Getting a US Green Card gives you lawful permanent residence - the right to live and work anywhere in the United States and a path toward citizenship. This guide explains who is eligible, the main routes to permanent residence, how to apply, and how to keep your status once you have it.
- A US Green Card grants lawful permanent residence through four main routes - employment, family sponsorship, the Diversity Visa Lottery and refugee or asylum status
- The US State Department awards up to 55,000 diversity visas each year
- Most applicants adjust status using Form I-485, and permanent residents renew their card with Form I-90.
What Is a Green Card or US Permanent Residence?
A Green Card, officially a Permanent Resident Card, is proof of lawful permanent residence in the United States. It lets the holder live and work in the country indefinitely and is usually the first step toward eventual US citizenship. The card shows your photo, biographic details and an expiration date.
Permanent residence means you are legally settled in the United States rather than visiting on a temporary visa. A Green Card holder can take almost any job, study, own property and travel in and out of the country, subject to the residence rules covered later in this guide.
Who Is Eligible for a Green Card?
There are several routes to a Green Card, each with its own rules. The major categories are employment-based sponsorship, family-based petitions filed by US citizens or permanent residents, the Diversity Visa Lottery for people from low-immigration countries, and protection-based routes for approved refugees and asylees living in the United States.
- Employment-based: for workers with a US job offer or exceptional ability.
- Family-based: for close relatives of US citizens and permanent residents.
- Diversity Visa Lottery: for natives of countries with low US immigration rates.
- Refugee or asylum status: for people granted protection from persecution.
How Do Employment-Based Green Cards Work?
Employment-based Green Cards suit people with a US job offer or exceptional talent. There are five preference categories, EB-1 through EB-5, ranging from priority workers and advanced-degree professionals to skilled workers and immigrant investors. Most categories require employer sponsorship and a PERM labour certification confirming no qualified US worker is available.
- EB-1 Priority workers: people with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics, plus outstanding professors, researchers and multinational executives.
- EB-2 Professionals holding advanced degrees or with exceptional ability; usually needs a job offer and a PERM labour certification, or a national interest waiver.
- EB-3 Skilled workers with at least two years of training or experience, professionals with a bachelor's degree, and certain other workers.
- EB-4 Special immigrants, including certain religious workers, some US government employees abroad, and qualifying translators.
- EB-5 Immigrant investors who invest in a new US business that creates jobs for American workers.
For most employment categories the employer must complete the PERM labour certification with the US Department of Labour. This involves testing the job market to show no qualified US worker is available, obtaining a prevailing-wage determination, filing the PERM application, and passing Department of Labour review before the Green Card petition can proceed.
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Family-based Green Cards let US citizens and permanent residents sponsor close relatives. Immediate relatives - spouses, unmarried children under 21 and parents of adult citizens - face no annual cap. More distant relatives fall under four capped family-preference categories, F1 to F4. Sponsorship begins with Form I-130, the Petition for Alien Relative.
- F1 Unmarried adult sons and daughters of US citizens.
- F2 Spouses, minor children, and unmarried adult sons and daughters of Green Card holders.
- F3 Married sons and daughters of US citizens.
- F4 Siblings of adult US citizens.
The US citizen or permanent resident files Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, with USCIS to establish the qualifying relationship. Once approved, and once a visa number is available for capped categories, the relative either adjusts status inside the US or completes consular processing abroad, including an interview and a medical examination.
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The Diversity Visa Lottery, run by the US State Department, awards up to 55,000 Green Cards each year to natives of countries with low immigration to the United States. Applicants need a high-school diploma or two years of qualifying work experience, and entries are submitted only through the official E-DV website.
To qualify you must be a native of an eligible country - nations that already send large numbers of immigrants to the US are excluded each year - and hold at least a high-school diploma or two years of qualifying work experience gained in the last five years in an occupation that requires that training.
Entries are submitted electronically on the official Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website run by the US Department of State during the annual registration window. Selection is random, so no agent can improve your odds. Avoid unofficial sites and anyone charging large fees to enter on your behalf, and always check the current official instructions.
- Confirm you meet the country and education or work-experience requirements before entering.
- Enter accurate details that exactly match your passport, as errors can disqualify you.
- Submit within the official registration window and keep your unique confirmation number safe to check results.
- Use only the official State Department E-DV website and beware of scams.
How Can Refugees or Asylees Get a Green Card?
People granted refugee or asylum status in the United States may apply for a Green Card, generally after holding that status for one year. Refugees flee their home country fearing persecution, while asylees seek the same protection from inside the US. Applicants file Form I-485 to adjust to permanent residence.
People outside the US may seek refugee status through the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) or a US embassy, while those already in the country request asylum by filing Form I-589 with USCIS. Both refugees and asylees attend an interview, undergo background and security checks, and must show a genuine, well-founded fear of persecution.
After holding refugee or asylum status for the required period, you file Form I-485 to adjust to permanent residence. Supporting evidence typically includes proof of status such as an I-94 arrival record, evidence of continuous presence in the US, fingerprint biometrics, a medical examination and, where needed, a Form I-864 affidavit of support.
How Do You Maintain Permanent Resident Status?
To keep your Green Card you must make the United States your permanent home, avoid serious crimes and file taxes as a resident. Short trips abroad are fine, but absences over six months can raise questions, and trips beyond one year usually require a re-entry permit filed on Form I-131 before leaving.
If you obtained your Green Card through a recent marriage or an EB-5 investment, it is usually conditional for two years. You must file to remove the conditions before it expires - Form I-751 for marriage-based cards or Form I-829 for investors - proving the marriage is genuine or the qualifying investment was made.
How Do You Apply for a Green Card Step by Step?
The main application is Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, filed with USCIS. You gather supporting documents, pay the filing fee, attend a biometrics appointment for fingerprints and photos, respond to any USCIS requests, complete an interview if required, and finally receive a decision on your case.
- File Form I-485, the Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, with USCIS - or complete consular processing if you are outside the US.
- Gather supporting documents such as your passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate, police clearances, employment records and financial documents.
- Pay the required filing fee, which currently stands at 1,440 US dollars for most adjustment applicants filing on paper.
- Attend your biometrics appointment to give fingerprints, a photo and a signature for identity and background checks.
- Respond promptly to any USCIS request for additional evidence to avoid delays.
- Attend the Green Card interview if one is scheduled for your category.
- Wait for USCIS to process the case and issue a decision; if approved, your physical Green Card is mailed to you.
Filing fees depend on your category and age and can change, so always confirm the current amount with the USCIS fee calculator before you pay. Many adjustment applicants also need a medical examination completed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon, which is paid separately from the government filing fee.