Securing the Coveted Prize - How to Obtain a US Green Card
Immigration has always been a constant political issue throughout America's history, and this has led to a legal bulwark of applications and visas and green cards to help facilitate, monitor, and control the waves of people trying to obtain residency in the U.
S.
No process is perhaps more difficult--or more coveted--by those seeking residency than the "green card," which bestows upon the recipient permanent residency in America.
Still, the process of obtaining a green card can be difficult to navigate.
There are essentially three ways of getting a green card: being sponsored by an employer, winning the diversity lottery, or being related to a U.
S.
citizen.
Of the three, being sponsored by an employer is perhaps the most difficult.
Even before the legal forms begin, you have to find an employer that values you enough to wade through the paperwork to help keep you more permanently.
Then you have to go through a series of applications that can often take up to about two years.
The diversity lottery is a bit simpler, but it is more of a shot in the dark.
The U.
S.
government allocates a certain number of green cards every year to qualified foreign applicants whose names are drawn at random.
Entrance into the lottery is not particularly difficult: you need the equivalent of a high school degree and to be employed (or recently employed) in a position that requires a few years of training.
However, while these relatively low standards might increase your chances of eligibility, they also decrease your chances of actually winning, since so many people apply.
Generally, each year there are millions of applicants hoping for what ultimately whittles down to around 50,000 spots.
The final option is to be sponsored by a relative.
However, relatives besides spouses and children can only be sponsored by a naturalized U.
S.
citizen.
Which means that your best bet is to be married to either a citizen or someone with a green card.
This is also perhaps the simplest and fastest way to receive a green card.
The application of sponsored spouses and children are immediately placed at the front of the line, making what can already be a tedious process move much more quickly.
Throughout this all, however, it is important to consider the assistance of a knowledgeable immigration lawyer in your area or the area of your sponsor.
Their know-how of the paperwork and process can help expedite your application and increases your chances of everything running smoothly.
S.
No process is perhaps more difficult--or more coveted--by those seeking residency than the "green card," which bestows upon the recipient permanent residency in America.
Still, the process of obtaining a green card can be difficult to navigate.
There are essentially three ways of getting a green card: being sponsored by an employer, winning the diversity lottery, or being related to a U.
S.
citizen.
Of the three, being sponsored by an employer is perhaps the most difficult.
Even before the legal forms begin, you have to find an employer that values you enough to wade through the paperwork to help keep you more permanently.
Then you have to go through a series of applications that can often take up to about two years.
The diversity lottery is a bit simpler, but it is more of a shot in the dark.
The U.
S.
government allocates a certain number of green cards every year to qualified foreign applicants whose names are drawn at random.
Entrance into the lottery is not particularly difficult: you need the equivalent of a high school degree and to be employed (or recently employed) in a position that requires a few years of training.
However, while these relatively low standards might increase your chances of eligibility, they also decrease your chances of actually winning, since so many people apply.
Generally, each year there are millions of applicants hoping for what ultimately whittles down to around 50,000 spots.
The final option is to be sponsored by a relative.
However, relatives besides spouses and children can only be sponsored by a naturalized U.
S.
citizen.
Which means that your best bet is to be married to either a citizen or someone with a green card.
This is also perhaps the simplest and fastest way to receive a green card.
The application of sponsored spouses and children are immediately placed at the front of the line, making what can already be a tedious process move much more quickly.
Throughout this all, however, it is important to consider the assistance of a knowledgeable immigration lawyer in your area or the area of your sponsor.
Their know-how of the paperwork and process can help expedite your application and increases your chances of everything running smoothly.
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