Foreign nationals first hold conditional permanent residence for some years depending on their status before they are eligible to become a citizen.

What is a green card?

A green card officially referred to as a “US Legal Permanent Resident”, allows individuals living and working to settle in the United States permanently and allows them to apply for citizenship after several years of stay, except those people who marry a US citizen or come to the country as refugees. A permanent resident has no status as a US Citizen, but adjustment of status ultimately becomes an option.

Foreign nationals first hold conditional permanent residence for some years depending on their status before they are eligible to become a citizen. Although green cards can be obtained through family, investment, refugee status, and other special conditions, green cards can also be obtained through employment. Here is more information about green cards through jobs.

Types of Green Cards

Individuals may be eligible for permanent residence cards and green cards in a variety of ways, including marriage and employment. Individuals looking for a green card through employment can apply from their home country after being granted an immigrant visa, which is held on the following incentives.

First priority

Specially qualified individuals, scholars, professors, researchers, and international executives are eligible for the First Preference Residency or immigrant visa. Evidence can range from Pulitzer or Nobel Peace Prize and sports awards to professional associations and publications.

Second priority

Highly qualified professionals or workers with special talents. This also includes foreign nationals interested in a National Interest Waiver

Third Priority

Immigrant investors are willing to invest between $500,000 and $1,000,000 in a joint venture that creates at least 10 new jobs for U.S. citizens or other legal permanent residents enjoy the fifth green card.

Fourth priority

Skilled employees and qualified professionals for a third EB-3 green card. Workers must have at least two years of experience and professionals often require degrees from certified universities.

Fifth Priority

Individuals in special circumstances such as Translators, Members of the Armed Forces, Staff of NATO-6, certain religious workers and Employees of global organizations.

How to Get a Green Card?

There are four basic ways to get a green card, including:

Green card through a job offer: Individuals can apply for a green card after receiving a formal offer to work in the United States.

Green Card through Investment: Individuals setting up a new job-creating venture in the United States. Overseas, this route will usually be in the EB-5 3rd Preferred category.

Green card through petition: Excellent individuals with special abilities, or individuals with national exemption or reduction certificate, can submit a green card for themselves. The Green Card special category includes employees in specially established immigrant groups, such as broadcasters, international employees, and certain religious workers.

Processing Green Card

Although the application process is different from the application form for a green card, usually form I-140 (Immigration Application for Foreigners). The I-140 Approval Notice is a document that gives an employer the option of employing a permanent foreign citizen. In some cases, foreigners with special abilities can file a self-appeal for an I-140 filing.

Once the petition is approved, individuals may apply for a green card using Form I-485 (Application for Permanent Residence or Adjustment of Status) to remove the conditional conditions from their status. If the alien’s priority date is present, they can file I-485 and I-140 at the same time.

Specific instructions based on each application of green cards:

Green card lottery program

The annual green card lottery (Diverse Immigrant Visa Program) is an opportunity for potential immigrants to gain status as legal permanent residents of the United States. The program runs each year and provides a “Green Card” to candidates who are randomly selected in a lottery process, known as the Green Lottery.

The annual lottery started in 1995 to make 50,000 permanent resident visas (also known as Green Cards) for foreigners (and 5,000 for the beneficiaries of the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act) in countries that have a low immigration level. Who Is Eligible for the Green Card Lottery? You must be a native or a country with a low rate of immigration to the United States.

Countries that have sent more than 50,000 foreigners to the United States in the past 5 years cannot apply for this visa. For the 2016 lottery, Brazil, Canada, China, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, UK, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Peru, Mexico, Pakistan, Korea, Colombia, Bangladesh, and Northern Ireland are some countries not have enough conditions.

There is no cost to enter the green lottery, but the only way to apply is to complete and submit an electronic form at the US Department of State website during registration. Therefore, many companies also offer to help with the application process for a fee, but using these providers does not increase the chance of being chosen by a person.

You must also meet academic or job requirements. To be eligible for the green card lottery, a person must have at least a high school education or two years of work experience in commerce. Job requirements may include specific skills, work experience, personal qualities, and professional qualifications. Employers try to be as specific as possible when listing job requirements to reduce the number of applicants.

Skills Requirement

Experience requirements include the types of experience in which a candidate applies specific skills in a particular industry or job areas, such as counseling experiences with women of abuse, or counseling experience in a college setting. Requirements may also refer to the incorporation of skills and knowledge bases that employers are seeking, for example, the application of mechanical design to electrical systems.

Years of experience

Years of experience noted in a particular role, for example: 1 year or more career consulting experience or three years of accounting experience working for a financial institution.