- 1). Get a job. Obtaining a permanent job offer from an American company is, along with immigration through a family member, the most common path to a green card. Not all work visas can result in a permanent work visa--temporary work visas that require I-129 Petition for an Alien Worker are for seasonal periods of work. Only permanent job offers that require a labor certification and I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker can result in a green card. Workers that that are classified as EB-1a (Employment Based 1a) are known as “Aliens of Extraordinary Ability” in the arts, academics, athletics or sciences and can petition (I-140) for themselves (that is, they do not need an employer or sponsor--they can simply apply for a work based immigrant visa).
- 2). Marry an American. Unless you already have a family member who is a U.S. citizen, the only way to immigrate based on relations is to marry a U.S. citizen. Marriage to n U.S. citizen should never be sought after as a means to a goal; a green card is the result of marriage and not the other way around. Marriage fraud for green card purposes is easily detected by the authorities and can result in heavy fines and a ban from entering the United States in the future. Individuals in or entering into a bona fide marriage can obtain a green card through either a K-1 fiancé(e) visa or an immigrant family visa (I-130) for those already married.
- 3). Win the lottery. In concerns to immigration, the lottery refers to the Diversity Visa Program which awards permanent immigrant visas (green cards) to randomly selected applicants from a set of specific countries. Each year the U.S. allots 55,000 Diversity Visas, therefore there are far fewer visas than there are applicants. Application requires the submission of the E-DV entry form available at the website of the United States Department of State. The diversity visa is open to all applicants except those who are citizens of Brazil, Colombia, Poland, China, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, Guatemala, Jamaica, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam, and Great Britain (note: citizens of Macau, Taiwan, and Northern Ireland are eligible to apply for the Diversity Visa).
- 4). Obtain refugee or asylee status. This is not an immigration path that is generally made by choice. However, those that obtain entry into the United States based on refugee or asylee status are eligible to obtain a green card after one year of residency since the entry date of their refugee status in the United States.
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