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Tips Before Applying for a Green Card in the U.S.

For many people, living in the United States is a dream, and the first step is to be able to live and work in the USA permanently.

For many people, living in the United States is a dream, and the first step is to be able to live and work in the USA permanently. They believe that the United States is a country that can provide them opportunities and settle down.

Green card holders can file a petition for their relatives, but on some occasions, people can file a green card through self-petition, which not everyone is aware of. This is called the National Interest Waiver. This allows qualified individuals to get a green card even if they do not have any job offers in the United States.

The Green card is an essential document. It allows the holder to live permanently in the United States and find jobs and earn income. For green card holders, it is advisable that if you have plans of traveling outside the United States, it should not be longer than a year. Otherwise, your Green Card will expire, and you will go through the application process again.

What are the Qualifications to Apply for a Green Card?

There are various requirements that you must fulfill, depending on what USA Green Card you choose to apply. Each category has its own set of conditions and also a few must-have for each visa.

Family-based Green Cards

For family-based Green Cards, Green Card applicants must live and reside in a foreign country, and they must apply from their home country. Each state has its process for Green Card Applications. Applicants are required to meet these to get a Green Card.

An applicant must have a family member who is also a citizen or a green cardholder. They must be either a spouse/fiance, child, sibling, or parents, both adoptive and biological. The relative who is a U. S. citizen must be willing to sponsor the application for you and must prove that they are financially capable. And able to support you for the first few months of you moving to the United States and until you land your first job.

It is also required that the family member applying for the green card should not be over 21 years old, and if they are, your parents should be more than 21 decades of age.

The family member requesting to petition her relative/s should be at least 21 years old and should have a valid U. S. address.

Employment-based Green Cards

For applicants who are getting a green card because of their jobs or employment, there should be a job offer from your employer to move to the United States permanently. Your employer can file the necessary petition documents for you as long as he/she would also be able to provide all requirements to process your green card application.

You or your employer should be able to provide proof of the job or employment offer. Documentation such as a signed contract or a signed letter from your employer stating the conditions of you working in the United States permanently. The date of when you should start working in the United States; nature and specialization of your job and also the information about the company you are going to be working for.

Your employer should also pass certain criteria wherein they should be financially stable and can support at least ten or more regular paid employees. Some other requirements for your employer will be provided and stated by the government.

Diversity Visa Green Card

This particular category is considered a special case when it comes to green card applications. Every year, the United States Government would hold a visa lottery for citizens of some countries that have low immigration rates to the United States. If your country is considered under this category and you decide to apply through that lottery, then you are one of the lucky 55,000 who would get a green card. This is the easiest way to acquire a green card, considering that all you need to do is apply to participate in the drawing that takes place every year.