What is a Green Card?
 Legal Definition of Green Card:
United States permanent residents have an identification card known as the
“Green Card.” Other names that the Green Card is known as include: immigrant
visa, permanent visa, permanent resident card, permanent resident visa, Form I-151 or
Form I-551. In the past the identification card was known as an alien
registration receipt, which was previously its formal title. While permanent
residents are not United States citizens, they are granted permission to reside
and work in the United States on a permanent basis. Permanent residents of the
United States legally reside in the country, but are still considered aliens.
Unlike United States citizens who are not required to carry identification to
prove their citizenship, permanent residents must carry their Green Card with
them at all times. This is one of the many constitutional rights that United
States citizens are entitled to. Before the September 11 terrorist attacks, the
requirement to carry one's Green Card at all times was not strictly enforced when
traveling within the United States. The only time the status of the permanent
resident was checked was when traveling outside the United States. However, post
September 11, the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security now requires that permanent residents
be able to show their Green Card or other
document that will prove their legal status in the country at all times. The government
agency responsible for issuing Green Cards
is the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) which was formerly the
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
The first alien registration receipt card was introduced with the Alien
Registration Act of 1940 and was white. As a security measure all non-U.S.
citizens, even if they were in the country illegally were required to register
with the government via their local post office. The applications were then
forwarded to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and each applicant received a receipt card or Form AR-3.
The card did not differentiate between a legal and illegal resident in the United
States. Basically, the card was given to anyone who registered. Toward the end
of the World War II and as migration greatly increased, the registration no
longer took place at local post offices but with the federal government's
offices of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). The INS began to
differentiate aliens into three categories: visitors, permanent residents and
temporary foreign workers. Visitors received the I-94c, permanent residents the
I-151, and foreigner workers the I-100a. The green I-151 identified individuals
as having the permanent right to work and reside legally in the United States.
The Internal Security Act of 1950 introduced new regulations and made the I-151
more valuable to its holders. Due to its long title, the alien registration
receipt card form I-151, everyone from immigration attorneys to enforcement
officers started referring to it as the Green Card. The card became highly
desirable among many and represented a status they sought to attain. Counterfeit
cards became a serious problem and from the 1940s to 1970s and there were a total of
19 different versions introduced. The card’s color was changed to a pale blue
and later a dark blue, but it continued to be referred to as the
Green Card.
It was not until 1977 when the INS introduced an alien registration receipt card
which could not be easily counterfeited. The new card was machine-readable. Some
of the varying colors included pink and pink with blue.
Nonetheless, it was still referred to as the Green Card. The current
Green Card or permanent residency card is predominantly white with black letters. The
Green Card includes a person’s name and photograph as well as other information. It is
the size of a credit card and is plastic. When looking at the back of the
current permanent residency card, the green is more prominent. Throughout the
years, it continues to be updated with new anti-counterfeit features. Regardless
of the color of the actual card, it will be known as the “Green Card” because
the first card that differentiated lawful permanent residents was green and it
is a term that has stuck to it. Being a permanent resident in the United States
entitles individuals to certain rights and those rights came into existence when
the permanent residency card was green. However, there are instances when the
Green Card can be revoked. These instances include an individual being outside
the United States for an extensive period of time, not maintaining permanent
residence in the United States or breaking certain laws.
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