View source for Green card

{{short description|Lawful permanent residency in the United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox Identity document
|document_name=United States permanent resident card
|image=2023 green card front.jpg
|image2=2023 green card back.jpg
|image_caption2=Sample of a Permanent Resident Card (often called a "green card") of the United States (2023)
|date_first_issued=
|using_jurisdiction={{flagicon image|Flag of the United States (Pantone).svg}} [[United States Citizenship and Immigration Services]]
|valid_jurisdictions=
|document_type=[[Identity document|Personal identification document]]
|purpose=[[Identity document|Identification]]
|eligibility=
|expiration=10 years (standard)<br>2 years (conditional)
|cost=}}
{{US citizenship and immigration}}

A '''green card''', known officially as a '''permanent resident card''', is an [[identity document]] which shows that a person has [[permanent residency]] in the United States.<ref name="section 1101(a)(20)">{{uscsub|8|1101|a|20}} ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been lawfully accorded the privilege of residing permanently in the United States as an immigrant in accordance with the [[Immigration and Nationality Act|immigration laws]], such status not having changed.").</ref><ref name="LPR">{{cite web |title=Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) |url=https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/lawful-permanent-residents |date=2018-04-24 |access-date=2018-09-22 |publisher=[[United States Department of Homeland Security|U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security]] (DHS) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180922091633/https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/lawful-permanent-residents |archive-date=2018-09-22 |url-status=live }}</ref> Green card holders are formally known as '''lawful permanent residents''' ('''LPRs'''). {{As of|2024}}, there are an estimated 12.8 million green card holders, of whom almost 9 million are eligible to become [[citizenship of the United States|United States citizens]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Miller|first=Sarah|date=September 2024|title=Estimates of the Lawful Permanent Resident Population in the United States and the Subpopulation Eligible to Naturalize: 2023|url=https://ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/2024_1108_ohss_lawful_permenent_resident_population_estimate_2024_and_revised_2023.pdf|publisher=[[United States Department of Homeland Security]]}}</ref> Approximately 18,700 of them serve in the [[United States Armed Forces|U.S. Armed Forces]].<ref name=Dowd>{{cite web |title=What a Country: Immigrants Serve US Military Well |url=https://providencemag.com/2018/04/what-a-country-immigrants-serve-us-military-well/ |date=2018-04-02 |access-date=2018-09-22 |publisher=providencemag.com |first=Alan |last=Dowd |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923054115/https://providencemag.com/2018/04/what-a-country-immigrants-serve-us-military-well/ |archive-date=2018-09-23 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Green card holders are statutorily entitled to apply for U.S. citizenship after showing by a [[burden of proof (law)#Preponderance of the evidence|preponderance of the evidence]] that they, among other things, have continuously resided in the United States for one to five years and are persons of [[good moral character]].<ref name=naturalization/><ref name="Al-Sharif v. USCIS">''Al-Sharif v. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services'', [https://casetext.com/case/al-sharif-v-us-citizenship-immigration-servs-2 734 F.3d 207] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925220034/https://casetext.com/case/al-sharif-v-us-citizenship-immigration-servs-2 |date=September 25, 2018 }} (3d Cir. 2013) (en banc) (holding that an LPR convicted of an aggravated felony cannot obtain U.S. citizenship); see also ''Mobin v. Taylor'', [https://casetext.com/case/mobin-v-taylor 598 F.Supp.2d 777] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209121835/https://casetext.com/case/mobin-v-taylor |date=December 9, 2018 }} ([[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia|E.D. Va.]] 2009) (same).</ref> Those who are younger than 18 years old automatically derive U.S. citizenship if they have at least one U.S. citizen parent.<ref name="American">''Khalid v. Sessions'', [https://www.leagle.com/decision/infco20180913097 904 F.3d 129] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223211521/https://www.leagle.com/decision/infco20180913097 |date=2018-12-23 }}, 131 (2d Cir. 2018) (case involving a U.S. citizen in [[removal proceedings]])</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Khalid v. Sessions |url=https://shortcircuit.org/sc_case_entry/khalid-v-sessions/ |website=Short Circuit |access-date=2022-04-01}}</ref>

The card is known as a "green card" because of its historical [[shades of green|greenish]] color.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aila.org/infonet/uscis-redesigned-green-card-fact-sheet-and-faq |title=USCIS Announces Redesigned Green Card: Fact Sheet and FAQ |date=2010-05-11 |access-date=2014-04-23 |publisher=[[American Immigration Lawyers Association|AILA]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150306164947/http://www.aila.org/infonet/uscis-redesigned-green-card-fact-sheet-and-faq |archive-date=2015-03-06 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uscis.gov/archive/blog/2010/05/new-design-green-card-goes-green |title=New Design: The Green Card Goes Green |date=2010-05-11 |access-date=2014-04-23 |publisher=[[USCIS]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170601003209/https://www.uscis.gov/archive/blog/2010/05/new-design-green-card-goes-green |archive-date=2017-06-01 |url-status=live }}</ref> It was formerly called a "certificate of alien registration", "Resident Alien Card" or an "alien registration receipt card".<ref name="Campos v. United States">{{cite web|title=Campos v. United States|url=https://www.leagle.com/decision/infco20180424153|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010060844/https://www.leagle.com/decision/infco20180424153|archive-date=2018-10-10}}, 732 ([[5th Cir.]] 2018 (888 F.3d 724)).</ref> A holder of a green card must carry it with them at all times.<ref>Absent [[Exceptional and extremely unusual hardship|exceptional circumstances]], 'Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him pursuant to subsection (d). Any alien who fails to comply with the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall upon conviction for each offense be fined not to exceed $100 or be imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both': INA [https://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/SLB/HTML/SLB/0-0-0-1/0-0-0-29/0-0-0-8289.html § 264(e)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923052446/https://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/SLB/HTML/SLB/0-0-0-1/0-0-0-29/0-0-0-8289.html |date=September 23, 2018}}, {{uscsub|8|1304|e}} ("Personal possession of registration or receipt card; penalties").</ref>

Green card [[lawful permanent residents (United States)#Application process|applications]] are decided by the [[United States Citizenship and Immigration Services]] (USCIS), but in some cases an [[Immigration Judge (United States)|immigration judge]] or a member of the [[Board of Immigration Appeals]] (BIA), acting on behalf of the [[United States Attorney General|U.S. Attorney General]], may grant [[permanent residency]] in the course of [[removal proceedings]]. Any authorized [[United States federal judge|federal judge]] may do the same by signing and issuing an [[injunction]].<ref>See generally ''Agor v. Sessions'', [https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/4538156/agor-v-sessions/ No. 17‐3231] (2d Cir. September 26, 2018) ("Although federal courts are barred from reviewing a discretionary denial of an adjustment application, we retain [[jurisdiction]] to review an applicantʹs eligibility to adjust.") (summary order); ''Alimbaev v. Att'y'', [https://casetext.com/case/alimbaev-v-attorney-gen-of-the-united-states-1#p194 872 F.3d 188] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129100132/https://casetext.com/case/alimbaev-v-attorney-gen-of-the-united-states-1#p194 |date=November 29, 2018 }}, 194 (3d Cir. 2017) (same); ''Bonilla v. Lynch'', [https://www.leagle.com/decision/infco20161020163 840 F.3d 575] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006000334/https://www.leagle.com/decision/infco20161020163 |date=October 6, 2018 }}, 581-82 (9th Cir. 2016) (same).</ref> Immigrant workers who would like to obtain a green card can apply using form I-140.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uscis.gov/i-140|title=Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers &#124; USCIS|date=May 4, 2021}}</ref>{{Verify source|date=April 2022}}

An LPR could become "removable" from the United States after suffering a criminal [[conviction]],<ref name=removable>{{uscsub|8|1229a|e|2}} ("The term 'removable' means—(A) in the case of an alien not admitted to the United States, that the alien is inadmissible under section 1182 of this title, or (B) in the case of an alien admitted to the United States, that the alien is deportable under section 1227 of this title."); see also ''Galindo v. Sessions'', [https://casetext.com/case/galindo-v-sessions-1#p897 897 F.3d 894] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224023825/https://casetext.com/case/galindo-v-sessions-1#p897 |date=December 24, 2018 }}, 897 ([[United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit|7th Cir.]] 2018); ''Tima v. Att'y Gen.'', [https://www.leagle.com/decision/infco20180906085 903 F.3d 272] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223211513/https://www.leagle.com/decision/infco20180906085 |date=December 23, 2018 }}, 277 (3d Cir. 2018) ("Section 1227 defines '[d]eportable aliens,' a [[synonym]] for removable aliens.... So § 1227(a)(1) [[wikt:piggyback#English|piggybacks]] on § 1182(a) by treating grounds of inadmissibility as grounds for removal as well.").</ref> especially if it involved a [[particularly serious crime]] or an [[aggravated felony]] "for which the term of [[imprisonment]] was completed within the previous 15 years".<ref name="aggravated felony">{{uscsub|8|1101|a|43}} ("The term [aggravated felony] applies to an offense described in this paragraph ... and applies to such an offense ... for which the term of imprisonment was completed within the previous 15 years."); ''Matter of Vasquez-Muniz'', [https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2014/07/25/3461.pdf 23 I&N Dec. 207] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412071211/https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2014/07/25/3461.pdf |date=April 12, 2019 }}, 211 (BIA 2002) (en banc) ("This penultimate sentence, governing the enumeration of crimes in section 101(a)(43) of the Act, refers the reader to ''all'' of the crimes 'described in' the aggravated felony provision."); ''[[Luna Torres v. Lynch]]'', 578 U.S. 452, ___, [https://www.leagle.com/decision/insco20160519f95 136 S.Ct. 1623] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181202155108/https://www.leagle.com/decision/insco20160519f95 |date=December 2, 2018 }}, 1627 (2016) ("The whole point of § 1101(a)(43)'s penultimate sentence is to make clear that a listed offense should lead to swift removal, no matter whether it violates federal, state, or foreign law."); see also {{uscfr|8|1001.1}}(t) ("The term aggravated felony means a crime (or a conspiracy or attempt to commit a crime) described in section 101(a)(43) of the Act. '''This definition is applicable to any proceeding, application, custody determination, or [[adjudication]] pending on or <u>after September 30, 1996</u>''', but shall apply under section 276(b) of the Act only to violations of section 276(a) of the Act occurring on or after that date.") (emphasis added).</ref>{{Verify source|date=April 2022}}

==History==
[[File:OriginalGreenCard.jpg|thumb|A 1949 "alien registration receipt card" of a female [[wikt:immigrant#English|immigrant]], which was issued by the now-abolished [[Immigration and Naturalization Service]] (INS) under the [[Nationality Act of 1940]]]]

The [[Immigration and Naturalization Service]] was formed as part of the Department of Labor in 1933, and in 1940 was moved under the Department of Justice along with the [[Nationality Act of 1940]]. During the 1940s the predecessor to the "Permanent Resident" card was the "Alien Registration Receipt Card" which on the back would indicate "Perm.Res" in accordance with the [[Immigration Act of 1924]].

The INA, which was enacted by the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]] in 1952, states that "[t]he term '[[alien (law)#United States|alien]]' means any person, not a [[citizenship of the United States|citizen]] or [[national of the United States]]."<ref name=alien>{{uscsub|8|1101|a|3}}</ref>

===Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act===
{{Further
|Refugee Act of 1980
|deportation of Americans from the United States
|deportation of Afghan refugees from the United States
|deportation of Cambodian refugees from the United States
}}

On September 30, 1996, President Clinton signed into law the [[Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996|Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act]] (IIRIRA).<ref name="Othi v. Holder">''Othi v. Holder'' [https://casetext.com/case/othi-v-holder#p265 734 F.3d 259] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210124605/https://casetext.com/case/othi-v-holder#p265 |date=December 10, 2018 }}, 264-65 ([[4th Cir.]] 2013) ("In 1996, Congress 'made major changes to immigration law' via [[IIRIRA]].... These IIRIRA changes became effective on April 1, 1997.").</ref>

[[File:Lennon's Green Card.jpg|thumb|left|A 1976 card issued by the INS to [[John Lennon]], stating the following: "This is to certify that [Lennon] has been duly registered according to [[Immigration and Nationality Act|law]] and was admitted to the United States as an immigrant."]]

[[File:US Permanent Resident Card 2010-05-11.JPG|thumb|Permanent resident card (2010)]]

An LPR can file an [[Form N-400|application for naturalization]] after five years of continuous residency in the United States.<ref name=naturalization>{{usc|8|1427}} ("Requirements of naturalization"); see also {{uscsub|8|1101|f|8}};
*{{cite web |url=https://www.uscis.gov/us-citizenship/citizenship-through-naturalization/path-us-citizenship |title=Path to U.S. Citizenship |date=January 22, 2013 |access-date=September 23, 2018 |publisher=[[United States Citizenship and Immigration Services]] (USCIS) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923152331/https://www.uscis.gov/us-citizenship/citizenship-through-naturalization/path-us-citizenship |archive-date=September 23, 2018 |url-status=live }} 
*{{cite web |url=https://www.usa.gov/become-us-citizen |title=How to Apply for U.S. Citizenship |date=September 4, 2018 |access-date=September 23, 2018 |publisher=www.usa.gov |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916164229/https://www.usa.gov/become-us-citizen |archive-date=September 16, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{uscfr|8|316.2}} ("Eligibility"); {{usc|8|1429}} ("Prerequisite to naturalization; burden of proof").</ref> This period may be shortened to three years if married to a U.S. citizen<ref>See generally {{uscfr|8|319.1}} ("Persons living in marital union with United States citizen spouse").</ref> or one year during service with the U.S. armed forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uscis.gov/military/naturalization-through-military-service|title=Naturalization Through Military Service|website=USCIS|access-date=2018-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112181515/https://www.uscis.gov/military/naturalization-through-military-service|archive-date=November 12, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> An LPR may submit their applications for naturalization as early as 90 days before meeting the residency requirement. In addition to continuous residency, the applicants must demonstrate [[good moral character]], pass both an English test and a civics test, and demonstrate attachment to the [[Constitution of the United States|U.S. Constitution]]. In the summer of 2018, a new program was initiated to help LPRs prepare themselves for naturalization.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/citizenship-and-assimilation-grant-program |title=Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program |publisher=USCIS |access-date=2018-09-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180922211715/https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/citizenship-and-assimilation-grant-program |archive-date=2018-09-22 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web |date=2022-07-11 |title=Green Card {{!}} USCIS |url=https://www.uscis.gov/green-card |access-date=2023-02-11 |website=www.uscis.gov |language=en}}</ref>

Like U.S. citizens, LPRs can sponsor certain family members to immigrate to the United States, but the number of family members of LPRs who can immigrate is limited by an annual cap, and there is a years-long backlog.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uscis.gov/USCIS/Resources/B1en.pdf |title=I Am a Permanent Resident. How Do I Help My Relative Become a U.S. Permanent Resident? |publisher=USCIS |access-date=September 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512030231/http://www.uscis.gov/USCIS/Resources/B1en.pdf |archive-date=May 12, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[https://travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_1360.html Visa Bulletins] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101101608/http://travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_1360.html |date=January 1, 2014}} State Department</ref><ref>[https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/ Check Case Processing Times] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923235126/https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/ |date=September 23, 2018 }} USCIS</ref>

=== 2019 "public charge" restrictions on awarding Green cards ===
On August 12, 2019, [[United States Citizenship and Immigration Services|U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services]] (USCIS) formally announced a new rule restricting poorer immigrants from attaining LPR status. Under the rule, which was slated to take effect on October 15, 2019, legal immigrants who have received public benefits such as [[Supplemental Security Income]], [[Temporary Assistance for Needy Families]], the [[Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program]], [[Medicaid]], and public housing assistance for more than a total of twelve months may be classified as a "public charge" ineligible for permanent residency.<ref name=":10">{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-benefits-idUSKCN1V219N|title=New Trump rule would target legal immigrants who get public assistance|date=2019-08-12|work=Reuters|access-date=2019-08-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812153939/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-benefits-idUSKCN1V219N|archive-date=August 12, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Immigration official may investigate the health, income, wealth, education, and family of applicants for permanent residency to predict whether they will become a public charge in the future.<ref name=":11">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/12/us/politics/trump-immigration-policy.html|title=Trump Policy Favors Wealthier Immigrants for Green Cards|last1=Shear|first1=Michael D.|date=2019-08-12|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-08-12|last2=Sullivan|first2=Eileen|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812140003/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/12/us/politics/trump-immigration-policy.html|archive-date=2019-08-12|url-status=live}}</ref> The term "public charge" appears in the Immigration and Nationality Act, but is not defined by the law. Refugees, asylum seekers, pregnant women, children, and family members of those serving in the Armed Forces are excluded from the restrictions.<ref name=":10" /> The Trump administration estimated that 58% of households headed by non-citizens use a public welfare program and half use Medicaid.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-ensuring-non-citizens-not-abuse-nations-public-benefit/|title=President Donald J. Trump is Ensuring Non-Citizens Do Not Abuse Our Nation's Public Benefit|access-date=2019-08-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120201756/https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-ensuring-non-citizens-not-abuse-nations-public-benefit/|archive-date=2021-01-20|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|url-status=live}}</ref> The Migration Policy Institute estimated that half of all Green Card applicants would be excluded by the rule.<ref name=":10" />

[[Ken Cuccinelli|Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II]], the former acting director of USCIS, stated the policy will "have the long-term benefit of protecting taxpayers by ensuring people who are immigrating to this country don't become public burdens, that they can stand on their own two feet, as immigrants in years past have done."<ref name=":10" /> The National Immigration Law Center stated that the rule "will have a dire humanitarian impact, forcing some families to forgo critical lifesaving health care and nutrition. The damage will be felt for decades to come."<ref name=":11" /> The law center announced it would sue to prevent the policy from taking effect.<ref name=":10" />

During his campaign for [[President of the United States]], [[Joe Biden]] criticized the Public Charge rule and pledged to revoke it.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://joebiden.com/immigration/
 |title=THE BIDEN PLAN FOR SECURING OUR VALUES AS A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS
 |last=
 |first=
 |date=
 |website=joebiden.com
 |publisher=
 |access-date=2021-02-05
 |quote=Reverse Trump’s public charge rule, which runs counter to our values as Americans and the history of our nation. Allowing immigration officials to make an individual’s ability to receive a visa or gain permanent residency contingent on their use of government services such as SNAP benefits or Medicaid, their household income, and other discriminatory criteria undermines America’s character as land of opportunity that is open and welcoming to all, not just the wealthy.
 |archive-date=2021-02-14
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214085040/https://joebiden.com/immigration/
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref> On February 2, 2021, President Biden signed an executive order that the [[U.S. Department of Homeland Security]] review the policy, amongst others.<ref>{{cite news
| last         =O’Toole
| first        =Molly
| date         =2021-02-02
| title        =Biden's early immigration orders largely limited to reviewing, not undoing, Trump policy
| url          =https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-02-02/biden-immigration-executive-orders-trump
| work         =The Los Angeles Times
| location     =Los Angeles, California 
| access-date  =2021-02-05
|quote=On Tuesday, Biden signed a series of executive orders and directives on immigration that primarily call for the review of, rather than an end to, Trump policies that the new administration has said it would get rid of, according to Biden officials who previewed the actions. These include the program known as “Remain in Mexico,” under which thousands of asylum seekers remain stuck at the border, and the “public charge” rule, which essentially requires a wealth test for immigrants.}}</ref> In 2025, president Donald Trump began deportation proceedings against permanent residents [[Detention of Mahmoud Khalil|Mahmoud Khalil]], [[Yunseo Chung]] and [[Detention of Mohsen Mahdawi|Mohsen Mahdawi]] related to political activism.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-deporting-student-green-card-holders-mahmoud-khalil-rcna203601 | title=Opinion &#124; Like Mahmoud Khalil, I was a student green card holder. But Donald Trump wasn't president | website=[[MSNBC]] | date=May 2, 2025 }}</ref>

==Types of immigration==
{{Further|Immigration to the United States}}
A foreign national may obtain [[permanent residency]] in the United States primarily through the following:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uscis.gov/greencard |title=Green Card |publisher=USCIS |access-date=2018-09-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923200654/https://www.uscis.gov/greencard |archive-date=2018-09-23 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-eligibility-categories |title=Green Card Eligibility Categories |date=2022-07-11 |publisher=USCIS }}</ref><ref name="auto"/>
*Sponsorship by a family member
*Employment (immigrant workers and investors)
*Apply as a special immigrant (religious worker)
*Apply as human trafficking and crime victims
*Apply as victims of abuse
*Other categories (e.g. Diversity Visa)
*Through registry (For certain people who have resided continuously in the U.S. since before Jan. 1, 1972)

===Immigration eligibility and quotas===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
|-"
!|Category
!|Eligibility
!|Annual quota<sup>c</sup>
!|Immigrant visa backlog<ref name="visabulletin">{{cite web |date=2024-05-02 |title=The Visa Bulletin |url=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2025/visa-bulletin-for-june-2025.html |access-date=2025-05-15 |publisher=[[United States Department of State]]}}</ref>
|-
|colspan=4|'''Family-sponsored'''
|-
|align=center|IR||Immediate relative (spouse, children under 21 years of age, and parents) of U.S. citizens<br>(U.S. citizens must be at least 21 years of age in order to sponsor their parents.)||align=right|No numerical limit<sup>a</sup>||align=center|&nbsp;
|-
|align=center|F1||Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years of age or older) of U.S. citizens||align=right|23,400||align=center|7 – 20 years<sup>b</sup>
|-
|align=center|F2A||Spouse and minor children (under 21 years of age) of lawful permanent residents||align=right|87,934||align=center|3 – 4 years<sup>b</sup>
|-
|align=center|F2B||Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years of age or older) of permanent residents||align=right|26,266<ref>Per [https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1153 8 U.S. Code § 1153 (a)(2)(B)], out of 114,200 visas, 77% are allocated for F2A. This leaves 23% (of 114,200) for F2B, which is exactly 26,266.</ref>||align=center|8 – 19 years<sup>b</sup>
|-
|align=center|F3||Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens ||align=right|23,400||align=center| 13 – 24 years<sup>b</sup>
|-
|align=center|F4||Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens ||align=right|65,000||align=center| 17 – 24 years<sup>b</sup>
|-
|-
|colspan=4|'''Employment-based'''<sup>c</sup>
|-
|align=center|[[EB-1 visa|EB-1]]||Priority workers. There are three sub-groups: 1. Foreign nationals with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics; 2. Foreign nationals that are outstanding professors or researchers with at least three years' experience in teaching or research and who are recognized internationally; 3. Foreign nationals that are managers and executives subject to international transfer to the United States. ||align=right|41,455<ref name="visa-bulletin-2012-sep">{{cite web|url=http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_5759.html|title=Visa Bulletin for September 2012|publisher=[[USCIS]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815222538/http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_5759.html|archive-date=August 15, 2012}}</ref>||align=center|currently available – 3 years<sup>b</sup>
|-
|align=center|[[EB-2 visa|EB-2]]||Professionals holding advanced degrees (Ph.D., master's degree, or at least five years of progressive post-baccalaureate experience) or persons of exceptional ability in sciences, arts, or business||align=right|41,455<ref name="visa-bulletin-2012-sep" />||align=center|1 year – 12 years<sup>b</sup>
|-
|align=center|[[EB-3 visa|EB-3]]||Skilled workers, professionals, and other workers||align=right|41,455<ref name="visa-bulletin-2012-sep" />||align=center|2 years – 12 years<sup>b</sup>
|-
|align=center|EB-4||Certain special immigrants: ministers, religious workers, current or former U.S. government workers, etc.||align=right|10,291<ref name="visa-bulletin-2012-sep" />||align=center|4 years<sup>b</sup>
|-
|align=center|[[EB-5 visa|EB-5]]||Investors, for investing either $900,000 in rural projects creating over 10 American jobs or $1.8 million<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uscis.gov/eb-5|title=EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program|website=USCIS|language=en|access-date=2019-12-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120013738/https://www.uscis.gov/eb-5|archive-date=2017-11-20|url-status=live}}</ref> in other developments<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/special-report/2018/05/19/why-many-rich-chinese-dont-live-in-china|title=Why many rich Chinese don't live in China|newspaper=The Economist|date=2018-05-17|language=en|access-date=2018-06-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612011401/https://www.economist.com/special-report/2018/05/19/why-many-rich-chinese-dont-live-in-china|archive-date=2018-06-12|url-status=live}}</ref>|| align="right" |10,291<ref name="visa-bulletin-2012-sep" />||align=center|currently available – 11 years (China-born individuals)<sup>b</sup>
|-
|colspan=2|'''[[Diversity Immigrant Visa|Diversity immigrant (DV)]]'''||align=right|55,000<sup>b</sup>||align=center|&nbsp;
|-
|colspan=2|'''Refugee (includes asylum seekers)'''||align=right|125,000||align=center|&nbsp;
|-
|colspan=4|<sup>a</sup> 300,000–500,000 immediate relatives admitted annually.<br>'''<sup>b</sup> No more than 7 percent of the visas may be issued to natives of any one country. Currently, individuals from China (mainland), India, Mexico and the Philippines are subject to per-country quotas in most of the categories, and the waiting time may take longer (up to 11 years).<ref name="visabulletin"/><ref>See the USCIS [https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processTimesDisplay.do Processing Dates] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007063902/https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processTimesDisplay.do |date=October 7, 2009 }} for details.</ref>'''<br><sup>c</sup> Spouses and minor children (under 21) may apply for immigrant visa adjudication with their spouse or parent. The quotas include not only the principal applicants but also their derivatives.
|}

==Application process==
[[File:USANewImmigrantGuide.jpg|thumb|A welcome guide USCIS sends to a new immigrant along with their green card after immigration approval]]
Applications for permanent resident cards (green cards) were decided by the [[Immigration and Naturalization Service]] (INS) until 2003 when the INS was abolished and replaced by the current [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]] (DHS).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/our-history |title=Our History |publisher=USCIS |date=2011-05-25 |access-date=2012-12-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104032635/http://www.uscis.gov/about-us/our-history |archive-date=2013-11-04 |url-status=live }}</ref> The whole process may take several years, depending on the type of immigrant category and the [[foreign state of chargeability|country of chargeability]]. An immigrant usually has to go through a three-step process to get permanent residency:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The Green Card, Explained |url=https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/the-green-card-explained/ |access-date=2023-02-11 |website=Boundless |language=en-US}}</ref>

#'''Immigrant petition''' ([[Form I-140]] or [[Form I-130]])&nbsp;– in the first step, USCIS approves the immigrant petition by a qualifying relative, an employer, or in rare cases, such as with an investor visa, the applicant themself. If a sibling is applying, they must have the same parents as the applicant.
#'''Immigrant visa availability''' – in the second step, unless the applicant is an "immediate relative", an immigrant visa number through the National Visa Center (NVC)<ref>[https://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1309.html National Visa Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102075723/http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1309.html |date=November 2, 2013 }}, ''U.S. Department of State'', retrieved December 3, 2007</ref> of the [[United States Department of State]] (DOS) must be available. A visa number might not be immediately available even if the USCIS approves the petition, because the number of immigrant visa numbers is limited every year by quotas set in the [[Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965|Immigration and Nationality Act]] (INA). There are also certain additional limitations by [[country of chargeability]]. Thus, most immigrants will be placed on lengthy waiting lists. Those immigrants who are immediate relatives of a U.S. citizen (spouses and children under 21 years of age, and parents of a U.S. citizen who is 21 years of age or older) are not subject to these quotas and may proceed to the next step immediately, since they qualify for the IR immigrant category.<ref name=":0" />
#'''Immigrant visa adjudication''' – in the third step, when an immigrant visa number becomes available, the applicant must either apply with USCIS to adjust their current status to permanent resident status or apply with the DOS for an immigrant visa at the nearest U.S. consulate before being allowed to come to the United States.
#*'''[[Adjustment of status]] (AOS)''' – Adjustment of status is for when the immigrant is in the United States and entered the U.S. legally. Except for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, the immigrant must also be in legal status at the time of applying for adjustment of status. For immediate relatives and other relative categories whose visa numbers are current, adjustment of status can be filed for at the same time with the petition (step 1 above). Adjustment of status is submitted to USCIS via [[Adjustment of status|form I-485]], ''Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-485.pdf|title=Application To Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status|website=[[USCIS]]|access-date=2024-07-19|date=2024-04-01}}</ref> The USCIS conducts a series of background checks, including fingerprinting for FBI criminal background check and name checks, and makes a decision on the application. Once the adjustment of status application is accepted, the alien is allowed to stay in the United States even if the original period of authorized stay on the [[Form I-94]] is expired, but they are generally not allowed to leave the country until the application is approved, or the application will be abandoned. If the alien has to leave the United States during this time, they can apply for travel documents at the USCIS with [[Advance parole|form I-131]], also called ''Advance parole''.<ref>[http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=b11747a55773d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD Application for Travel Document] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071202093619/http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=b11747a55773d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD |date=December 2, 2007 }}, Documentation for form I-131, ''USCIS Website'', retrieved December 3, 2007</ref> If there is a potential risk that the applicant's work permit (visa) will expire or become invalid, such as when employees are laid off by the employer and visa sponsor, or the applicant wants to start working in the United States, while they are waiting for the decision about their application to change status, they can file [[Employment authorization document|form I-765]], to get ''[[Employment authorization document|Employment Authorization Documents]]'' (also called ''EAD'') and be able to continue or start working legally in the United States.<ref>[https://www.usimmigration.org/forms/i-765-employment-authorization-ead Employment Authorization] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108080942/https://www.usimmigration.org/forms/i-765-employment-authorization-ead |date=November 8, 2016 }}, ''US Immigration Website'', retrieved September 19, 2016</ref><ref>[http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=73ddd59cb7a5d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD Application for Employment Authorization] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071204160614/http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=73ddd59cb7a5d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD |date=December 4, 2007 }}, Documentation for form I-765, ''USCIS Website'', retrieved December 3, 2007</ref> In some cases, the applicant will be interviewed at a USCIS office, especially if it is a marriage-based adjustment from a [[K-1 visa]], in which case both spouses (the US citizen and the applicant) will be interviewed by the USCIS. If the application is approved, the alien becomes an LPR, and the actual green card is mailed to the alien's last known mailing address.<ref name=":0" />
#*'''Consular processing''' – This is the process if the immigrant is outside the United States, or is ineligible for AOS. It still requires the immigrant visa petition to be first completed and approved. The applicant may make an appointment at the U.S. embassy or consulate in their home country, where a consular officer adjudicates the case. If the case is approved, an immigrant visa is issued by the U.S. embassy or consulate. The visa entitles the holder to travel to the United States as an immigrant. At the port of entry, the immigrant visa holder immediately becomes a permanent resident, and is processed for a permanent resident card and receives an I-551 stamp in their passport. The permanent resident card is mailed to their U.S. address within 120 days.
An applicant in the United States can obtain two permits while the case is pending after a certain stage is passed in green card processing (filing of I-485). 
* The first is a temporary work permit known as the [[Employment Authorization Document]] (EAD), which allows the alien to take employment in the United States. 
* The second is a temporary travel document, [[advance parole]], which allows the alien to re-enter the United States. Both permits confer benefits that are independent of any existing status granted to the alien. For example, the alien might already have permission to work in the United States under an [[H-1B visa]].

===Application process for family-sponsored visa===
{{see also|Form I-130}}
U.S. citizens may sponsor for permanent residence in the United States the following relatives:
#Spouses, and unmarried children under the age of 21;
#Parents (once the U.S. citizen is at least 21 years old);
#Unmarried children over the age of 21 (called "sons and daughters");
#Married sons and daughters;
#Brothers and sisters (once the U.S. citizen is at least 21 years old).

U.S. nationals and permanent residents may sponsor for permanent residence in the United States the following relatives:
#Spouses, and unmarried children under the age of 21;
#Unmarried children over the age of 21 (called "sons and daughters");

The Department of State's "Visa Bulletin", issued every month, gives the priority date for those petition beneficiaries currently entitled to apply for immigrant status through immigrant visas or adjustment of status.<ref name="visabulletin"/> There is no annual quota for the spouses, unmarried children, and parents of U.S. citizens, so there is no waiting period for these applicants—just the required processing time. However, all other family-based categories have significant backlogs, even with a U.S. citizen petitioner.

Regardless of whether the family member being sponsored is located in the United States (and therefore likely to be applying for adjustment of status) or outside the United States (in which case the immigrant visa is the likely option), the process begins with the filing of an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative. The form and instructions can be found on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-130.pdf |title=Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative |publisher=[[USCIS]] |date=2024-04-01 |access-date=2025-05-15}}</ref> Required later in the process will be additional biographic data regarding the beneficiary (the person being sponsored) and a medical examination. Additional documents, such as police certificates, may be required depending on whether immigrant visa (consular processing) or adjustment of status is being utilized.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usvisalawyers.co.uk/article2.htm |title=I Married an Alien, Get Us Out of Here: Immigrant Visas for Spouses of US Citizens Living in the United Kingdom |publisher=Usvisalawyers.co.uk |date=2012-12-11 |access-date=2012-12-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121231173001/http://www.usvisalawyers.co.uk/article2.htm |archive-date=2012-12-31 |url-status=live }}</ref> All petitioners must supply the I-864 Affidavit of Support.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usvisalawyers.co.uk/article10.htm |title=A Beginner's Guide to the Affidavit of Support |publisher=Usvisalawyers.co.uk |date=2012-02-14 |access-date=2012-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220154237/http://www.usvisalawyers.co.uk/article10.htm |archive-date=2012-02-20 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Application process for illegal immigrants through registry provision ===
{{see also|Form I-140}}
Moreover, applicants who are in the United States unlawfully may be eligible to receive a green card under a sole exception. For an illegal immigrant to be granted permanent residency they must abide by the registry date and eligibility criteria. The registry provision date was first developed in 1929 with the intention to aid in the growing number of illegal immigrants.<ref>{{Citation |last=Kitanova |first=Maria |title=Axiological aspects of some models of euphimisation in Bulgarian language and traditional Bulgarian culture |date=2019 |work=A View on Slavic Axiology |pages=159–168 |publisher=Institute of Slavic Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences |doi=10.31168/0428-2.9 |isbn=9785757604282 |s2cid=211360267 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Essentially, only immigrants who entered the United States before a certain date (registry date) qualify to receive a green card. Other parameters include continued stay since entering the country and good moral character. [[United States Congress|Congress]] advanced the registry date a total of four times after being created in 1929. First set to only grant residency to individuals who entered the country before or on June 3, 1921, the date was then moved to July 1, 1924, further to July 1, 1940, once more to June 30, 1948, and finally to January 1, 1972.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=fact-sheet-national-immigration-refugee-and-citizenship-forum-apr-1983 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2210-7975_hrd-1307-0018 |access-date=2022-05-30 |website=Human Rights Documents online|doi=10.1163/2210-7975_hrd-1307-0018 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The last advancement date comprised the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) along with other regularization provisions which included penalizing institutions that knowingly employed illegal aliens.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) {{!}} Human Resources |url=https://www.bu.edu/hr/policies/federal-and-state-laws/immigration-reform-and-control-act-irca/ |access-date=2022-05-30 |website=www.bu.edu}}</ref> This was done through a set of congressional amendments that culminated in 1958 Act, where the requirement for non-citizens to be eligible only if they are not subject to deportation was removed.<ref>{{Citation |title=Congressional Research Service |date=2008 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483300498.n92 |work=Congress A to Z |place=2300 N Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington DC 20037 United States |publisher=CQ Press |doi=10.4135/9781483300498.n92 |isbn=9780872895584 |access-date=2022-05-30|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Since then the registry date has not been advanced despite the number of immigrants increasing by 10 million and a total of 385 individuals have been granted a green card since the last registry update in 1986.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Including Immigration Parole in Reconciliation Will Help Millions |url=https://www.americanprogress.org/article/including-immigration-parole-reconciliation-will-help-millions/ |access-date=2022-05-30 |website=Center for American Progress |date=October 12, 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Currently the provision date only excludes non-citizens that are inadmissible to the United States on criminal or national-security grounds. The updated and current eligibility requirements for registry are as follows:

* You entered the United States prior to Jan. 1, 1972
* You have resided in the United States continuously since you entered
* You are a person of good moral character
* You are not ineligible for naturalization (citizenship)
* You are not removable (deportable) under Section 237(a)(4)(B) of the [[Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965|Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)]]. * You are not inadmissible under Section 212(a)(3)(E) of the INA or as a criminal, procurer, other immoral person, subversive, violator of the narcotics laws or noncitizen smuggler<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-02 |title=Registry Files, March 2, 1929 - March 31, 1944 {{!}} USCIS |url=https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/genealogy/historical-record-series/registry-files-march-2-1929-march-31-1944 |access-date=2022-05-30 |website=www.uscis.gov |language=en}}</ref>

====Green-card holders and families====
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2010}}
Green-card holders married to non-U.S. citizens are able to legally bring their spouses and minor children to join them in the US,<ref>{{cite web|title=Family of Green Card Holders (Permanent Residents)|url=https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-green-card-holders-permanent-residents|website=U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services|date=2015-07-14|access-date=2016-04-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409063123/https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-green-card-holders-permanent-residents|archive-date=2016-04-09|url-status=live}}</ref> but must wait for their priority date to become current. The foreign spouse of a green-card holder must wait for approval of an "immigrant visa" from the State Department before entering the United States. Due to numerical limitation on the number of these visas, the wait time for approval may be months or years. In the interim, the spouse cannot be legally present in the United States, unless they secure a visa by some other means. Green-card holders may petition for permanent residency for their spouse and children.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Thronson |first1=David B. |title=You Can't Get Here from Here: Toward a More Child-Centered Immigration Law |journal=Virginia Journal of Public Policy and Law |date=2006 |volume=14 |issue=1 |page=58}}</ref>

U.S. green-card holders have experienced separation from their families, sometimes for years. A mechanism to unite families of green-card holders was created by the LIFE Act by the introduction of a "[[V visa]]", signed into law by [[Bill Clinton|President Clinton]]. The law expired on December 31, 2000, and V visas are no longer available. Several bills have been introduced in Congress to reinstate V visas, but so far none have been successful.

====Improving the application process in obtaining a green card====
The most common challenges that USCIS faces in providing services in the green card process are: (1) the length of the application and approval process, and (2) the quotas of green cards granted. USCIS tries to shorten the time qualified applicants wait to receive permanent residence.

=====Challenges with processing time of application=====
Under the current system, immediate family members (spouse, child, and dependent mother and father), have priority status for green cards and generally wait 6 months to a year to have their green card application approved. For non-immediate family members, the process may take up to 10 years.{{Citation needed|date=January 2018}} Paperwork is processed on a first-come, first-served basis, so new applications may go untouched for several months. To address the issue of slow processing times, USCIS has made a policy allowing applicants to submit the I-130 and I-485 forms at the same time. This has reduced the processing time. Another delay in the process comes when applications have mistakes. In these cases papers are sent back to the applicant, further delaying the process. Currently the largest cause of long wait times is not processing time, but rather immigrant visa quotas set by Congress.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Millions stay in green-card limbo|journal=The Augusta Chronicle|date=2006-12-13}}</ref>

=====Quota system challenges=====
Because of numerical quotas in many immigration categories, long wait times often prevent immigrants from receiving immigrant visas in a short time frame. The ''Augusta Chronicle'' in 2006 stated that an estimated two million people are on waiting lists in anticipation to become legal and permanent residents of the United States. Immigrants need visas to get off of these waiting lists, and Congress would need to change immigration law in order to accommodate them with legal status.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

The number of green cards that can be granted to family-based applicants depends on what preference category they fall under. An unlimited number of immediate relatives can receive green cards because there is no quota for that category. Family members who fall under the other various preference categories have fixed quotas; however, the number of visas issued from each category may vary because unused visas from one category may roll over into another category.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-through-family |title=Family of U.S. Citizens |publisher=U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services |access-date=2025-10-01}}</ref>

===Application process for employment-based visa===
Many immigrants opt for this route, which typically requires an employer to "sponsor" (i.e., to petition before USCIS) the immigrant (known as the ''alien beneficiary'') through a presumed future job (in some special categories, the applicant may apply on their behalf without a sponsor). The three-step process outlined above is described here in more detail for employment-based immigration applications. After the process is complete, the alien is expected to take the certified job offered by the employer to substantiate their immigrant status, since the application ultimately rests on the alien's employment with that company in that particular position.

As of Q2 in FY2025, standard processing to get an employer-sponsored green card took an average of 1,256 days—roughly 3.5 years—an increase of 18 months since 2016, and the longest time on record.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bier |first1=David J. |title=Employer-Sponsored Green Card Processing Takes 3.4 Years, All-Time High |url=https://www.cato.org/blog/employer-sponsored-green-card-processing-takes-34-years-all-time-high |website=[[Cato Institute]] |access-date=August 12, 2025 |date=August 11, 2025}}</ref>

#'''Immigrant petition''' – the first step includes the pre-requisite [[Permanent Labor Certification]] upon which the actual petition will reside.
#*'''Permanent Labor Certification''' – the employer must legally prove that it has a need to hire an alien for a specific position and that there is no minimally qualified U.S. citizen or LPR available to fill that position, hence the reason for hiring the alien. Some of the requirements to prove this situation include: proof of advertising for the specific position; skill requirements particular to the job; verification of the prevailing wage for a position; and the employer's ability to pay. This is currently done through an electronic system known as [[Permanent Labor Certification|PERM]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Permanent Labor Certification |publisher=Employment and Training Administration, US Department of Labor |url=http://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/perm.cfm |access-date=2006-12-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070107152920/http://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/perm.cfm |archive-date=2007-01-07 |url-status=live }}</ref> The date when the Permanent Labor Certification application is filed becomes the applicant's ''[[priority date]]''. In some cases, for highly skilled foreign nationals (EB1 and EB2 ''National Interest Waiver'', e.g. researchers, athletes, artists or business executives) and "Schedule A" labor<ref>{{cite web |title=What is Schedule A and who qualifies? OFLC Frequently Asked Questions and Answers |publisher=Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor |url=http://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/faqsanswers.cfm#scheda1 |access-date=January 6, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070107152449/http://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/faqsanswers.cfm#scheda1 |archive-date=January 7, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> (nurses and physical therapists), this step is waived. This step is processed by the [[United States Department of Labor]] (DOL). The Permanent Labor Certification is valid for 6 months from the time it is approved.
#*'''Immigrant petition''' – the employer applies on the alien's behalf to obtain a visa number. The application is form I-140, ''Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-140.pdf|title=Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers|website=[[USCIS]]|access-date=2024-07-19|date=2024-04-01}}</ref> and it is processed by the USCIS. There are several EB (''employment-based'') immigrant categories (i.e., EB1-EA, EB2-NIW, EB5)<ref>{{cite web|title=Employment-Based Visas |publisher=US Department of State |url=https://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1323.html |access-date=December 31, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230113424/http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1323.html |archive-date=December 30, 2006}}</ref> under which the alien may apply, with progressively stricter requirements, but often shorter waiting times. Many of the applications are processed under the EB3 category.<ref>{{cite web |title=Immigration Statistics |publisher=US Department of Homeland Security |url=https://www.dhs.gov/ximgtn/statistics/ |access-date=2006-12-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230143641/http://www.dhs.gov/ximgtn/statistics/ |archive-date=2006-12-30 |url-status=live }}</ref> Currently, this process takes up to 6 months. Many of the EB categories allow expedited processing of this stage, known as "premium processing".
#'''Immigrant visa availability'''. When the immigrant petition is approved by the USCIS, the petition is forwarded to the NVC for visa allocation. Currently this step centers around the [[priority date]] concept.
#*'''Priority date''' – the visa becomes available when the applicant's ''[[priority date]]'' is earlier than the ''cutoff date'' announced on the DOS's Visa Bulletin or when the immigrant visa category the applicant is assigned to is announced as "current". A "current" designation indicates that visa numbers are available to all applicants in the corresponding immigrant category. Petitions with priority dates earlier than the cutoff date are expected to have visas available, therefore those applicants are eligible for final adjudication. When the NVC determines that a visa number could be available for a particular immigrant petition, a visa is tentatively allocated to the applicant. The NVC will send a letter stating that the applicant may be eligible for adjustment of status, and requiring the applicant to choose either to adjust status with the USCIS directly, or apply at the U.S. consulate abroad. This waiting process determines when the applicant can expect the immigration case to be adjudicated. Due to quotas imposed on EB visa categories, there are more approved immigrant petitions than visas available under INA. High demand for visas has created a backlog of approved but unadjudicated cases. In addition, due to processing inefficiencies throughout DOS and USCIS systems, not all visas available under the quota system in a given year were allocated to applicants by the DOS.
#'''Immigrant visa adjudication'''. When the NVC determines that an immigrant visa is available, the case can be adjudicated. If the alien is already in the US, that alien has a choice to finalize the green card process via adjustment of status in the U.S., or via consular processing abroad. If the alien is outside of the United States they can only apply for an immigrant visa at the U.S. consulate. The USCIS does not allow an alien to pursue consular processing and AOS simultaneously. Prior to filing the form I-485 (Adjustment of Status) it is required that the applicant have a ''medical examination'' performed by a USCIS-approved [[civil surgeon]]. The examination includes a blood test and specific immunizations, unless the applicant provides proof that the required immunizations were already done elsewhere. The civil surgeon hands the applicant a sealed envelope containing a completed form I-693, which must be included unopened with the I-485 application.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-693.pdf|title=Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record|website=[[USCIS]]|date=2023-03-09|access-date=2024-07-19}}</ref>
#*'''Adjustment of status (AOS)''' – after the alien has a Permanent Labor Certification and has been provisionally allocated a visa number, the final step is to change their status to permanent residency. [[Adjustment of status]] is submitted to USCIS via form I-485, ''Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status''. If an immigrant visa number is available, the USCIS will allow ''"concurrent filing"'': it will accept forms I-140 and I-485 submitted in the same package or will accept form I-485 even before the approval of the I-140.
#*'''Consular processing''' – this is an alternative to AOS, but still requires the immigrant visa petition to be completed. Prior to 2005, this process was somewhat faster than applying for AOS, so was sometimes used to circumvent long backlogs (of over two years in some cases). However, due to recent efficiency improvements by the USCIS, it is not clear whether applying via consular processing is faster than the regular AOS process. Consular processing is also thought to be riskier since there is no or very little recourse for appeal if the officer denies the application.

===Green card lottery===
{{main|Diversity Immigrant Visa}}

Each year, up to 55,000 immigrant visas are made available through the Diversity Visa (DV) program, also known as the [[Green Card Lottery]] to people who were born in countries with low rates of [[immigration to the United States]] (fewer than 50,000 immigrants in the past five years). Applicants can only qualify by [[country of chargeability]], not by citizenship. Anyone who is selected under this lottery will be given the opportunity to apply for permanent residence. They can also file for their spouse and any unmarried children under the age of 21.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Paths To Obtaining A Green Card In The US |url=https://washingtonindependent.org/paths-to-obtaining-a-green-card-in-the-us/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=washingtonindependent.org |language=en}}</ref>

If permanent residence is granted, the winner (and their family, if applicable) receives an immigrant visa in their passport(s) that has to be "activated" within six months of issuance at any port of entry to the United States. If already in the U.S. adjustment of status may be pursued. The new immigrant receives a stamp on the visa as proof of lawful admittance to the United States, and the individual is now authorized to live and work permanently in the United States. Finally, the actual "green card" typically arrives by mail within a few months.

====Green card lottery scams====
There is a growing number<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fraud Warning |url=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/fraud.html |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=travel.state.gov |language=en}}</ref> of fraudulent green card lottery [[Confidence trick|scams]], in which false agents take money from applicants by promising to submit application forms for them. Most agents are not working for the distribution service. Some claim that they can increase the chance of winning the lottery, when in fact, they may delay or not submit the application. Likewise, some claim to provide to winners free airline tickets or other benefits, such as submissions in future years or cash funds. There is no way to guarantee their claims, and there are numerous nefarious reasons for them not to fulfill their promises. Applicants are advised to use only official U.S. government websites, in which the [[URL]] ends in [[.gov]].

====Green card lottery e-mail fraud====
Other fraud perpetrators will e-mail potential victims posing as State Department or other government officials with requests to wire or transfer money online as part of a "processing fee". These fraudulent e-mails are designed to steal money from unsuspecting victims. The senders often use illegitimate e-mail addresses and logos designed to make them look more like official government correspondence. One easy way to tell that an email address is fraudulent is that it does not end with ".gov". One particularly common fraud email asks potential victims to wire money via [[Western Union]] to an individual (the name varies) at the following address in the United Kingdom: 24 Grosvenor Square, London. These emails come from a variety of email addresses designed to impersonate the U.S. State Department. The USCIS blog has published information on this email scam and how to report fraudulent emails to the authorities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uscis.gov/archive/blog/2011/03/e-mail-scam-avoid-green-card-lottery|title=E-mail Scam: Avoid Green Card Lottery Fraud|website=USCIS|access-date=2019-01-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109172924/https://www.uscis.gov/archive/blog/2011/03/e-mail-scam-avoid-green-card-lottery|archive-date=2019-01-09|url-status=live}}</ref> The U.S. government has issued warnings about this type of fraud or similar business practices.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.uscis.gov/2011/03/e-mail-scam-avoid-green-card-lottery.html |title=The Beacon: E-mail Scam: Avoid Green Card Lottery Fraud |publisher=Blog.uscis.gov |date=2011-03-02 |access-date=2012-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719015539/http://blog.uscis.gov/2011/03/e-mail-scam-avoid-green-card-lottery.html |archive-date=2011-07-19 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Website Fraud Warning |publisher=US Department of State |url=https://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1749.html |access-date=2006-12-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230232918/http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1749.html |archive-date=2006-12-30 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=FTC Consumer Alert: Diversity Visa Lottery: Read the Rules, Avoid the Rip-Offs |publisher=Federal Trade Commission |url=http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt003.htm |access-date=2006-12-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070102043240/http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt003.htm |archive-date=2007-01-02 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Inadmissibility Based on Political Affiliation===
On October 2, 2020, the USCIS  declared the inadmissibility based on belonging or affiliation to [[Communist party|Communist parties]] or any, unspecified, "totalitarian party". Membership or affiliation with such parties, whether US or foreign, would be incompatible with [[Oath of Allegiance (United States)|the oath of allegiance]] to the naturalization of the United States of America, which includes a commitment to "support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States". Exceptions to the inadmissibility rule include circumstances where membership is: "Involuntary; Solely when under 16 years of age; By operation of law; or For purposes of obtaining employment, food rations, or other essentials of living and where necessary for such purposes."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/usa-ccp-ban-10052020134710.html|title=U.S. Renews Ban on Communist Party Members Seeking to Emigrate|date=2020-10-05|website=rfa.org}}</ref> The ban would affect current members of [[Chinese Communist Party]] and [[Communist Youth League of China]], for example.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-issues-policy-guidance-regarding-inadmissibility-based-on-membership-in-a-totalitarian-party|title=Inadmissibility Based on Membership in a Totalitarian Party|website=uscis.gov|date=2020-10-02}}</ref>

==Rights and responsibilities of a lawful permanent resident==
{{Further|United States person}}
Lawful permanent residents, also known as green card holders, have certain rights and responsibilities as highlighted by the [[United States Citizenship and Immigration Services]] and other federal agencies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/after-we-grant-your-green-card/rights-and-responsibilities-of-a-green-card-holder-permanent-resident|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112181504/https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/after-green-card-granted/rights-and-responsibilities-permanent-resident/rights-and-responsibilities-green-card-holder-permanent-resident|url-status=dead|title=Rights and Responsibilities of a Green Card Holder (Permanent Resident) &#124; USCIS|date=July 15, 2015|archivedate=November 12, 2018|website=www.uscis.gov}}</ref>

LPRs can secure many types of jobs just like U.S. citizens can. LPRs can register property under their names and live anywhere within the United States. They can similarly operate any type of business in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |title=Immigrants and Small Business |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/opinion/sunday/immigrants-and-small-business.html |date=2012-06-30 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2018-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112181724/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/opinion/sunday/immigrants-and-small-business.html |archive-date=2018-11-12 |url-status=live }}</ref>

LPRs are also subject to similar obligations as U.S. citizens. For example, male LPRs between the ages of 18 and 25 are subject to registering in the [[Selective Service System]]. Like U.S. citizens, LPRs must pay [[taxation in the United States|taxes]] on their worldwide income (this includes filing annual U.S. income tax returns). LPRs are not permitted to vote in federal elections and they cannot be elected to federal office. They may [[right of foreigners to vote in the United States|vote in certain local elections]], and hold local and state offices (subject to state/city law and [[Constitutionality]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kraftlaw.com/immigration-lawyer/your-rights/|title=Your Rights as a Lawful Permanent Resident - Kraft|access-date=2018-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112061011/https://www.kraftlaw.com/immigration-lawyer/your-rights/|archive-date=2018-11-12|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Rights ===
* Reside permanently in the United States provided they do not commit actions that would make them removable under the INA.<ref name=removable/>
* Join and serve in the [[United States Armed Forces]], including in many [[law enforcement in the United States|law enforcement agencies]].
* Work anywhere in the United States (with the exception of federal jobs requiring [[Security clearance|security clearances]] and some companies under contract by the federal government).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bennett |first=Jeffrey |date=2018-03-27 |title=Can I Get a Security Clearance as a Permanent Resident? |url=https://news.clearancejobs.com/2018/03/27/can-get-security-clearance-permanent-resident/ |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=ClearanceJobs}}</ref>
* Be protected equally by the [[law of the United States]], their [[U.S. state|State of residence]], and local jurisdictions.
* Travel freely outside the United States for up to one year as a tourist.
* Petition for (or sponsor) certain family members to immigrate to the United States as lawful permanent residents. Such family members include spouse and unmarried children of any age.{{clarify|date=February 2021}}

=== Responsibilities ===
* Required to obey all laws of the United States, including state laws, and localities.
* Required to file [[income tax in the United States|income tax]] returns and report income to the U.S. [[Internal Revenue Service]] (IRS) and state taxing authorities.
* Register with the [[Selective Service System]] (if male and aged 18 through 25).

==Conditional permanent residents==
As part of immigration reform under the [[Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986]] (IRCA), as well as further reform enacted in the [[Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996]] (IIRIRA), eligible persons who properly apply for permanent residency based on either a recent marriage to a U.S. citizen or as an investor are granted such privilege only on a '''conditional basis''', for two years. An exception to this rule is the case of a U.S. citizen legally sponsoring a spouse in which the marriage at the time of the adjustment of status (I-485) is more than two years old. In this case, the conditional status is waived and a 10-year "permanent resident card" is issued after the USCIS approves the case. A permanent resident under the conditional clause may receive an I-551 stamp as well as a permanent resident card. The expiration date of the conditional period is two years from the approval date. The immigrant visa category is CR (conditional resident).

When this two-year conditional period is over, the permanent residence automatically expires and the applicant is subject to deportation and removal unless, up to 90 days before the conditional residence expires, the applicant files form I-751 ''Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence''<ref>[https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-751.pdf form I-751]</ref> (if conditional permanent residence was obtained through marriage) or form I-829 ''Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions''<ref>[https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-829.pdf form I-829]</ref> (if conditional permanent residence was obtained through investment) with USCIS to have the conditions removed. Once the application is received, permanent residence is extended in 1-year intervals until the request to remove conditions is approved or denied. For conditional permanent residence obtained through marriage, both spouses must sign form I-751; if the spouses are divorced, it is possible to get a waiver of the other spouse's signing requirement, if it can be proved that the marriage was bona fide.

The USCIS requires that the application for the removal of conditions provide both general and specific supporting evidence that the basis on which the applicant obtained conditional permanent residence was not fraudulent. For an application based on marriage, birth certificates of children, joint financial statements, and letters from employers, friends and relatives are some types of evidence that may be accepted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bridge.us/blog/faqs/evidence/|title=Legal List of acceptable Green Card evidence|access-date=September 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911134646/http://www.bridge.us/blog/faqs/evidence/|archive-date=September 11, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> That is to ensure that the marriage was in good faith and not a fraudulent [[marriage of convenience]] with a sole intention of obtaining a green card. A follow-up interview with an immigration officer is sometimes required but may be waived if the submitted evidence is sufficient. Both the spouses must usually attend the interview.

The applicant receives an I-551 stamp in their foreign passport upon approval of their case. The applicant is then free from the conditional requirement once the application is approved. The applicant's new permanent resident card arrives via mail to their house several weeks to several months later and replaces the old two-year conditional residence card. The new card must be renewed after 10 years, but permanent resident status is now granted for an indefinite term if residence conditions are satisfied at all times. The USCIS may request to renew the card earlier because of security enhancements of the card or as a part of a revalidation campaign to exclude counterfeit green cards from circulation.

The two-year conditional residence period counts toward satisfying a residency requirement for U.S. [[naturalization]], and other purposes. Application for the removal of conditions must be adjudicated before a separate naturalization application can be reviewed by the USCIS on its own merits.

===Differences between permanent residents and conditional permanent residents===
Conditional permanent residents have all of the equal "rights, privileges, responsibilities and duties which apply to all other lawful permanent residents."<ref>{{uscfr|8|1216.1}} ("Definition of conditional permanent resident").{{PD-notice}}</ref> The only difference is the requirement to satisfy the conditions (such as showing marriage status or satisfying entrepreneur requirements) before the two-year period ends.

==Abandonment or loss of permanent residence status==
A green-card holder may abandon permanent residence by filing form I-407, with the green card, at a U.S. Embassy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://london.usembassy.gov/dhs/uscis/abandon.html |title=London US Embassy website |publisher=London.usembassy.gov |date=February 10, 2012 |access-date=February 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215042816/http://london.usembassy.gov/dhs/uscis/abandon.html |archive-date=February 15, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Under certain conditions, permanent residence status can be lost involuntarily.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usvisalawyers.co.uk/article27.html |title=Maintaining US Lawful Permanent Resident Status |publisher=usvisalawyers.co.uk |date=2014-10-23 |access-date=2014-10-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507042231/http://www.usvisalawyers.co.uk/article27.html |archive-date=2015-05-07 |url-status=live }}</ref> This includes committing a criminal act that makes a person removable from the United States (an [[aggravated felony]]). A person might also be found to have abandoned their status if they move to another country to live there permanently, stay outside the US for more than one year (without getting a [[U.S. Re-entry Permit|re-entry permit]] before leaving),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/returning-resident.html|title=Returning Resident Visas|website=[[U.S. Department of State]]|access-date=2024-07-19}}</ref> or fail to file an [[Income tax in the United States|income tax]] return on their worldwide income. Permanent resident status can also be lost if it is found that the application or grounds for obtaining permanent residence was fraudulent. The failure to renew the permanent resident card does not result in the loss of status, except in the case of conditional permanent residents as noted above. Nevertheless, failure to renew the card can result in loss of [[Work permit|work eligibility]] and the ability to travel.

A person who loses permanent residence status is immediately removable from the [[United States]] and must leave the country as soon as possible or face deportation and removal. In some cases the person may be banned from entering the country for three or seven years, or even [[moral turpitude|permanently]].{{Cn|date=October 2022}}

===Tax costs of green card relinquishment===
Due to the [[expatriation tax|Heart Act]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Giving Up US Citizenship: Is It Right for You?|url=http://www.usvisalawyers.co.uk/article14.html|publisher=[[Gudeon & McFadden]]|access-date=May 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602080758/http://www.usvisalawyers.co.uk/article14.html|archive-date=June 2, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> 
foreign workers who have owned a green card in eight of the last 15 years and choose to relinquish it will be subject to the [[expatriation tax]], which taxes unrealized gains above $600,000, anywhere in the world. However this will only apply to those people who have a federal tax liability greater than $139,000 a year or have a worth of more than $2 million or have failed to certify to the IRS that they have been in compliance with U.S. federal tax obligations for the past five years.<ref>[http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=62884 ''United States: HEART Act Applicable To Expatriates And Long-Term Residents''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114023501/http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=62884 |date=January 14, 2009 }} McDermott Will and Emery</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://benefitslink.com/articles/guests/washbull080630.html |title=''Expatriate Rules in HEART'' Deloitte |publisher=Benefitslink.com |access-date=2012-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120030006/http://benefitslink.com/articles/guests/washbull080630.html |archive-date=2008-11-20 |url-status=live}}</ref>

If the green card is not relinquished, then the holder is subject to [[Double taxation#U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad|double taxation]] when living or working outside of the United States, whether or not within their home nation, although double taxation may be mitigated by [[foreign tax credit]]s.

==Reading a permanent resident card==
[[File:GC Altered.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|Pre-2008 permanent resident card, bearing the [[seal of the United States Department of Homeland Security]]]]
While most of the information on the card is self-evident, the computer- and human-readable signature at the bottom is not. The format follows the [[Machine-readable passport#Official travel documents|machine-readable travel document]] TD1 format:

* First line:
:1–2: C1 or C2. C1 = resident within the United States, C2 = permanent resident commuter (living in Canada or Mexico)
:3–5: USA (issuing country, United States)
:6–14: 9-digit number (A#, alien number)
:15: check digit over digits 6&ndash;14
:16–30: 13-character USCIS receipt number,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do|title=myUSCIS - Case Status Search|author=U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services|access-date=January 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128122520/https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do|archive-date=January 28, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> padded with "&lt;" as a filler character<ref name="icao 9303-4">{{cite book|title=Doc 9303: Machine Readable Travel Documents, Part 5: Specifications for TD1 Size Machine Readable Official Travel Documents (MROTDs)|edition=Seventh|language=en|isbn=978-92-9249-794-1|date=2015|author=International Civil Aviation Organization|url=http://www.icao.int/publications/Documents/9303_p5_cons_en.pdf|page=13|access-date=January 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170618153550/https://www.icao.int/publications/Documents/9303_p5_cons_en.pdf|archive-date=June 18, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Second line:
:1–6: birth date (in YYMMDD format)
:7: check digit over digits 1&ndash;6
:8: gender
:9–14: expiration date (in YYMMDD format)
:15: check digit over digits 9&ndash;14
:16–29: country of birth
:30: cumulative check digit (over digits 6&ndash;30 (upper line), 1&ndash;7, 9&ndash;15, 19&ndash;29 (lower line))
* Third line:
:surname, given name, middle name, first initial of father, first initial of mother (this line is spaced with "<<" between the surname and given name).{{citation needed|reason=parents' initials not shown in examples; nor are they specified in ICAO Doc 9303&ndash;5|date=January 2017}} Depending on the length of the name, the father's and mother's initials may be omitted.

A full list of category codes (i.e. IR1, E21, etc.) can be found in the ''Federal Register''<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/eoir/vll/fedreg/2008_2009/fr20mr08.pdf |title=Visas: Documentation of Immigrants and Nonimmigrants — Visa Classification Symbols |journal=Federal Register |page=14926 |volume=73 |issue=55 |date=March 20, 2008 |access-date=February 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090725203103/http://www.usdoj.gov/eoir/vll/fedreg/2008_2009/fr20mr08.pdf |archive-date=July 25, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0500502215 |title=SI 00502.215 The Affidavits of Support |publisher=Secure.ssa.gov |date=January 27, 2009 |access-date=April 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517082907/https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0500502215 |archive-date=May 17, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><!--<ref>{{cite web|url=http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/362848.html |title=Google Answers: Need help with Permanent Resident Card (green card or I-551) |publisher=Answers.google.com |access-date=February 20, 2012}}</ref>--> or Foreign Affairs Manual.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fam.state.gov/FAM/09FAM/09FAM050201.html#M502_1_3 |title=U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual Volume 9 – Visas |access-date=February 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304190258/https://fam.state.gov/FAM/09FAM/09FAM050201.html#M502_1_3 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Since May 11, 2010, new green cards contain an [[RFID]] chip<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fcw.com/articles/2010/05/13/us-issues-redesigned-rfid-green-cards.aspx |title=U.S. issues redesigned, RFID-enhanced 'green cards' |publisher=fcw.com |date=May 13, 2010 |access-date=May 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016044724/http://fcw.com/Articles/2010/05/13/US-issues-redesigned-RFID-green-cards.aspx |archive-date=October 16, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> and can be electronically accessed at a distance. They are shipped with a protective sleeve intended to protect the card from remote access, but it is reported to be inadequate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://media.blackhat.com/us-13/US-13-Brown-RFID-Hacking-Live-Free-or-RFID-Hard-Slides.pdf|title=RFID Hacking - Live Free or RFID Hard|date=August 1, 2013|publisher=Black Hat USA 2013 – Las Vegas, NV|access-date=January 30, 2017|page=49|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210152758/https://media.blackhat.com/us-13/US-13-Brown-RFID-Hacking-Live-Free-or-RFID-Hard-Slides.pdf|archive-date=February 10, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Visa-free travel for U.S. permanent residents==
The following countries and territories generally allow U.S. permanent residents to enter the country without a visa for purposes of tourism.

* {{flag|Albania}}: 90 days within 180 days<ref>"[https://punetejashtme.gov.al/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/3-visa-regime-for-foreign-citiznes-01.11.2018.pdf Visa Regime for Foreign Citizens] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201134644/https://punetejashtme.gov.al/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/3-visa-regime-for-foreign-citiznes-01.11.2018.pdf |date=February 1, 2019 }}". ''Ministria per Evropën dhe Punët e Jashtme''. January 11, 2018. "Foreigners that have a valid visa from the United States of America (USA) or United Kingdom (UK), with multiple entries, that has been used previously to enter that country, and/or those that have a valid Residence Permit in USA or UK."</ref>
*{{flag|Anguilla}}: 90 days<ref>{{cite web |title=Immigration Department - Official Notice |url=https://www.gov.ai/document/immigration/FB%20Post%20Acceptance%20of%20US%20UK%20and%20Can%20Visa.jpg |website=Government of Anguilla |access-date=16 October 2024}}</ref>
* {{flag|Antigua and Barbuda}}: 30 days<ref>"[http://www.immigration.gov.ag/visa-services/visa-on-arrival/ Visa on Arrival] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190128235850/http://www.immigration.gov.ag/visa-services/visa-on-arrival/ |date=January 28, 2019 }}". ''Antigua and Barbuda Department of Immigration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Immigration''. Retrieved February 8, 2019. "Visas may be granted on arrival: To persons who are holders of a valid: United States Visa or permanent Resident Card; or A Canadian Visa or permanent Resident Card, or A United Kingdom Visa or Resident Card, or A Schengen Visa."</ref>
* {{flag|Bahamas}}: 30 days<ref>"[https://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/portal/public/Landing/Entry%20and%20Departure/!ut/p/b1/vZHbbptAFEW_pR_gMDAwwOMYzMVcDRgwL5axA-JmY3MzfH3tqFIbt0laqcmcp5HW1j77bCIiNiQgWQAgiRAREtFx12fprs1Ox115_0doC2XLWAk0Z3CI5oFKeqYqLmwoe_AGbO4AkA2Mb4BFeXdAIJG2ZsBcYF70qzlYuToPMcAMA1SF8lhWXkNBAj_04I2Hwd_p3wGiX9fj0PK-nmZpOq9BmaSJgAiV_WQKjTossJf6s6K8Mrj0l83zdXdS3WbbOrHOGECD6jqet1MCTNu4GrIaNEh2x9I0RIvNZ6G0P3vpWZR109MQtYmHsdOmZKyCOK7rpjbE1BHCbXWuq_3ieOSaykp3WeKuDkfoNTJVuZkUmQqV7LUDOYoOT-8clXb52zbFEvaNHbQS3SIlYXsn26PHu_8e7N96e9Aj5iN9QESvT_uH5l-A96p9txzEfADcQprKqXomNjeMfQtTbIbwiBDQWzcfa3UqJicHV924aKBdpCO5BsBd9K65Li23XZpGrg6A9VVjwqM33aouisk92PbBd9ZzjHeni9w9Gr6O7q7ozzZ8SMh8uSH56SfVKHgz1KFucgIJIPXVhv8_4ZKIsrh6GvbVE3hCPA8RYG4-PAIcSRF-vkaseFrihT34VUaWLbuZTk20WMHerbBpdRuHZaSUnimt3eruUNXHw4QNCeZ11Q9rIcuVqssjhh6mVaycWGwf0-A8D5rOkzQkyoG_Cxr_spyEDF-68Nr3230aesJG8jMnLGTrUtRubM30VqOoHM3FOhaLLPCl_UUfZFMdkzwptfw8hMmZTXDXWIOXH4O-uq6KaSP4JX9tWwXQkskLkshpTcR13fUgQMMGRBWVkqSP2axwlIHkfs6Av30Hhon8Hg!!/dl4/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/ Entering The Bahamas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204102445/https://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/portal/public/Landing/Entry%20and%20Departure/!ut/p/b1/vZHbbptAFEW_pR_gMDAwwOMYzMVcDRgwL5axA-JmY3MzfH3tqFIbt0laqcmcp5HW1j77bCIiNiQgWQAgiRAREtFx12fprs1Ox115_0doC2XLWAk0Z3CI5oFKeqYqLmwoe_AGbO4AkA2Mb4BFeXdAIJG2ZsBcYF70qzlYuToPMcAMA1SF8lhWXkNBAj_04I2Hwd_p3wGiX9fj0PK-nmZpOq9BmaSJgAiV_WQKjTossJf6s6K8Mrj0l83zdXdS3WbbOrHOGECD6jqet1MCTNu4GrIaNEh2x9I0RIvNZ6G0P3vpWZR109MQtYmHsdOmZKyCOK7rpjbE1BHCbXWuq_3ieOSaykp3WeKuDkfoNTJVuZkUmQqV7LUDOYoOT-8clXb52zbFEvaNHbQS3SIlYXsn26PHu_8e7N96e9Aj5iN9QESvT_uH5l-A96p9txzEfADcQprKqXomNjeMfQtTbIbwiBDQWzcfa3UqJicHV924aKBdpCO5BsBd9K65Li23XZpGrg6A9VVjwqM33aouisk92PbBd9ZzjHeni9w9Gr6O7q7ozzZ8SMh8uSH56SfVKHgz1KFucgIJIPXVhv8_4ZKIsrh6GvbVE3hCPA8RYG4-PAIcSRF-vkaseFrihT34VUaWLbuZTk20WMHerbBpdRuHZaSUnimt3eruUNXHw4QNCeZ11Q9rIcuVqssjhh6mVaycWGwf0-A8D5rOkzQkyoG_Cxr_spyEDF-68Nr3230aesJG8jMnLGTrUtRubM30VqOoHM3FOhaLLPCl_UUfZFMdkzwptfw8hMmZTXDXWIOXH4O-uq6KaSP4JX9tWwXQkskLkshpTcR13fUgQMMGRBWVkqSP2axwlIHkfs6Av30Hhon8Hg!!/dl4/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/ |date=February 4, 2016 }}". ''Department of Immigration''. Government of the Bahamas. Retrieved February 8, 2019. "All persons entering The Bahamas require a Bahamian visa except the following persons: United States Citizens entering as a bona fide visitor for a stay not exceeding eight (8) months. Alien residents of the United States who, upon arrival, are in possession of United States Alien Registration Cards for visits not exceeding thirty (30) days."</ref>
* {{flag|Belize}}: permanent residents of the USA can obtain a visa on arrival,<ref>"[https://belize.com/belize-visa/ Do I Need a Visa?]" ''Belize High Commission London''. Retrieved January 8, 2019. "Nationals of the following countries do NOT require a visa to enter Belize as a tourist for a period of up to 30 days. – Any person who is the holder of a valid United States of America (USA) multiple entry visa or a Permanent Residency Card OR a valid Schengen multiple entry visa for a European Union (EU) member state."</ref> provided prior approval is obtained from Belizean Immigration (fee US$50). Visitors may also have to pay a repatriation fee.
* {{flag|Bermuda}}<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20071017175524/http://www.gov.bm/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=214&&PageID=512&mode=2&in_hi_userid=2&cached=true Immigration]". ''Government of Bermuda''. May 22, 2008. Archived from [http://www.gov.bm/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=214&&PageID=512&mode=2&in_hi_userid=2&cached=true the original] on October 17, 2007.</ref>
* {{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}: 90 days within 180 days
* {{flag|British Virgin Islands}}: 1 month<ref>{{cite web |title=British Virgin Islands International Travel Information |url=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/BritishVirginIslands.html |website=travel.state.gov |access-date=19 August 2020}}</ref>
* {{flag|Canada}}: 6 months<ref>"[http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp Countries/Territories requiring visas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729061712/http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp |date=July 29, 2017 }}". ''Cic.gc.ca''. July 11, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2012.</ref> (no eTA required)<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |title=Find out about Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) |date= April 25, 2022|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/eta/facts.html |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=}}</ref>
* {{flag|Cayman Islands}}: 30 days<ref>"[http://www.immigration.gov.ky/portal/page/portal/immhome/visitinghere/visas/visitorsvisas/listofcountries List of Countries] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230114824/http://www.immigration.gov.ky/portal/page/portal/immhome/visitinghere/visas/visitorsvisas/listofcountries |date=December 30, 2017 }}". ''Immigration''. Government of the Cayman Islands. Retrieved February 8, 2019. "Exemptions. Even if you are a national of one of the countries listed above, you will NOT require a visa to enter the Cayman Islands if you are not a prohibited immigrant** and you can satisfy an Immigration Officer on arrival in the Cayman Islands that you are ... you are resident in the United States of America; and you arrive directly from that country; and you produce on arrival a valid United States Alien Registration Card; and you produce on arrival a return or round trip ticket to the United States."</ref>
* {{flag|Costa Rica}}: 30 days<ref>"[http://www.costarica-embassy.org/index.php?q=node/24 Consular Visa] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330221246/http://www.costarica-embassy.org/index.php?q=node%2F24 |date=March 30, 2019 }}". ''Embassy of Costa Rica in Washington, D.C.''. Retrieved February 8, 2018. "Situations that do not need tourist visa to enter Costa Rica. Nationals of countries that require a VISA to enter Costa Rica are NO LONGER REQUIRED TO APPLY FOR THE VISA if: ... You have permanent residence (Greencard holder) ... Permanent residents must show their residence card, which must be valid for at least six months. The residence card (Green Card) must meet the new security features according to the specifications by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The green card should have an expiration date according to the security features. ... Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date of entry into the country and once in Costa Rica, you can remain for a maximum of 30 calendar days, An extension of the stay must be requested at the Office of Migration in Costa Rica."</ref>
* {{flag|Dominica}}: 6 months 
* {{flag|Dominican Republic}}: 30 days<ref>"[http://www.domrep.org/faqconsular.html Embassy of the Dominican Republic, in the United States] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111217003057/http://www.domrep.org/faqconsular.html |date=December 17, 2011 }}". ''Domrep.org''. Retrieved August 16, 2014.</ref>
* {{flag|Dutch Caribbean}} ([[Aruba]], [[Curaçao]], [[Sint Maarten]], [[Caribbean Netherlands]]): 30 days<ref>"[https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/travel-and-residence/caribbean-visas/do-i-need-a-visa-for-the-caribbean-parts-of-the-kingdom Do I need a visa for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621043734/https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/travel-and-residence/caribbean-visas/do-i-need-a-visa-for-the-caribbean-parts-of-the-kingdom |date=June 21, 2019 }}". ''Netherlandsandyou.nl''. Kingdom of the Netherlands. Retrieved February 8, 2019. "Do I need a visa for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom? ... If you hold a permanent residence permit for the United States or Canada, you do not need a visa."</ref><ref>"[https://www.visitaruba.com/traveling-to-aruba/entry-requirements-and-visas/ Aruba Entry Requirements] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114163215/https://www.visitaruba.com/traveling-to-aruba/entry-requirements-and-visas/ |date=January 14, 2019 }}". ''Visit Aruba''. Carib Media. Retrieved February 8, 2019. "Visa required persons exempted from the visa requirement. Click here to download a list of nationals who need a Visa to travel to Aruba. The following persons, who normally require a visa, are exempt from this requirement: Holders of a valid residence permit (temporary or permanent) from: another part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the United States of America; Canada, The Schengen Territory, United Kingdom, Ireland."</ref>
* {{flag|Georgia}}: 90 days within 180 days 
* {{flag|Guatemala}}: 90 days<ref>{{cite web |title=Guatemala International Travel Information |url=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Guatemala.html |website=travel.state.gov |access-date=19 August 2020}}</ref>
* {{flag|Honduras}}: 90 days<ref>{{cite web |title=Honduras International Travel Information |url=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Honduras.html |website=travel.state.gov |access-date=19 August 2020}}</ref>
* {{flag|Jamaica}}: 90 days<ref>{{cite web |title=Jamaica International Travel Information |url=https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Jamaica.html |website=travel.state.gov |access-date=19 August 2020}}</ref>
* {{flag|Kosovo}}: 15 days<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ambasada-ks.net/us/?page=2,128 |title=Embassy of the Republic Kosovo, in Washington DC |access-date=August 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621210454/http://www.ambasada-ks.net/us/?page=2,128 |archive-date=June 21, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* {{flag|Mexico}}: 180 days<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/paises_visa/en.html |title=Instituto Nacional de Migracion |publisher=www.inm.gob.mx |access-date=August 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712194229/http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/paises_visa/en.html |archive-date=July 12, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* {{flag|Montenegro}}: 30 days<ref>"[https://www.visit-montenegro.com/montenegro-visa-regimes/ Montenegro Visa Regimes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404120130/https://www.visit-montenegro.com/montenegro-visa-regimes/ |date=April 4, 2019 }}". ''Visit Montenegro''. Holders of travel documents containing a valid Schengen visa, a valid visa of the United States of America, United Kingdom, Ireland, or a permission to stay in these countries, may enter and stay, or pass through the territory of Montenegro up to 30 days, and not longer than the expiry of visa, if the period of validity of the visa is less than 30 days."</ref> 
* {{flag|Nicaragua}}: 3 months 
* {{flag|Panama}}: 90 days<ref>"[https://www.embassyofpanama.org/visas-1 Immigration and Visas". ''Embassy of Panama in Washington, D.C.'' Retrieved 8 2019. "Visa Waiver: There is a Law in effect regarding tourist visas for entering the Republic of Panama; EXECUTIVE DECREE # 591 states that:   “Those who hold a valid passport with a 3 months validity left and a multiple entry visa with a remaining ONE year validity from ONE of the following countries: USA, Australia, Canada, or United Kingdom, which has been used at least one time to enter these countries, may enter the Republic of Panama regardless of their nationality."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124432/https://www.embassyofpanama.org/visas-1 |date=February 9, 2019 }}</ref> 
* {{flag|Serbia}}: 90 days<ref>"[http://www.washington.mfa.gov.rs/consularservicestext.php?subaction=showfull&id=1348565352&ucat=17&template=MeniENG&#disqus_thread Travel to Serbia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406033647/http://www.washington.mfa.gov.rs/consularservicestext.php?subaction=showfull&id=1348565352&ucat=17&template=MeniENG&#disqus_thread |date=April 6, 2016 }}". ''Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Washington, D.C.'' Retrieved February 8, 2019. "Foreign nationals who have a valid US visa or lawful residence in the United States (green card) may enter the Republic of Serbia without visas and stay no longer than 90 days within six month period. Visa must be valid for the whole duration of stay in the Republic of Serbia."</ref>
* {{flag|Turks and Caicos Islands}}: 30 days

==See also==
*[[Blue Card (European Union)]]
*[[Canada Permanent Resident Card]] (PR Card), equivalent document in Canada 
*[[Chinese Foreign Permanent Resident Identity Card]]
*[[Indefinite leave to remain]] in the United Kingdom
*[[Permanent residency]]
*[[Green card marriage]]

==References==
''This article in most part is based on [[law of the United States]], including [[statutory law|statutory]] and [[precedent|published]] [[case law]].''
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
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{{commons category-inline|Green Cards (United States)}}
*[https://www.uscis.gov/green-card Green Card] at USCIS.gov
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061230113424/http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1323.html Types of employment-based Green Card application categories]

{{Immigration to the United States}}
{{Permanent residency by country}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1940 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:1940 introductions]]
[[Category:History of immigration to the United States]]
[[Category:Immigration to the United States]]
[[Category:International travel documents]]
[[Category:Identity documents of the United States]]
[[Category:Residency]]
[[Category:United States immigration law]]
[[Category:Immigration documents]]
[[Category:Residence permit]]