Subjects
Permanent Residence
Permanent residence is the status of a person allowed to live and work in the United States indefinitely, documented by a green card.
Related articles
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Becoming a U.S. Citizen: The Requirements for Naturalization
Naturalization is how a green-card holder becomes a U.S. citizen. The residence and physical-presence rules, the good moral character requirement, and what the law demands.
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Marriage-Based Green Cards and the Two-Year Conditional Period
A green card through marriage often comes with conditions for the first two years. What conditional residence means, how to remove the conditions, and the waivers the law allows.
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Family-Based Immigration: Immediate Relatives and Preference Categories
U.S. citizens and green-card holders can petition for family. The difference between uncapped immediate relatives and the capped preference categories — and why the wait varies so much.
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Employment-Based Green Cards: The EB Preference Categories
A green card through work runs through five employment-based categories. What EB-1 through EB-5 cover, from extraordinary ability to investment, and how the law divides them.
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VAWA Self-Petition: Immigration Protection for Abuse Survivors
The Violence Against Women Act lets an abused spouse, child, or parent seek a green card without the abuser's help. Who qualifies, what the law requires, and how confidentiality works.
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The Citizenship Test: English and Civics Requirements
Becoming a U.S. citizen usually means passing an English and civics test. What the law requires, the age-based exemptions (50/20 and 55/15), and the disability exception.
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Consular Processing: Getting an Immigrant Visa Abroad
When someone gets a green card from outside the U.S., it runs through a consulate. How consular processing works, the consular officer's role, and how it differs from adjustment of status.
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The Diversity Visa Lottery: A Green Card by Chance and Merit
The green card lottery gives immigrants from certain countries a chance at permanent residence. How the diversity visa works, who's eligible, and the education or work requirement.
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Who Can't Adjust Status: The Bars and a Key Exception
Not everyone can get a green card from inside the U.S. The bars to adjustment of status — unauthorized work, falling out of status — and the crucial immediate-relative exception.
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The Affidavit of Support: A Sponsor's Binding Promise
Most family green cards require a sponsor to sign an Affidavit of Support. What it commits the sponsor to, the 125%-of-poverty income rule, and why it's a legally enforceable contract.
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The Public Charge Rule: What It Is and What It Considers
The public charge ground can block a green card if someone is 'likely to become a public charge.' The factors the law requires, how the affidavit of support fits, and common misconceptions.
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Citizenship Through Military Service: An Honored Path
Noncitizens who serve honorably in the U.S. armed forces have a special path to citizenship. What the law provides for those who serve during periods of hostilities, and why it's distinct.
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Special Immigrant Juvenile Status: Protection for Vulnerable Children
SIJS offers a green card path to children who've been abused, neglected, or abandoned. The three requirements the law sets, the role of a juvenile court, and why timing matters.
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Registry: A Green Card for Very Long-Term Residents
Registry is a little-known path to a green card for people who have lived in the U.S. since before 1972. What the law requires, why the date matters, and who it can still help.
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Form I-485: Adjusting Status in the U.S.
Form I-485 lets eligible people get a green card without leaving the U.S. Who qualifies, the medical exam, and what to expect.














