Green Card
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Schedule a Consultation with a Green Card Lawyer
Our Chicago green card lawyer can advise as to your chances to become a U.S. permanent resident and ways of obtaining a green card.
What is a Green Card?
If you want to live, work, and build your life in the United States you will need a green card. There are several ways to obtain a green card. Contact Oleh Feduniak, the Chicago-based green card lawyer, who will advise you on how to obtain a green card.
It is important to understand that a green card (Permanent Resident Card) is just proof of your permanent resident status. For example, you can lose your green card, but it does not mean that you lost permanent resident status. Therefore, the legal permanent status is determinative, but not the green card since it just proves your status.
A person acquires a permanent resident status upon admission to the United States or based on the adjustment of status in the United States. Once a person becomes a permanent resident, he/she can apply for a Permanent Resident Card (green card). Green cards for legal permanent residents are issued for ten years and should be renewed every 10 years unless the person becomes a United States citizen.
How to Get a Green Card?
There are several ways to obtain permanent resident status:
- An Employment-based green card through sponsorship from a U.S. employer
- A family-based green card is when an alien is sponsored by his/her relative who is a United States citizen or permanent resident.
- Green card for winners in the Diversity Visa Lottery (Green Card Lottery)
- Green card based on the grant of Refugee or Asylee status in the United States
- Green cards for persons who are part of the special class designated by the U.S. Government
What Should You Know about the Green Card?
- You must have the intent to keep the U.S. as your permanent residence – it doesn’t mean that you cannot have multiple residences, you just need to designate the United States as your primary/permanent residence.
- A green card facilitates your entry into the U.S. which means that you are not inspected every time you return to the U.S.
- Green Card can be lost due to the following:
- Abandonment – permanent resident has been outside the U.S. for more than 12 months and doesn’t have any connections with the U.S.
- Commission of fraud or other crime