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How to get a Green Card
Are you dreaming of starting a new life in the USA? If so, you will need a Green Card. Learn the easiest way to get a US immigrant visa with unlimited residence and work permit for the United States.
Take the chance of living in the USA and apply for the official US Green Card Lottery!
Requirements for getting a Green Card
If you want to live and work in the USA indefinitely, there is no way around a Green Card application. However, not every USA fan qualifies for the much-desired US immigrant visa.
There are a number of hurdles along the various paths to a Green Card that an applicant must first clear - assuming they even meet the requirements to apply for a Permanent Resident Card. These may include:
- Close relationship to a US citizen or Green Card holder (family reunification Green Card)
- Being married to a US citizen (Green Card by marriage)
- Exceptional skills that may be of great economic importance to the US government
- Sponsorship by a US employer (Green Card through employment)
- A large investment in a US company and the creation of jobs for US citizens (Green Card through investment)
- Winning the Green Card Lottery
How to get a Green Card without education?
The Green Card Lottery is a real bright spot in the jungle of Green Card requirements because of its low-threshold eligibility requirements combined with high odds of winning.
To participate in the annual lottery of 55,000 American immigrant visas by the US government, you only need a school degree comparable to a US high school diploma (12 years of formal primary and secondary schooling).
Getting a Green Card without a school diploma
Instead of 12 years of schooling, you can prove at least two years of work experience within the past five years in a qualified profession that requires at least two years of training.
What are the Green Card categories?
Green Cards are issued in more than 100 different categories, for which there are different annual quotas. The imprint of the "category codes" on the card always clearly indicates the way in which a US immigrant obtained their Green Card:
| Examples of Green Card categories | |
|---|---|
| IR, CR, IB, IW, AR, IH | Relatives of US citizens |
| E | Immigrants with special skills or job opportunities and US employers as sponsors |
| DV | Winner of the Green Card Lottery ("DV" = Diversity Visa) |
| AS, R, M, RE, SY, CU | Refugees and asylum seekers |
The paths to a Green Card differ depending on their categories, and each one has different requirements to meet. However, all US immigrants have one thing in common once they receive their Green Cards: they are now "Lawful Permanent Residents" of the United States of America.
For the full list of Green Card categories, visit the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) website.
Green Card Petition: How to Apply
You will have to master several phases in the US Green Card application process. These vary, sometimes greatly, depending on the Green Card category.
Generally, you will go through the following steps in the Green Card application process:
- Check requirements and decide on a path to the Green Card
- Gather required documents and have them translated with notarization
- Complete and submit the Green Card application or find a US sponsor to do so
- Pay applicable fees
- Submit proof of eligibility and supporting documentation to the US immigration service
- Go through the consular process, including a medical examination, an interview at the US Embassy, and submission of biometric data, or complete the adjustment of status process within the United States
Check Green Card requirements
Do your research before deciding on your personal path to the Green Card. Find out whether you meet the respective requirements 100 % because the US authorities do not make exceptions.
The following criteria may be critical here - depending on which Green Card process you choose for yourself:
- Your country of birth
- Your level of education or degree
- Your finances
- Your relatives
- The bona fides of your marriage
- Your skills and awards
- Your work history
- The presence of a job offer in the USA
Green Card tip: double track!
Most future US immigrants always have a ticket in the Green Card Lottery pot alongside their application for a workplace or family Green Card. This is because of the simplified and fast Green Card application process within the lottery. Lengthy documentation, costly labor certifications, and years of waiting are all eliminated with the Green Card Lottery. The only hurdle is actually being drawn.
Submitting your Green Card application
Applying for a Green Card can look very different depending on the category. If you are eligible for the Green Card Lottery, it takes only a few minutes to complete the online application form.
In contrast, most employment-based and family-based Green Cards require a comprehensive immigration petition that must be submitted by the so-called sponsor (US employer or family member in the United States).
Assuming you got everything right in your Green Card application and meet all the requirements, you are only a few steps away from your American Dream. After the medical examination by a contract physician and the Green Card interview, the decision on your application will not take long.
3 Tips to help you get a Green Card more easily
Increase your personal chances of getting a Green Card with our expert advice:
- Get help from an experienced professional to avoid mistakes and be protected from rejection (or disqualification by US authorities in the Green Card Lottery).
- Actively search for US employers who sponsor Green Cards. Websites such as visadoor.com and numerous US expatriate communities can help you.
- In all your efforts, always keep your name in the draw pot for the Green Card Lottery, even if you are taking a different path to the Green Card in parallel.
We keep our fingers crossed for you to get your Green Card quickly! Do you want to learn more about living and working in the USA? Then our detailed guides can help you:
