Green Card through the Green Card Lottery
Due to the high requirements in other Green Card categories such as employment-based, family, marriage, and investment Green Cards, the path through the Green Card Lottery is, for most people, not only the easiest but often the only way to a life in the USA.
In the application form, you must give personal details like your first and last name, date of birth, country, and city of birth, level of education, as well as a digital photo. This information is also required for each member of your family, with the exception of their passport details.
No matter how you attempt it, it's not easy to get a green card. The process of getting a green card can be very long and complicated. Doing it incorrectly could waste years and a lot of money. It also could expose you to deportation, criminal charges, and being barred from ever entering the US.
You can either move to the U.S. on an immigrant visa, which provides you with permanent residency in the country, or on a non-immigrant visa which gives you no permanent rights to remain in the country. Both options require applicants to fulfill the eligibility criteria of the specific visa that they are applying for.
The U.S. government issues a limited number of Green Cards each year, and the demand for them is always high. Therefore, there is a lot of competition among applicants, and the process can be quite challenging.
If you entered the U.S. unlawfully, have prior immigration violations, failed to attend removal proceedings, or otherwise abused the U.S. immigration process, you may be ineligible for a green card.
On average, it takes about two years for a green card to become available and three years total to get permanent resident status. It may take longer for citizens of Mexico, China, India, and the Philippines because they have a much higher volume of green card applicants annually.
Two of these ways are: (1) the EB1A visa; and (2) the National Interest Waiver. Through both of these options, you do not need a job offer and you do not need a company to file an immigrant visa petition on your behalf. Instead, you apply for the immigrant visa on your own behalf.
There are various possible routes that you can take to get a green card without marriage such as self-petition, employment, family, EB-5 Investor Program or other quasi investment green card, special immigrant or DV lottery.
That means that you can apply for your green card on your own without the need for an employer or a family member to sponsor you. These four ways are (1) the EB1A visa, (2) the EB2 national interest waiver, (3) the EB5 investor visa, and (4) the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
Receive your Green Card in as little as two years by utilizing the EB-1C visa. This is the quickest and most direct path to a Green Card for qualified individuals. The EB-1C visa is available to executives and managers of multinational companies who are being transferred to the United States.
EB-1 Visa for Priority Workers
Individuals under EB-1 eligibility typically experience the quickest application process for a green card.
Unfortunately, the only way that you can sponsor a person's visa or green card application is if you are the non-citizen's employer, relative, or fiancé(e). The U.S. immigration laws do not allow you to sponsor someone just because they are your friend.
Although some Permanent Resident Cards, commonly known as Green Cards, contain no expiration date, most are valid for 10 years. If you have been granted conditional permanent resident status, the card is valid for 2 years. It is important to keep your card up-to-date.
The government filing fees for getting a family-based green card is $1760 for an applicant living in the United States or $1200 for an applicant living outside the United States.
The US student visa (F-1 visa) is one of the fastest visas to process. In fact, the study permit is often processed directly before your embassy interview.
The interview is the last big step in the marriage green card application process, and it can be the most intimidating and stressful element. You can reduce this stress by knowing what to expect and assembling an organized file to bring to the interview.
All sponsors must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, be at least 18 years old, and be living in the United States (including territories and possessions) when they file the affidavit of support.
A job offer is required and the U.S. employer must file an Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, Form I-140, on behalf of the applicant. Applicants may apply for an exemption, known as a National Interest Waiver, from the job offer and labor certification if the exemption would be in the national interest.
You can become a permanent resident in several ways, including: sponsorship by a family member or U.S. employer; refugee or asylee status or other humanitarian programs; or. individual filing.