The USA boasts high economic strength, lots of career opportunities, great weather, and also a solid educational system – hence making it a sought-after destination for long-term and even permanent living.
However, getting a green card, which allows you to live in the USA indefinitely, can be pretty tricky.
With that said, here’s a comprehensive look at some steps you can take to become a permanent resident in the U.S;
Familial Relationships
Having a relative who is already a U.S citizen or already possesses a green card is arguably the easiest way to boost your chances of getting permanent residency in the U.S, as they have the power to help you make an appeal to receive a green card.
Relatives that qualify for getting a green card through an appeal include:
- Unmarried children under 21 years of age.
- Spouses of U.S citizens.
- Parents of U.S citizens who are above the age of 21 years old.
Employment
Employment is also a relatively easy route towards becoming a permanent resident of the U.S.
However, it is worth noting that individuals in some fields of work and specific roles have a higher chance of receiving permanent residency than others.
Some of these fields and roles include;
- Experts in fields such as; health, finance, and tech.
- Executives of companies, directors, and managers.
- Researchers
On that note, you should optimize your education and or career around working within the healthcare, financial, or the tech industry in a bid to give yourself a higher chance of getting permanent residency in the United States.
Investment
Investing is a great way to expedite the process of becoming a permanent resident of the U.S – however, only a handful of investments qualify you for permanent residency, all of which include;
- Investing at least $1 million in a New Commercial Enterprise in the U.S. (or investing at least $500,000 if the investment is made in a Targeted Employment Area), a targeted employment area could be either a rural area or a high unemployment area;
- Proving that the capital invested comes from a legal source (e.g., was not obtained through criminal activities);
- Showing that the investment has created or preserved, or will create or preserve, at least ten new jobs for U.S. workers.
Furthermore, getting permanent residency through investing has three basic steps;
Firstly, you’ll need to file a form called the I-526 petition form, and this form helps to prove that you’ve met the basic criteria for obtaining a permanent residency through investing.
The second step involves obtaining conditional residence. You see, before you and your qualified family members can apply for “conditional permanent resident status,” the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration service must have approved your I-526 form.
Thirdly, you’ll need to obtain removal of conditions which involves filing a form I-829. This type of form helps in replacing the conditional resident status with a lawful permanent resident status when approved by the USCIS. After this, you will be issued a new green card to reflect this status change.
Get Expert Advice
The importance of getting expert advice cannot be overemphasized in the process of applying for permanent residency because attempting to secure permanent residency all on your own can be a very difficult and mentally draining task.
In order to make the process easy, it would make sense to consult an immigration specialist such as an EB-5 attorney.
These immigration specialists will help in reviewing your case, determining your eligibility status, and also help you make the right choices.
An EB-5 attorney can help you with legal advice and give you step-by-step help en route to getting permanent residency. This will save you a ton of time running in circles trying to figure the entire process out on your own.
