What Is Green Card (Permanent Resident Card)?

Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) can live and work anywhere in the US, sponsor certain family members for immigration, and are eligible for most federal benefits. Green cards are obtained through several pathways: family sponsorship (IR and preference categories), employment sponsorship (EB-1 through EB-5 preference categories), the Diversity Visa Lottery, and asylum or refugee status. Employment-based green cards require employer sponsorship in most categories and involve PERM labor certification, I-140 petition, and visa number availability — a process that can take years or decades for oversubscribed categories like EB-2 and EB-3 for nationals of India and China. Green card holders must maintain US residency (extended absences can trigger abandonment of status) and must carry the card at all times. Conditional green cards (issued in certain family and investor cases) require a petition to remove conditions within 90 days of the two-year anniversary.

The path to a green card involves multiple stages, agencies, and potential pitfalls — including priority date backlogs, employer obligations, and status maintenance requirements. An immigration attorney can map out the optimal pathway for your situation, manage the petition process, and help you avoid status errors that could delay or jeopardize your permanent residence.