You will understand, the Green Card is the royal way to live in the United States and then be able to claim American nationality. So how do you get this famous Green Card?
The wedding
The easiest way to get the Green Card is to marry a US citizen. To limit sham marriages, the authorities issue a temporary green card for the first two years of marriage, then a permanent resident card once this deadline has passed. It is not granted automatically either. The spouses go through an interview with an immigration officer who will be in charge of assessing the legitimacy of the bona fide marriage. After the two-year “trial period,” the immigration service sends the couple a form to fill out to check if the couple is still married. If this is the case, the definitive Green Card is granted to the foreign spouse. The validity of this is 10 years.
It should be noted that the formalities relating to the application for a permanent resident card must be carried out by the American citizen. The procedure to follow is not the same depending on whether the husband or wife is already in the United States or abroad.
If the spouse is already in the United States , the American citizen spouse must apply for a green card at the same time as the application for a work permit. This work permit allows the spouse to exercise a professional activity and move around the United States while waiting to obtain the permanent resident card. Generally speaking, this work permit is issued 90 days after the application.
If the spouse is still abroad , the US spouse is required to apply for a K-3 visa at the same time as the Green Card application. This special visa allows the spouse to stay and work in the United States while waiting to obtain his permanent resident card. The duration of this visa is 2 years renewable until obtaining the Green Card.
Sponsorship of a family member
You don’t have to wear the ring to get the Green Card! The other alternative to getting the green card is sponsorship by a family member who is already a US citizen or green card holder. A US citizen over the age of 21 has the option to initiate a green card application for a family member. The procedure is more or less long depending on the family relationship between the American citizen and the person who wishes to become a permanent resident of the United States.
In USA family In the event of a request for an immediate parent (spouse, fiancé, parents, minor children under 21, but also parents-in-law), the green card is immediately available upon approval of the request.
If the request concerns a distant relative (unmarried children over the age of 21, his or her married son or daughter, or even his or her brother or sister), the procedure may take some time. Indeed, for so-called distant relatives, the issuance of the Green Card is subject to annual quotas, hence the postponement of processing of files which can go up to 4 years.
The U.S. citizen or permanent resident sponsoring the Green Card application must file an immigration application with the USCIS Service Center (the Immigration and Naturalization Department) that has legal jurisdiction for their place of residence. To do this simply fill out Form I-130 and send it back to USCIS.
Employer sponsorship
Work is one of the keys to success in the United States, and this is also confirmed for the Green Card. In fact, it is possible that your green card application is sponsored by an employer. In this case, proof must be provided that the candidate is the only one qualified for the position stipulated in the job offer and that his recruitment will not have a negative impact on the American labor market. For this, a verification called Labor Certification is carried out by the Department of Labor via the PERM procedure or procedure of labor certification.
Once this certification is obtained, the employer begins the Green Card application procedures. To do this, he fills out the I-129 form and attaches all the parts and documents necessary get for a request for a Green Card and presents the file to the USCIS which studies it. If the file is approved, USCIS issues the employer with Form I-797, which certifies that the request is granted. All that remains for the candidate to do is to adjust their situation, if they are already in the United States, or to apply for an immigration visa, if they are still abroad. Once this request is validated, he becomes a permanent resident of the United States.