citizens who have green cards are eligible to file immigrant petitions for his spouse, unmarried children, siblings, and parents. Having a green card will give them legal entry into the US. But the US citizen must be 18 years or more for sponsoring someone. However, the US citizen cannot sponsor his or her aunts, grandparents, grandchildren, in-laws, cousins, etc.
The employment-based green card is given to foreign nationals who are offered permanent employment from an employer within the US. But in such a case the employer must sponsor the person for the green card. Generally, the persons who are getting higher education in the US have more chances to get a green card if they get employment in the US.
You can also get a green card in the US by creating jobs in the country and investing in between $500000 to $1,000,000 in commercial enterprises. The investment of the foreign national must benefit the economy of the US and he must at least create ten full-time jobs for the citizens of America.
The refugee can also file for a green card in the US and can receive permanent resident status if they meet certain requirements. For example, you must have a granted asylum status or a refugee status for at least one year.
A green card is also given to the victims of abuse in case they are the abused spouse, parent, or children of the US citizen. Apart from that, you can also get a green card if you reside in the US since or before 1st Jan 1972. Moreover, green cards are also given to special immigrants such as religious workers, international broadcaster, an employee of an international organization, NATO-6 employee or their family member, or the citizens of Afghanistan or Iraq.
