Do you dream of establishing yourself in the United States? Then you have probably heard about the green card, the gateway to permanent residence in the United States. Not in vain, the owner of the green card can live and work in the United States without any restriction. However, immigration procedures are usually long and cumbersome. Review of 3 ways to obtain permanent residency in the United States.
1. Obtain a green card for family reasons
Are any of your parents or your spouse American? In some cases, a family member can avail you to get the green card. A national of the United States over 21 years of age can make the request for his spouse, children, parents or siblings. In addition, the owner of the green card can also guarantee his spouse or children.
How does it work?
• Your US endorsement fills form I-130, the immigrant application for foreign family members and gathers all the required documentation.
• The application and payment of registration fees ($420) must be sent to the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Service).
• Your endorsement will receive a receipt and then a notification of the resolution adopted once the application has been processed.
2. Obtain a green card for work reasons
Each year, the United States can issue up to 140,000 green cards for work-related reasons. There are several priority categories. In the granting of permanent residence, priority is given to:
• People with exceptional skills in science, arts, education, business or sports.
• Professors and outstanding researchers.
• Certain executives and managers.
Entrepreneurs, people who have a job offer from a company in the United States and workers from very specific areas (religious personnel, for example) also opt for a green card. Since the fees vary from one country to another, keep in mind that depending on the cases the waiting time can be very long.
How does it work:
• Your US guarantee completes the I-140 form, the immigrant application for foreign relatives and gathers all the required documentation.
• The application and payment of registration fees ($ 580) must be sent to the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Service) by mail or electronic mail, depending on the situation.
• Your guarantee will receive a receipt first and then a notification of the resolution adopted once the application has been processed. If the application is approved, the NVC (National Visa Center) will inform you about the procedures for applying for an immigrant visa.
3. Win in the green card lottery
The lottery is probably the best known way to get an American green card. Each year, the United States gives 55,000 immigrant applicants the opportunity to obtain a green card through the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery. The lottery is open to nationals of those countries with the lowest immigration rates to the United States. This means that the list of countries whose nationals may or may not participate in the green card lottery changes every year.
How does it work:
- Register online for DV-2020 here. You must bear in mind that each year you can only participate in the lottery for a specific period.
- Save the confirmation number you receive: you will need it to check if you have been chosen or not.
- If you are chosen, you can apply for an immigrant visa.