11 ways to get green card permanent residence status in the USA

If you want to live and work in the USA indefinitely, the best way to do it is to get green card permanent residence status. There are various methods of obtaining green cards, some of them more difficult and obscure than others. Below are my 11 ways to get green card permanent residence status. Often your eligibility depends upon who you are and your situation, as much as what your intentions and needs are. The green card permanent residence status is something that many non US citizens around the world aspire to, especially in poorer countries where life is harsh and the idea of working and living in the USA seems like a dream worth striving for.

1. Be exceptional at your job and/or have skills that the USA needs.

You might be an exceptional researcher or professor, or an executive or manager of a multinational company, or have specific skills that the USA is short of.

2. Be a refugee

You might be able to apply for green card permanent residence status if you are a foreign national who has suffered persecution in your home country, or is fleeing famine, war or civil unrest.

3. Be a relative of a US citizen.

For instance, if you are a son or daughter, adopted child, parent, stepparent, brother or sister of a US citizen, you might be able to get green card permanent residence status.

4. Be an Asylum seeker

You might be able to apply if you are a foreign national who cannot return to your home country because of the well-founded fear that you might suffer religious, racial, political, or nationalistic persecution.

US Embassy in London

Source: Veedar

5. Win the green card lottery

This is run by the US Department of State. Your chances of obtaining green card permanent residence status with this method are pretty low, however.

6. Be a special immigrant

Examples of some of the people who may fit into this category and apply for green card permanent residence status are foreign medical graduates, former employees of the US Armed Forces, religious workers, employees of international broadcasting companies.

7. Be an investor

If you are prepared to invest in a commercial enterprise and create jobs in the US, you may be able to apply for a green card. At the time of writing, the rules say that you need to invest at least $500,000 to be considered for eligibility ($1000,000 if you are not investing in a targeted employment area).

8. Be a diplomat

If you are a diplomat who fears returning to his or her home country because of the threat of persecution, then you might be eligible to apply for green card permanent residence status.

9. Be adopted

If you are a child aged under 16 and you are adopted by a US citizen or green card holder, you might be able to apply for green card permanent residence status.

10. Be a continuous resident

If you are a foreign national who has resided in the USA continuously since January, 1972, then you might be able to achieve green card permanent residence status.

11. Be granted permanent residence through a private bill

If you are a foreign national and the USCIS cannot grant you permanent residence status, then congress can pass a private bill, if they believe that there are strong humanitarian reasons to do so.

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Mirmen 5 weeks ago

Hi. i wanted to ask if it was possible for a diplomat to get a permanent resident card.

PaulGoodman67 Hub Author 5 weeks ago

Diplomats can apply under Section 13 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The conditions of eigibility are here: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb