A "green card" is an alien registration card carried by permanent
resident aliens. It entitles the holder to live and work in the United States.
After four years and nine months, a green card holder can apply to become
a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Eligibility:
U.S.
immigration laws base eligibility for a green card on either work or family
relationships. If you are the immediate relative of an American citizen
- spouse, child, parent, or sibling - you can apply for a green card. If
you are a spouse or a minor child of a U.S. citizen, your application will
be reviewed and a visa will be immediately available for you. Other family
members will have to wait for a visa to become available, which could take
several years. The reason for this wait is that obtaining visas to enter
the United States is a two-step process involving two government agencies.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service, a unit of the Justice Department,
reviews and approves visa applications, while the State Department actually
issues the visas. Sometimes the INS will approve a visa but the State Department
has no visas available.
Sponsorship:
If
you find employment in the U.S. and the employer is
willing to sponsor you, you are also eligible for
a green
card. The more education and skills you have and the
more
necessary your job is in the U.S., the sooner you
will be
able to enter the U.S. and obtain your green card.
Computer software engineers and nurses, for example,
are
in short supply, while waiters and mechanics are not.
Lottery:
Finally,
there is a green card lottery every year that makes
green
cards immediately available to people from different
areas
of the world on a rotating basis. If you are from
a
country selected for the lottery that year, you can
submit
a one-page application with your information and,
if you
are picked, the State Department will grant you a
green
card. Like all lotteries, however, your chances of
winning
are slim.
|
|
