Requirements for green card application
Requirements for green card application depend on the type of green card you are applying for. If you are applying for a family-based green card, you will need to provide evidence that you are a family member of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
A green Card is an official US card issued to non-US immigrant who would like to have full residence in the US. It allows all non-US citizens to gain full residence to work and stay at the US.
You can also define a green card as an identification that indicates the owner’s permission to residence and work freely at the US.
If you are applying for a student visa, you will need to provide evidence that you will be able to attend an accredited U.S. school and that you have the financial resources to support yourself while in the U.S.
Green card owners are known as permanent residents. A green card can also be referred to as a Lawful Permanent Resident Card.
Qualifications towards getting a Green card.
In order to qualify to get a green card, then you must fall under the following categories discussed below:
- Green card through family
- Green card through employment
- Green card through special immigrant act
- Green card through refugee or Asylee.
- Green card for human trafficking and crime victims
- Green card through registry
- Green card through other categories
- Green card through family
For you to qualify to get a green card under family, then you must ensure the following conditions are satisfied.
- You must be a spouse of a U.S citizen
- You must be un married child below 21 years of a US citizen
- You must be a parent of a US citizen who is 21 years and above
You can be qualified for eligibility to residence in US through other relative
Under this category, then you must have the following qualifications;
- You must be an unmarried son or daughter of a US citizen and are above 21 years of age
- You must be a married son or daughter of a US citizen
- You must have a brother or sister who is above 21 years of age
If you a lawful family member who is a US permanent citizen related in the following;
- You happen to be unmarried child and you are below the age of 21 years
- You happen to be a married son or daughter of a US lawful, permanent resident.
- You happen to be a spouse of a lawful permanent us citizen.
You can also qualify for green card through Fiancé (e) option
- If you are a fiancé’(e) of a permanent lawful US citizen then you qualify for green card
- If you are a fiancé’(e) child then you qualify for green card under this option
Green card under human trafficking and crime victims.
You will qualify for green card as a human trafficking victim but only if you have the following credentials with you.
- T nonimmigrant visa
- U nonimmigrant visa
- Human trafficking victim
NOTE: IF you wish to apply for a green card, then it should follow that you must have been approved for T nonimmigrant visa, U nonimmigrant visa and prove for Human trafficking victim
Qualification for T nonimmigrant visa.
To qualify for a US T nonimmigrant visa under human trafficking and crime victims, you are required to hold an extreme prove that indeed you had a hard time in human trafficking activities in the US. Like for example; you were involved in prostitution or slavery activities. The US government classifies the inhuman activities which will lead to one acquiring a T nonimmigrant visa under the following categories;
- Process- Under this category, maybe you went through the following exploitative acts; recruitment, transportation, harboring or receiving of a person.
- Ways and means – maybe you found yourself into US as a result of the following activities; threat, coercion, abduction, fraud, deceit, deception or abuse of power.
- Goals- may be the US perpetrator hired you to US with the following aim without your consent; prostitution, pornography, violence and sexual exploitation, forced labor, involuntary servitude, debt bondage or slavery.
Note: you must have been living in the US when the following scenes above faced you. It should not follow that you had come to US for a holiday vacation when the above scenes faced you, you should have been frauded into the US for the crimes discussed above. For example, A US perpetrator had promised to offer you a job in US but upon they took advantage of you, i.e. they turned you into prostitution.
U nonimmigrant visa
To qualify for a green card, you must have a U nonimmigrant visa and to qualify for a U nonimmigrant visa then you must then have a prove of a human trafficking activity which may be contributed to you enduring mental or physical abuse.
You will also be required to liaise with the US government for a follow up and check up in investigating the human trafficking crimes but if you fall under 18 years or you mentally or physically abused such that you can’t part in the investigation.
Other categories.
- You can qualify for green card if you are a widow or a widower of a US citizen and you were married to your US spouse at the time your spouse died.
- You can qualify for green card if you are an abused spouse of a US citizen
- You can qualify for green card if you are an abused parent of a US citizen
- You can qualify for green card if you are an abused child (unmarried below age of 21 years) of a US citizen.
Read Also E-Passport Application in Kenya and passport requirements
Green card through employment.
You can get a green card through employment as an immigrant worker if you fall and qualify in the following sub categories;
- First preference immigrant
First immigrant preference means; you have your own unique feature in sciences, arts, education, business of athletics, you are an outstanding professor or researcher, you are a multinational manager or executive officer.
- Second preference immigrant
Second immigrant preference means; you are a member of certain profession that requires advanced degree or you have unique ability in sciences, arts, and business.
- Third preference immigrant
Third immigrant preference means, you are a skilled worker or an unskilled worker who will only carry out unskilled jobs.
- Physical national waiver interest
If you a physician who is ready to work for a full-time basis in a clinical practice for a given period of time then you can qualify for a green card under this category.
- Immigrant investor
If you would wish to invest in the US economy and at 10 applicants will qualify in your field that will require you $ 1 million or $500, 000 then you will qualify for green card under this category.
Green card under special immigrant
If you a religious worker coming to work in US for non-profitable religious activities or you are a juvenile who needs court protection simply because you have been abused, abandoned or neglected then you qualify for green card under this sub category.
Green card through refugee or Asylee status.
You will be eligible for green card application if you were admitted to US as a refugee for at least one year or you were initially granted asylum status at least a year ago.
Green card under Human Trafficking and crime victims.
You will qualify for green card as a Human trafficking victim but only if you have the following credentials with you; T nonimmigrant visa, u nonimmigrant visa or a human trafficking victim.
Green card through registry
To be a successful applicant under this category, then you must have resided in the US since the year 1972.
Green card under other categories
To qualify for green card under this specification, then you have to fall into the following categories and you will have to meet the basic necessary required qualifications in each specified category.
- Liberian Refugee immigration Fairness
- Diversity Immigrant Visa Program
- Cuban Adjustment
- Dependent status under the HRIFA
- Parolee
- Indochinese parole Adjustment Act of 2000
- American Indian born in Canada
- Person born in the united states to a foreign diplomat
- Section 13
Green card lottery
The green card lottery is an opportunity in which the US government gives to around 55,000 immigrants to migrate to the state without having have to have exceptional qualifications, US relatives or a work place in the US. The drawing winner is announced every in between May and June and is organized by the US government.
Green Card Application in Kenya
According to US Embassy in Kenya, one can qualify for a green card through the immigration Act of 1990 Diversity VISA program which invites individual from countries that have had low immigratory rates to the US state to apply for the diversity visa through the prompt user steps outlined on usvisas.state.gov.
After completing the steps, then log into Entrant status checker at dvlottery.sate.gov and review the information provided together with the information from the website.
To know if you have been selected for the DV-2021, return to dvlottery.state.gov and click on Entrant status check, then enter your unique confirmation number together with your personal information.
The U.S government will notify you informing you of your appointment date. After you complete the interview, the consular officer will inform you if your visa application was declined or approved since some visa require further administrative processing.
In case it happens, your visa gets denied, you can visit ineligibilities and waivers on us usvisas.state.gov.
Green card process
Since 2004, applications for green card are done online. The applications are sent to US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS).
After US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) have approved the green card application, then the main Green card applicant will be invited to their home countries’ embassy to complete consular processing.
