How Can I Get a Green Card?

"How can I get a green card," is one of the most common questions people ask about when trying to work in the United States. A green card can offer individuals who want to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis many significant benefits.

Green Card Benefits

Green card benefits¹ typically include:

• The right to work at any company located in the United States
• The right to leave and enter the United States without risk of being denied entry by an Immigration Official
• The right to start your own business and/or corporation
• The right to legally own property, cars, firearms and other items that any other average American does
• The right to apply for Social Security benefits upon retirement
• The right to sponsor a spouse and unmarried minor children under 21 to obtain permanent residency status
• The right to apply for Federally-funded financial aid for education purposes

Ways to Get a Green Card

There may be a number of ways to obtain a green card, but these are the three options are commonly considered the most common ways to get a green card²:

1. Apply for a green card through a family member
2. Apply for a green card through a job
3. Apply for a green card through refugee or asylum status

Some individuals may be able to get a green card through the “green card lottery” or the immigrant visa program, but these are typically severely limited.

Green Card Eligibility

It is important to note, some individuals may not be eligible to apply for a green card. The United States has eligibility requirements an individual must meet prior to applying for a green card. These requirements include:

• You must be considered admissible to the United States
• You must have an immigrant visa immediately available
• Your immigrant petition must be filed and approved
• You must examine the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and determine which category you may be eligible to apply under

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Sources:

¹Benefits of a Green Card
²American Green Card