Who is a Permanent Resident?
A Permanent Resident, often referred to as a “Green Card holder” in the United States, is a Foreign National who has been granted the legal right to live and work in a country on a permanent basis. The specific terms and regulations for permanent residency may vary from one country to another, but the core concept is similar.
In the United States Permanent Residents have certain responsibilities and duties that are expected of them, e.g; paying their taxes, joining the military etc. Permanent Residents have a path to citizenship after a certain period of residency and meeting certain criteria.
Ways to obtain Permanent Residency
- Family Based: Sponsored by a qualifying family member who is a US citizen or Permanent Resident, it is limited to 480,000 immigrant visas per year.
- Employment Based: This visa is sponsored by an employer based on a job offer, the job offer must be a position that cannot be filled by a US citizen and application must go through PERM. Foreign National may self-sponsor in some cases limited to 140,000 immigrant visas per year.
- Other: Diversity lottery, asylum/refugee, returning resident.
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