U.S. Green Cards are identification cards for lawful permanent residents of the United States of America.
Green Cards are the common name for a United States Permanent Resident Card.
U.S. Green Card Overview
If you are not a United States Permanent Resident yet, we recommend you apply for a
Green Card. Our
Green Card Information Guide can help you
understand the application process. An immigrant usually has to go through a three-step process that may take several years depending on the type of immigrant category
and the country of birth. Green Card holders must maintain resident status
by residing in the United States. This serves as proof that the Green Card
holder has permission to conditionally reside and take employment in the United
States. The Green Card must be in the possession of the U.S. permanent resident
at all times and be able to show it to a USCIS officer, if requested.
A Green Card can be taken away if you do not abide by the law and commit a
crime. Other conditions that can cause someone to lose their permanent resident
status would be if the Green Card holder were found to have abandoned their
status by moving to another country to live there permanently, or for staying outside of the U.S. for more than 365 days without having obtained a re-entry permit before leaving the country. Also not
filing an income tax return could be punishable by losing permanent resident
status.
There are several ways to apply for a Green Card, including:
Important Information for Green Card Holders Planning on Applying for U.S.
Citizenship
Before a Green Card holder can apply for U.S. citizenship through the
naturalization process, he or she needs to fulfill a residency requirement. The
time spent abroad does not count towards this requirement.
Green Card holders
staying abroad for lengthy periods may disrupt their residency, since the time
spent abroad does not count towards the residency requirement for
naturalization. However, it is possible to submit an "Application to Preserve
Residence for Naturalization Purposes". Detailed information and application
procedures can be found in the Green Card Information Guide.
For additional information about Green Cards, please check out these helpful links: