A lawful permanent residence card is frequently called a ‘green card’ in the US. In order to obtain a green card, you will need to apply for an immigrant visa. There are two main categories of immigrant visas: family-based and employment-based.
An immigrant visa consists of a stamp in your passport issued by an American embassy or consulate outside the US which allows you to enter, live and work in the US. Once you pass the country border, you are given a permanent resident card (or green card) that serves as an identification card and allows you to enter and exit the US freely as well as the right to work in the country. Immigrant visas are issued on a limited basis, meaning it can sometimes take years to obtain one.
Before starting your application, make sure you meet all the criteria for the visa you’re applying for. Although you can apply for more than one visa at a time, you will only be able to have one visa status while in the US. Most immigrant visas require the applicant to be sponsored by a US citizen or permanent resident who is either a relative or a prospective employer of the applicant. This means a sponsor must file a petition on your behalf with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to initiate the application process.
There is no limit for the amount of immediate relatives that US citizens can sponsor to gain access to permanent residence. This includes:
Other immediate family members not mentioned above are also considered such as step-parents and step-children as well as adoptive family members. Although the process is not as straightforward as biological relatives, they can be accepted as immediate family members and details can be found on the government website.
Immigrant visas are often processed based on the preference category in which they fall into. As there is an assigned number of immigrant visas which can be distributed each year, the preference of your visa can determine the timeframe in which you can expect to receive your visa.
Preference categories are further divided into family-sponsored immigrants and employment-based immigrants, as described below:
Visas for specific, more distant relatives of US citizens and permanent residents are limited. Preference relatives are divided into the following four categories:
Employment-based immigrants are divided into the following five groups:
Every year, more than one million green cards are issued by the US government. Most of these are given to family members of US citizens and permanent residents, with the second largest share going to foreign workers seeking employment in the US. Applying for an immigrant visa can be a long and tedious process depending on your individual situation. In addition to the visa allowance for each category (family and employment based) there are limits for certain sub-preferences, some of which are based on formulas that change each year. Please refer to your US Embassy for current details.