How to Get a Green Card

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U.S. lawful permanent residents have the right to live in the United States permanently, and they receive an identity card popularly known as a "green card." But green cards are available only to limited categories of people. Find out who qualifies, and how to apply.

Green Card Eligibility: Overview

Green Card Qualification
Categories of people who can apply for a green card, to make their home in the U.S.
Elegibilidad para la Tarjeta Verde (Green Card)
Las varias categorias de personas que pueden obtener la residencia permanente y la Tarjeta verde (green card).
What's the Difference Between a Visa and a Green Card?
Some visas lead to green cards -- others don't. Get acquainted with the overlaps and differences in these concepts' meanings.

Particular Categories of U.S. Green Cards

Marriage-Based Green Cards
All about eligibility and procedures for getting a green card or fiance visa based on an existing or planned marriage.
Family-Based Green Cards
Parents, children, and siblings of U.S. citizens, as well as children of permanent residents are all potentially eligible for a U.S. green card; click here for a detailed series of articles.
Diversity Visa Lottery Green Cards
Click here for articles on how to "win" a green card through the diversity visa lottery (DV).
Employment-Based Green Cards
Click here for a series of articles on your potential eligibility for, and the application process to obtain, a green card based on working in the United States.

Green Card Application Process

Applying for a Green Card
Overview of the application process for U.S. lawful permanent residence.
The Visa Petition: The First Step for Family and Employment Green Cards
How sponsors of immigrants initiate the application process by submitting a visa petition to USCIS.
Adjustment of Status Procedures
Click here if you'll be applying for your green card in the U.S., to access numerous articles and in-depth guidance.
Consular Processing Procedures
All about the forms, documents, and interview requirements for immigrants coming from overseas or attending their visa interview at a U.S. consulate.
Employers: Sponsoring Immigrants for Work Visas or Green Cards
Guidance specifically for U.S. employers seeking to add foreign national workers to their labor pool.
How Long Is the Wait for Your Priority Date to Become Current?
How would-be immigrants in the "preference categories" can track their progress toward visa availability using the Visa Bulletin.
How long before my Priority Date is current will I get a letter telling me?
Although you should receive word when your Priority Date is current, keep track of it yourself, just in case.
Visa Retrogression, or Why Your Priority Date Is No Longer Current
Understanding why the State Department might say there's a visa available to you one month, and change its mind the next.
When an I-130 Can Be Filed at the Same Time as a Green Card Application
Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, if living in the U.S., may not need to wait for approval of the I-130 visa petition before also submitting their green card application.
Dealing With Delay or Denial of Your Green Card
Articles on what to do when things go wrong in your quest for U.S. residence.
How long is a new permanent resident visa good for?
Making sure to enter the U.S. with your new immigrant visa before its expiration date
When to Bring an Interpreter to an Adjustment of Status (Green Card) Interview
If you are not comfortable speaking English, learn how an interpreter can assist you during your green card interview.

Questions on Getting a Green Card

What's the Easiest Way to Get a U.S. Green Card?
There are many paths to a U.S. green card, with varying requirements and wait times.
Can I travel if I'm a permanent resident awaiting my green card?
Traveling with a temporary I-551 if your actual green card has not yet arrived.
If I'm in the U.S. illegally, can I apply for the green card lottery?
Potential complications in claiming a visa based on your lottery win if you are in the U.S. unlawfully.
Could partnering in my business help my friend immigrate?
Investment-based green card opportunities.
I'm already an asylee -- so why do I need a green card?
How U.S. lawful permanent residence offers a more secure status to asylees, and is a necessary step before U.S. citizenship.

After Getting Your Green Card: How to Keep It

Keeping Your Green Card After You Get It
Summary of how to avoid becoming deportable, abandoning your residence, or otherwise losing your green card rights.
After Getting Your Green Card: How to Keep It
Detailed articles on avoiding deportability, renewing or replacing a lost green card, and more.