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What Is A Green Card And How Do I Get One?
By: Jody Ehrhardt, Sat Aug 26th, 2006
Green card is the term used to describe a document that gives a
person born in another country the right to live and work in the
United States. A green card is usually issued to those people
who are permanent resident aliens and who wish to eventually
become a United States citizen. Once a person has held a green
card for almost five years with no legal problems, they are
eligible to apply for citizenship or naturalization.
There are two main ways to be deemed eligible for a green card.
The first way is through your employment in the United States.
In this case, the employer of the foreign individual must agree
to sponsor that individual. Once sponsored the individual may
make application for a green card. This application is usually a
much faster process for those individuals with more education or
specialized job skills. Those individuals that have common job
skills or less education may have to wait for a longer period of
time before their application is reviewed and accepted.
The second way that an individual may become eligible for a
green card is through their immediate family. In this case, if a
foreign individual has a family member such as a child, parent
or sibling that is an American citizen, then they may apply for
a green card. If a parent of a foreign minor child is an
American citizen then that child is automatically and
immediately eligible for a visa.
Another way that a foreign person can qualify for a green card
is through marriage to an American citizen, however, the
American citizen must reside in the United States. Once the
person has obtained their green card they can apply for
permanent residency but the laws controlling this process are
very stiff. In this case, the married parties must prove that
their relationship is legitimate.
In addition to the above options for obtaining a green card,
there are special circumstances that allow certain individuals
who do not meet the above criteria to obtain a green card in a
timely manner. These special circumstances include the following:
Asylum. This special circumstance applies to any foreign
individual who is in the United States and fears returning to
their country of origin. This fear can be brought about by any
persecution that is based on a person's race, political views or
religion.
Labor. Individuals that posses a special skill that is
desperately needed in the United States can obtain a green card
in exchange for their willingness to perform the job and skill
set at a specific job in a specific region assigned to them.
National Interest Wavier. If an individual possesses the
professional skills to be of service to the national interest of
America then that person can be granted a green card without
employer sponsorship.
Researchers. For academic researchers who are internationally
recognized for their achievements, there are special
circumstances that allow that individual to receive a green card
in exchange for sharing their information and knowledge.
Specialized Skills. Individuals that possess specialized skills
and that are experts at the top pf their field may apply for and
be granted a green card. These individuals are usually exempt
from the labor certification process.
Although special circumstances do exist, the normal application
process for and the granting of a green card usually take many
months and is a very complicated and exhaustive system. If you
are contemplating applying for a green card, it is advisable to
speak with an attorney before hand.
About the author:
Jody Ehrhardt write for http://www.lawyervista.com, a website
where you can find a lawyer in your city or state, including
http://www.lawyervista.com/51-state-NM-new_mexico-immigration_law
yer.html New Mexico immigration lawyers and
http://www.lawyervista.com/51-state-KS-kansas-immigration_lawyer.
html Kansas immigration lawyers
