If you want to live in the United States permanently, you need a permanent residence visa. This bit of paperwork, often known as the green card, gives you the right to live and work in the United States indefinitely.
However, getting a green card isn’t easy. US immigration is renowned around the world for its strictness, but it’s not impossible to negotiate if you follow the right steps.
In this guide, we’re going to take a look at how you can negotiate US immigration policy and secure a green card. We’ll take a look at the different methods that can get you a green card.
Are you ready to learn more? Then let’s get started!
1. Getting a Green Card Through Marriage
The easiest way to get a green card is by marrying into one. To do this, you need to marry a United States citizen. It doesn’t matter whether they are inside or outside of the US at the time: if they move back to America, you’ll be able to apply for a green card.
Please note however that the marriage needs to be legitimate. Peruse US immigration news and you’ll often see newspapers discussing fraudulent marriages for green cards. The consequences of one of these sham marriages could be severe and may lead to deportation.
To establish that the marriage is legitimate, you will need to submit a copy of your marriage certificate as well as documentary evidence of your relationship. This could be a joint lease on a house, a joint bank account, or even pictures of the two of you together.
If you or your spouse were previously married to other people, you’ll need to prove that this marriage is over by showing them a divorce document. If your previous spouse died, you will need to provide a death certificate.
You will also need to pay filing fees and fill in other documents. These filing fees will cost you $535 at the time of writing.
2. Sponsorship From an Employer
Another great way to get a green card is by having your employer sponsor you. To get a green card like this, you’ll usually need to have a job offer from an American employer. They’ll also need to have posted an advertisement about the job in a prominent position and not found an American citizen or permanent resident who could do the work.
The employer will then need to make their case for hiring you and will need to file the necessary paperwork. Your employer should pay all of the filing fees and other costs.
There are certain categories that do not require a job offer, but this requires that you possess an extraordinary ability in your field. The preferences for employer sponsorship is as follows:
- People of extraordinary ability including renowned professors, world-class athletes, established and successful business people, etc
- Professionals with advanced degrees
- Professional, skilled, and unskilled workers
- Religious workers
- Investors
3. Claiming Refugee Status
The United States has a history of accepting refugees, with more than three million coming to America since 1980. If you are fleeing persecution, war, o other serious problems that are affecting your home country, you can apply for refugee status.
If you apply for refugee status or asylum, bear in mind that you aren’t guaranteed to receive it. If you do however, you can apply for a green card one year after you get this status.
4. The Diversity Lottery
Also known as the green card lottery, the diversity lottery is just that: a lottery. You can apply for the lottery and, if you’re successful, you will receive one of 55,000 green cards that are up for grabs.
The green card lottery history is full of attempts to close it down but as of 2021, the lottery is still running.
Your application eligibility is based on your country of birth. If your country has sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the US in the last five years, you will not be able to apply for the green card lottery. This means that citizens of many other developed and developing nations such as the United Kingdom, South Korea, and China are not eligible to apply.
If you were born in a country with historically low rates of immigration to the United States, you can apply for this lottery. You should note that your odds of success are quite low as there are many more applicants than there are visas.
There isn’t anything that you can do to increase your chances of winning a green card. You should simply make sure that you complete the application as per the government’s instructions.
5. Sponsorship by a Relative
If you have a relative who is a US citizen, you will be able to ask them to sponsor your application for a green card. This is one of the most popular ways to get a green card, but there is a limited number of these green cards made available per year.
You should bear in mind that not all relatives are eligible to sponsor you. They need to be an immediate relative. Some examples of immediate relatives in the eyes of the INS include:
- Spouses
- Children (including stepchildren)
- Parents (including stepparents)
- Siblings
This means that if, for instance, your cousin is an American citizen, they will not be able to sponsor you.
Getting a Permanent Residence Visa Is Tough but Not Impossible
It can sometimes seem like getting a permanent residence visa is impossible but this isn’t the case. We’ve given you five great ways to get a green card, but it’s always worth keeping up to date with US immigration policy. New categories may open up in the future, which will make it easier for you to come to the US.
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