Becoming a U.S. citizen is a dream for many people. Although the U.S. has its share of problems, America is still seen by many around the globe as a place of relative prosperity and opportunity. For those who wish to become U.S. citizens, becoming a lawful permanent resident is the first box which needs to be checked off. People enter the U.S. under many different circumstances; this is why the U.S. allows newcomers to apply on a variety of grounds. In other words, people with different circumstances may have their own specific path to permanent residency.
In this post, we will discuss a few of the different ways people can obtain permanent residency (i.e. a Green Card). Readers should keep in mind that, even with a Green Card, it’s still possible to be removed from the U.S. if you commit certain violations. Committing certain crimes, for instance, can lead to deportation even for permanent residents.
The first category we will discuss is immediate relatives. If you’re an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, this status can provide one of the simplest ways to become a permanent resident. One reason for this is because the U.S. doesn’t impose a limit on the number of immediate relatives who can receive permanent residency status per year. Immediate relatives include the following persons: spouses, recent widows and widowers, children, stepchildren and stepparents provided the married occurred before the children were 18 years of age, and adopted children provided that the children were adopted prior to the age of 16.
Another category applies to certain employees and workers who offer unique skills to the U.S. economy. These are essentially highly skilled workers who provide a substantial net benefit to the economy. In total, the U.S. grants no more than 140,000 of these Green Cards in a given year. For most of these workers, a job offer is required to jumpstart the application process, and the worker’s employer must participate in the process. However, in some rare cases, a person may be able to apply without a job offer. These persons include investors, persons of extraordinary ability, and persons of exceptional ability.
Another category is the so-called “Green Card lottery” category. This category is also referred to as a diversity visa, because only people from certain countries may apply, and these countries historically have sent the fewest number of immigrants to the U.S. in the past. The Department of State accepts this type of application for one month during the year. The application itself is free, but potential immigrants need to meet various requirements, such as minimum educational qualifications. In total, only 50,000 Green Cards of this sort are granted every year, and millions of people throughout the world apply every year. Hence, this path to permanent residency has been referred to as the Green Card lottery because of the low probability.
These are just a few of the paths to permanent residency in the U.S. There are numerous other paths as well, paths which align with other circumstances. The key point we need to emphasize is that, even after achieving permanent residency, deportation is still possible. And, in order to apply successfully for permanent residency, you need to make sure that you are completely eligible. On these matters, you should seriously consider hiring an experienced immigration attorney. To learn more, contact New Frontier Immigration Law by calling 623-552-5025.
Hillary Walsh is one of America’s foremost immigration attorneys — a nationally recognized advocate whose career has been built case by case, client by client, in the most challenging corners of immigration law.
For over a decade, Hillary has represented immigrants, asylum seekers, trafficking survivors, and families facing deportation in proceedings before the Ninth, Sixth, and Fifth Circuit Courts of Appeals, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and immigration courts across the country. Her legal expertise spans removal defense, asylum, VAWA, T Visa, U Visa, green cards, and naturalization — the full breadth of immigration law, with particular depth in protection-based relief for vulnerable populations.
Her work has reached the highest levels of American jurisprudence. Hillary was invited to author an amicus curiae brief for a U.S. Supreme Court case — a distinction extended to attorneys whose command of immigration law is recognized at the national level.
Hillary founded New Frontier Immigration Law in 2019 with a simple but radical belief: that every person deserves a fighting chance, and that there is a solution for every problem. That legal philosophy has guided thousands of client outcomes across Phoenix, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and communities nationwide.
She doesn’t just represent clients in immigration court; she shapes how immigration law is argued, understood, and applied.
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