When compared to other countries in the world, it is not easy to get a Permanent Residence permit in the United States. This is commonly known as the Green Card which is obtained by the immigrants. This card proves an immigrant to be a resident of the United States.

Obtaining a Green Card is important in order to be a citizen of the United States at a later stage. Being a Permanent Residents entitles an individual to live and work in the US indefinitely. Based on the local state laws, a Green Card holder might be permitted to vote as well in the local elections. But, this is not true for the federal elections.

But the Green Card is highly restrictive to only a specific set of immigrants. It would not be granted to you simply because you resided in the country. Many factors are considered before approving of a candidate.

In order to apply for a Green Card, an application has to be submitted to the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). The eligibility criteria includes the following –

• A permanent resident or a citizen of US who has agreed to sponsor you.
• Sponsorship from your employer.
• Incase, you are a refugee in the country or are on the look out for shelter.

The approval completely depends on the number of candidates applying each year from a specific community or nationality. If the number is available for the applicants from your native country, you would be considered for the same. In case you are selected, your application would be put on a waiting list which would be reviewed again in the consecutive years. This is very specific for countries which have high number of applications coming in such as India, China, Mexico and the Philippines.

Usually, preference is given to those candidates where the employer is the sponsor and they are highly skilled and qualified.

But, it is best suggested to contact an Immigration and Visa Specialist and Immigration Attorneys who can help you with the same. You would be given the best advice through these individuals since they are always updated in this field. So, get to know more from the above people.