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Understanding Green Card Status: What This Guide Covers

A green card—officially called a Permanent Resident Card—is a document that shows you have legal permission to live and work in the United States indefinitely. This guide provides information about what a green card is, how the green card system works, and what different statuses mean. It does not determine whether you may receive a green card or help you submit any documents to government agencies.

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The guide covers several key topics about green card status. You will learn about the different ways people obtain green cards, including family-based immigration, employment-based immigration, diversity visa programs, and refugee or asylee status. The guide explains what it means to be a lawful permanent resident and how this status differs from other immigration categories like temporary visa holders or undocumented immigrants.

Understanding green card status matters because it affects your rights, responsibilities, and opportunities in the United States. Green card holders can work for any employer, travel outside the U.S. and return, own property, attend public schools, and access certain public benefits. They also have responsibilities, such as paying taxes and obeying all laws. The guide helps you understand these rights and responsibilities so you can make informed decisions about your situation.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, approximately 13.9 million lawful permanent residents lived in the United States as of 2022. This represents about 4% of the total U.S. population. The guide provides basic information to help you understand this immigration category and what it involves.

Practical Takeaway: Before reading further sections, think about which aspect of green card status matters most to you—whether that is understanding how someone obtains a green card, learning about rights and responsibilities, or exploring what happens after receiving one. This guide covers all these areas so you can find the information you need.

The Main Pathways to Green Card Status

People obtain green cards through several different pathways, each with its own process and timeline. Understanding these pathways helps explain why some people's immigration journeys look different from others. The five main pathways are family-based immigration, employment-based immigration, diversity visas, humanitarian protection (refugee and asylee status), and special immigrant categories.

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Family-based immigration is the largest pathway, accounting for roughly 65% of all green cards issued according to historical Department of State data. This pathway includes sponsorship by immediate relatives (spouses, parents, and unmarried children under 21 of U.S. citizens), family preference categories (siblings, married children, and adult unmarried children of U.S. citizens), and sponsorship by lawful permanent residents. For example, a U.S. citizen may sponsor their spouse or unmarried adult child. A lawful permanent resident may sponsor a spouse or unmarried child. Family sponsorship requires that the American relative file a petition, demonstrate they can financially support the immigrating family member, and wait for visa availability in some cases.

Employment-based immigration is the second-largest pathway and accounts for roughly 15% of green cards. This includes professionals with advanced degrees, skilled workers, certain investors, and workers in areas where U.S. employers report labor shortages. An employer typically must demonstrate that they cannot find a qualified U.S. worker for a position before sponsoring a foreign worker. The process often takes several years and involves labor certification and multiple government agency reviews.

The diversity visa program, also called the green card lottery, is a separate pathway that randomly selects individuals from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. Roughly 55,000 diversity visas are made available each year. People from countries that sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the previous five years cannot participate. Mexico, China, India, and the Philippines are typically not eligible due to high immigration numbers.

Humanitarian pathways include refugees and asylees—people fleeing persecution, violence, or other serious harm in their home countries. Refugees apply from outside the United States, while asylees apply from within the U.S. or at a port of entry. After one year of refugee or asylee status, people may change their status to lawful permanent resident. Additionally, certain special immigrant categories exist for people like Iraqi and Afghan translators who worked with the U.S. military, trafficking survivors, and victims of abuse.

Practical Takeaway: Identify which pathway or pathways might relate to your situation or the situation of someone you know. Different pathways have different timelines—family sponsorship may take years, while humanitarian protection can happen more quickly. Knowing which pathway applies helps you understand what information to seek next.

What Green Card Status Actually Means: Rights and Responsibilities

Green card status means you are a lawful permanent resident of the United States. This is a specific legal status that comes with particular rights and responsibilities. Understanding what this status means in practical terms helps you know what you can and cannot do.

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Green card holders have the right to live permanently in the United States without needing a visa or other travel document (except the green card itself). They may work for any employer in any field—they do not need employer sponsorship or work authorization documents. They may start businesses, own property, obtain a driver's license, and attend public schools. Green card holders may also travel outside the United States and return without losing their status, though extended absences can create complications. Green card holders may sponsor family members for immigration and may petition for citizenship after meeting certain requirements (typically three or five years of permanent resident status, depending on circumstances, plus passing a civics and English test).

Green card holders also have certain responsibilities. They must obey all federal, state, and local laws. They must pay federal income taxes on worldwide income, file annual tax returns, and maintain their status by not committing crimes, leaving the country permanently, or violating immigration laws. They must carry their green card with them and be prepared to show it to immigration officers. They must update their address with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services within 10 days of moving. They cannot vote in federal, state, or local elections (voting is reserved for U.S. citizens). They cannot hold certain government jobs that require citizenship.

Green card holders may lose their status through several actions. These include being convicted of certain crimes (felonies and crimes of moral turpitude), committing immigration fraud, abandoning permanent resident status by leaving the country with intent not to return, or violating the conditions of their status. Additionally, permanent residents who naturalize as citizens of another country may lose U.S. permanent resident status, though simply obtaining another country's passport does not automatically cause loss of status.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, approximately 640,000 people were issued green cards in fiscal year 2022. Of these, about 70% eventually naturalized as U.S. citizens, while others maintained permanent resident status for various reasons.

Practical Takeaway: Create a personal checklist of your rights and responsibilities as a green card holder. For example: Do you need to file taxes? Are you prepared to carry your green card? Have you updated your address with immigration officials? This helps ensure you maintain your status and take full advantage of the opportunities it provides.

Maintaining Green Card Status: What You Need to Know

Maintaining green card status requires ongoing attention to specific rules and requirements. This section explains what green card holders must do to keep their status valid and what could cause them to lose it. This information helps you avoid situations that could jeopardize your permanent resident status.

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Green card holders must maintain a permanent residence in the United States. This means they cannot abandon their U.S. home and move permanently to another country. Taking an extended trip abroad is generally fine, but moving permanently to live in another country can result in loss of status. The Department of Homeland Security considers factors like how long you have been gone, whether you maintain a U.S. home and job, and your stated intent when determining if you have abandoned your status. Generally, absences longer than 12 months raise questions, though circumstances vary.

Green card holders must comply with all laws. Certain criminal convictions automatically result in deportation proceedings or loss of status. These include crimes of moral turpitude (dishonest crimes like theft or fraud), drug offenses, violent crimes, and crimes involving weapons. Even some misdemeanor convictions can trigger removal. Additionally, green card holders must not engage in immigration fraud, such as making false statements on immigration forms or documents.

Green card holders must meet tax obligations. You must file a tax return with the Internal Revenue Service each year if you earn above the filing threshold, regardless of where your income comes from. The I