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So you want to get a green card? One million foreign nationals become legal immigrants to the United State each year. Here are answers to commonly asked questions about U.S. residency procedures to qualify for a green card: Q: Who is eligible to immigrate to the United States? A: Anyone who is an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen or resident, employee sponsored by a U.S. company, approved refugee or winner of an annual green card lottery. People can apply at the nearest U.S. consulate.

On July 2, the State Department suspended the processing of business visas until Oct.1. See details on the State Department’s visa services website: http://travel.state.gov/visa/
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Q: Do I have to be outside the United States to apply for an immigrant visa?



A: No. People living or temporarily in the United States who qualify for asylum, employment, family and lottery can apply for a green card, which is the same as an immigrant visa. Applications within the United States are submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. See details on the USCIS website: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis

Q: If I qualify, how soon will I get my visa or green card?

A: It depends on where you live, whether you are the spouse or minor child of a U.S. citizen or resident and whether a visa is immediately available. In many cases, visa approvals can be delayed if there is a backlog in the applicant’s home country — unless the applicant is the spouse of a U.S. citizen, in which case delivery of the visa is relatively fast. In some countries, U.S. consulates are now beginning to process family-based visa applications filed in the 1990s and business-based visa applications filed two to three years ago. Processing dates are available at the State Department’s Visa Bulletin website: http://travel.state.gov/visa/

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Q:If I’m living outside the United States, do I have to wait for delivery of the green card to travel to the United States?

A: No. The consulate in your home country would issue an immigrant visa and then once you arrive in the United States, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers who handle your entry will instruct you on what to do or begin processing your papers so you can get a green card in the mail.

Q: Who decides whether someone is eligible for a green card or citizenship?

A: The consular official or immigration officer assigned to review your application.

Q: How soon after I get my green card can I apply for citizenship?

A: Three years if you are married to a U.S. citizen or five if not.

Q:Are green-card holders required to become U.S. citizens?

A: No. Naturalization is voluntary. Green-card holders can remain residents permanently, but must renew their green cards every 10 years.

Q:Besides being sponsored by a U.S. citizen, resident or company, or winning the green-card lottery, are there any other legal ways to obtain a green card?

A: Yes. Asking for asylum is another way — but only if you can demonstrate to an asylum officer or immigration judge that you have a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.

Q:If I’m living and working in the United States without papers, can I apply for a green card?

A: Yes, but only if you meet certain conditions. Among them: You have lived in the United States, without criminal convictions, since before 1972; you entered legally, overstayed your visa and married a U.S. citizen; you applied for asylum within a year after arriving and are eligible.

Q:Are green cards permanent documents?

A: No. They have to be renewed every 10 years. Check the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Website for specific instructions: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis

Q:What do I do with my green card once I get it?

A: You should carry it at all times. Failure to carry a green card could result in your legal status questioned by immigration officers and possible detention until your status is determined.

Q:What does it mean to have a green card?

A: It means you can work and live permanently in the United States — until you leave or die. Other than renewing the card every 10 years, permanent residents don’t need to change their status — unless they want to become citizens.

Q: Can green-card holders lose their status?

A: Yes. Under certain circumstanbces if you stay away from the United States for a year or more without a re-entry permit or you are ordered deported.

Q:Can naturalized immigrants be stripped of their U.S. citizenship?

A: Yes. It generally happens when immigration officials believe the naturalized person lied in the application. But a recent case involving a Haitian-American set a precedent that a naturalized person convicted of drug-trafficking can lose citizenship if the government shows the crime occurred after the person applied for citizenship and before citizenship was approved.

Q:If you don’t have relatives in the United States, can you still get a green card?

A: Yes. But you have to be sponsored by a business, show a well-founded fear of persecution to qualify for asylum or demonstrate you have extraordinary ability in the arts, sciences, education, business or athletics.

Author:Alfonso Chardy
From: http://www.miamiherald.com

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