Green Card

Actually, permanent residence in the United States is not mare fable, but a quite achievable goal. You need to obtain a green card, a special identification document.

What is the USA green card?

This card is granted to people who live in the USA but do not hold the same status as United States citizens. A green card holder is entitled not only to live in the country but to work legally.
More than three million people apply for it every year.

Today, it is one of the highly secure documents in the world: there have been many attempts to move abroad
by using fraudulent documents. Each American green card is an optical data storage card with hologram security.

How to get a Green Card?

• Green Cards to applicants who are randomly selected in a lottery process;
• Green Card through family;
• after marrying a U.S. citizen;
• Green Card through refugee or asylee status;
• Green Card through investments in business;
• Green Card through employment in the USA;
• Green Card due to exceptional abilities.

Green Card types.

There are several types of green cards, here’s more information about the green cards which are obtained most frequently. It is important to know that green cards are divided into different types depending on the ways of their obtaining.

Thus, there is:

• Green Card obtained in a lottery process;
• Green Card for those who are employed by an American company;
• Green Card granted to those who marry a U.S. citizen;
• Green Card received by a relative of a U.S. citizen;
• Green Card for those who invest in the economy of the USA;
• Green Card granted to the adoptee of an U.S. citizen;
• Green Card granted according to a special immigration program.

Green Card for international executives

The executive or manager of an international company, who has been transferred from one branch of the company to another, is eligible for first preference permanent residency. Of course, moving to the USA does not mean that such employee to be granted a green card immediately; a number of requirements should be met in this case.

• The company where the employee is transferred should be associated with the company in the other country.
• If there is no evidence of successful business, the person has moved abroad but the office is not functioning and he/she is not engaged in development of the company, the government will pay attention to this fact.
• Green Card cannot be obtained immediately, first, you have to work and prove that you have serious plans.

Green Card for individuals having exceptional abilities.

If you are a specialist with outstanding abilities, the question «how to obtain a residence permit» has been solved for you. Such figures are especially respected and therefore, they are eligible to receive a U.S. green card.

First, you need to come to America on a visa that is granted to people with exceptional abilities. You should submit the expert’s opinion and the documents confirming that you are really a professional with exceptional talent.

You also should not forget about your awards which will be the best evidence of your talent.

Green Card through family.

If you are interested in obtaining a green card and you have relatives abroad, you may be thought to be eligible for permanent residency. In this case, some subtle aspects should be kept in mind.

• Applying for a Green Card should be done by a U.S. citizen, your relative.
• Your relative, to whom you are going to, can be a lawful permanent resident of the USA, but in this case, the list of relatives who are allowed to be eligible to apply for a green card is sharply reduced.
• Significant evidence of kinship must be submitted.

Green Card through the refugee status.

If you fled from your home country because of persecution due to religious or political views, or other grounds, you can be granted a legal refugee status in the USA and live there in peace and security.

After obtaining a green card you are also fully entitled to become a resident of the United States, but only after you have spent a year in the United States in refugee status.

Green Card Lottery (DV Lottery)

The annual lottery is a process which results are waited with a sinking heart by millions of people, who want to obtain a green card in the USA. Anyone can be the winner as applicants are randomly selected by a computer.

The following requirements should be met to participate in the Green Card Lottery:

• you should fill out the application;
• you should be full-aged;
• you should have at least a high school education or two years of trade work experience;
• you should be a citizen of the country which is included in the list of the countries to be admitted to the lottery next year.

The procedure is very simple and clear: you should complete the form, send it and wait for the result. But you should be careful to avoid green card scams the number of which is constantly growing.

How to recognize a scammer?

• The Lottery does not have any representative offices or centers;
• The only official website is www.dvlottery.state.gov;
• no money is requested for registration in the official Lottery;
• you will not receive a notification letter, email or phone calls from the official entities to inform you that you are a successful DV entrant.

Responsibilities

You are required to file your income tax returns. You are required to pay taxes as it is a duty of every citizen, and if you do not do this, your status may be in jeopardy. Earning a salary in the USA, you cannot avoid paying taxes.

Males age 18 up to age 26 are required to register with the U.S. Selective Service. If a military conflict is brewing, you can be conscripted into the army, and you cannot evade this duty.

If you obtained a green card through employment by an American company, the period during which you have to work there is not negotiated, but do not even think about quitting immediately after that. You should be on the staff of the company from six months to a year. A person who immediately quits the job is easy to be suspected of deception: what if he has got a job at the company with the only aim to obtain a green card?

If you are a green card holder, the United States should become a place of your permanent residence. If you spend most of your time in another country, a couple of questions may arise to you at passport control. If you do not live in America, then why do you need a green card at all?

The same also applies to frequent trips abroad. If you spend almost all the time outside the USA, you will have to prove that you really need a green card. Real estate in America, driver’s license, place of study or work may be presented as evidence.

You should also take care of the state of your children’s green cards. If they live in the USA and have reached the age of 14, their green cards need to be replaced.

And the most important thing, never break the laws. If you commit a crime and put in jail, after releasing you can be deprived of your green card.

Rights of green card holders.

• If you have obtained a Green Card, you can bring your relatives to yourself without any problems. In this case the only subtle aspect is that they cannot apply for a green card.
• Your green card also serves as a travel document, you can use it for travelling outside the USA and come back. But if you are going to stay in another country for more than a year, you need to get a special permit that will allow you to return.
• If you are just fond of travelling, additional permission is not required, but it is better to leave the country for a maximum of six months.

Is dual citizenship permitted after obtaining a green card?

Naturally, the US Government allows dual citizenship. Many people obtain a green card without renouncing their native citizenship. However, you should remember that US citizens take an oath of allegiance.

So, if you became a US citizen, then when traveling somewhere you can only use an American passport. If you use the passport of your native country, the Government will decide that you lied at the time of taking the oath, and therefore you will be deprived of citizenship.

You cannot become a third-country citizen either, as, in this case, you are thought not really to need US citizenship. And you will be deprived of this status quite soon.

What should you do first to obtain a USA green card?

Contact a competent immigration lawyer. You can implement your plan for moving abroad on your own, but the assistance of a professional lawyer is a guarantee of a successful result.

Do not ask yourself how to get a permanent residence, just try to do it.