Green card: What is it?

If you have ever thought about moving to United States you are almost certainly familiar with green cards. They are what all potential immigrants are after, which is what makes them so hard to get. If you want to make a life in the US you are going to have to have one.

A green card is what gives immigrants the right to permanent resident status in the United States. If you want to move to the US to live and work you will need to get one. Because of the number of people who want a green card getting one can be a challenge. There are a few other ways that you would be allowed to work in the US besides having a green card but if you want to live in the country permanently and eventually to become a citizen you will have to get one.

There are a few different ways that you can get a green card but by far the most common is by having a close relative who lives in the US. The theory is that this will make it easier to adapt to life in the US and that you will fit in better. In order to qualify in this way your relative will have to act as your sponsor. Another method for getting a green card is through employment but this is a lot more difficult than it used to be. In order to qualify through employment you will need to find an employer willing to offer you a job, the employer has to be able to prove that there are no Americans who are capable of doing the job.

In order to get a green card either through employment or family you will have to go through a lengthy process. The first step is that your family member or potential employer will have to file a petition on your behalf. If this is successful you will be invited to the embassy for an interview. Following this there will be a background check. If you pass all of this you will be given a visa allowing you to go the United States. Once you are in US you will then have to apply for the green card.

There is another way that you can get a green card and this is the one that a lot of people will have to use. This is called the diversity lottery. Each year a number of green cards will be assigned to each country, or most countries not all are included. Then all of the applicants from that country who are qualified are entered into the lottery and the winners are drawn. If you get your green card in this way you will be given your green card right away rather than when you get to the US. This is because all of the background checks were done before you were entered into the lottery.