I Want a Green Card! How Do I get One?

Firstly, are you sure you want a green card?  Before embarking on the journey of obtaining a green card, you need to be sure it is the best option for you. The best way to determine this is to consult with an immigration attorney, however, reading this article is a good first step.

There are four ways to get a green card:

• Family relationship
• Employment
• Investment
• Green card lottery

Family Relationship

If your spouse, sibling, or parent is a US citizen, they can petition for a green card on your behalf and you will not have to wait in any “visa queues” (although you will need to wait for the standard processing times).  

Other relationships may qualify, but there will be visa queues, anywhere from 1.5 to 23 years (currently).

Employment

If you can demonstrate “extraordinary ability” in your field, then you may qualify for an employment-based green card under the EB-1-1 category.  If you are a high-level manager at a company that wishes to transfer you to their US office, you may qualify for a green card under the EB-1-3 category.  There are other employment-based categories for professionals, but usually a lengthy “labor certification” process will be required whereby your sponsoring employer will need to prove that they could not find any US citizens or permanent residents to fill your role.

Investment

The general requirement for the investment green card, the EB-5, is to invest at least $1 million into a business whereby that cash influx will generate at least 10 new full-time jobs for Americans. However, this threshold is reduced to $500,000 if the business in which you are investing is located in an area of high-unemployment, or a rural area.

Green Card Lottery

If you are from an eligible country (Australia generally is an eligible country), and you want a green card, you may wish to enter the “Diversity Visa Program,” known as the green card lottery. the lottery is open in October every year. We recommend to enter the lottery, through the official government website: http://travel.state.gov (Look for “Diversity Visa Program.”)