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Green card: what it is

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Green card: definition

Key answer

The green card (United States Permanent Resident Card) proves permanent-resident status: the right to live and work in the US permanently, not tied to an employer. For talent, the immigrant categories EB-1A, EB-1B, EB-1C and EB-2 NIW lead to it; the O-1 visa by itself does not.

An approved I-140 is not yet a green card. Next come two paths once your priority date is current: adjustment inside the US (I-485 with EAD and Advance Parole, biometrics, the I-693 medical) or consular processing via the NVC (DS-260, documents, medical, interview, entry and the USCIS Immigrant Fee). The physical card is mailed after I-485 approval or after entering on the immigrant visa.

Under the EB categories the spouse and unmarried children under 21 get green cards with the principal as derivatives. Adjustment is discretionary: flawlessly kept status keeps you eligible but does not by itself guarantee approval.

Green card: the official definition

“Also known as a Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551, or alien registration card. USCIS issues Green Cards to aliens as evidence of their lawful permanent resident status in the United States. For Form I-9, it is acceptable as proof of identity and employment authorization. Although some Green Cards do not have an expiration date, most are valid for 10 years. Cards issued to aliens with conditional permanent resident status are valid for 2 years.”

USCIS Glossary (uscis.gov), read 2026-10-11. Quoted verbatim.

Green card: the official source

Green card: what to do - tools

Green card: read next

Green card: documents and templates from the library

Green card: from community discussions

  • «And revenue across all states is also not national importance, just like jobs. For some reason everyone thinks that creating 10-20-50 jobs is national importance. It's not. Your project should affect job creation or employment in general, for example, your project helps job seekers find work and reduces unemployment.»

    community member · from public community chats

  • «A month ago we got approval for cloud architecture. There were no publications at all. Only talks at international and national conferences. These talks were covered by news portals.»

    community member · from public community chats

  • «Then immediately write a request to expedite with a one-page letter. The request should come from the inviting organization, to the Department of State, on why your talk and presence in person are so extremely important. And it's good if they say that a hybrid format is impossible. Additionally you can make a request through a senator/state representative.»

    Olga · from public community chats

Personal opinions of community members from public discussions, not legal advice.

Green card: related terms

All glossary terms

A reference definition, not legal advice. Requirements and procedures depend on your case - verify on uscis.gov.

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