The Green Card is an identification card that gives a non U.S. citizen the lawful status to live and work anywhere in the United States permanently. The U.S. government issues green cards to family members of U.S. citizens, current green card holders, workers from other countries but there are many other categories of green cards.
Q: What is the other way to get a green card in the USA?
A: The categories to be eligible for a green card in the U.S. are given below:-
i) Green Card through Family: If anyone has their close relatives who hold U.S. citizenship or a green card, they may apply for family-based green cards of their own. The eligible family members include spouses, children, parents, siblings(brother or sister), widows and widowers.
ii) Green Card through Employment: The employment-based green card category is again subcategories as;
- Priority workers (EB-1): It applies to a person having extraordinary ability i.e. of national or international acclaim in arts, sciences, education, business, and athletics or is an outstanding professor or researcher or is multinational managers and executives comes under EB-1 category.
- Professionals with advanced degrees and exceptional abilities (EB-2): It applies to a person having an expertise bachelor's or master's degree along with at least five years' relevant experience in the field of arts, sciences or business that is of national interest falls under EB-2 category.
- Skilled, unskilled, and professional workers (EB-3): A skilled worker requiring a minimum of two years' training or experience, a professional holding a bachelor's degree or an unskilled worker that require less than two years' training or experience falls under EB-3 category.
- Special workers (EB-4): Religious workers and ministers, media professionals, nationals who have served the U.S. government from Afghanistan and Iraq, retired officers or employees of international organizations or NATO, Children having Special Immigrant Juvenile(SIJ) status fall under EB-4 category.
- Investors (EB-5): Any non-U.S. nationals who are interested in investing or already invested at least $1 million in a new U.S. business or $500,000 in a high-unemployment or rural area which will create full-time positions for at least 10 workers come under EB-5 category.
iii) Humanitarian Green Cards:
a) Green Card through Refugee or Asylee Status: Any People persecuted in their home country due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, etc and were admitted as a refugee or granted asylum status at least 1 year ago can apply under this category.
b)Green Card for Human Trafficking and Crime Victims: Any victims of human trafficking staying in the U.S. without proper documents may apply for a 'T' visa. Any victims of crime such as kidnapping, sexual assault, and torture staying in the U.S. without proper documents may apply for a 'U' visa. To qualify for a green card, they must be ready to help investigate and prosecute and even stayed in the United States for at least three years after receiving the 'T' or 'U' visa.
iv) Green Card through Registry: If anyone has lived continuously in the U.S. before Jan. 1, 1972 to date can also apply for a Green Card.
v) By winning the Green Card Lottery: It is the fastest and simplest known to way get a U.S. green card. The lottery is open to nationals of countries whose immigration in the U.S. is the least and it may change every year wherein approximately 55,000 immigrants are given U.S. citizenship through the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery system. The registration can be done online at www.dvlottery.state.gov. If you are lucky and is one of the winners then you can directly apply for an immigrant visa.
Q: Can a person who wants to invest in the USA get a green card as he has invested so and so amount? What are the exact rules of getting a green card when one invests in the USA?
A: Kindly follow the Investors (EB-5) category which is explained above.
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