Apply for a green card - how it works
The United States remains a popular destination for emigrants. However, you need a green card. We will show you how to apply for it
What is a green card?
If you want to emigrate to the USA, you need a so-called green card. Not everyone who applies for a green card also receives one: You have to meet certain requirements to immigrate to the USA.
- The green card is issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The green card is an immigration visa combined with a residence and work permit.
- A green card is an immigration visa. Anyone who gets one receives a residence and work permit.
- The immigration visa is not unlimited. If you do not use the green card within a certain period of time to emigrate to the USA, your right to it expires.
Apply for a green card - how it works
Before you can apply for a green card, you must first check which visa category you fall into. An overview and the respective requirements can be found on the website of the US Consulate General in Frankfurt.
- If you fall into one of the categories of foreign workers, start-ups or as a fiancé with an intention to marry, you must submit your application directly to USCIS.
- All other Visa categories are processed at the US Consulate General in Frankfurt. You must be able to demonstrate permanent residence in Germany. You can download the relevant applications from the US Consulate General.
- Once you have submitted your application and it has been approved, the DS-230 personal data form is usually requested from the relevant visa department. This form must be completed separately for each applicant.
- You also need to have a medical exam done by a contract doctor to be able to emigrate to the United States.
- Once everything has been submitted, checked and approved, the last step for all green card applicants is an interview in the Consulate General in Frankfurt. If you then receive your green card, a processing fee will be charged, which can range from $ 165 to $ 405 (as of May 2013) depending on the visa category.
- If you receive your green card after this procedure, a processing fee will be charged. Depending on the visa category, this can cost between $ 165 and $ 405 (as of May 2013).
Greencard lottery - a matter of luck
If you do not fall into any of the listed Visa categories, there is another way to get a green card: the annual green card lottery.
- The official name of the green card lottery is "Diversity Immigrant Visa Program". You can participate on the DV website.
- Every autumn, 50, 000 visas are raffled off.
- The selection is made at random. If you are one of the winners, you will receive a green card after checking the requirements and an interview.
- As a prerequisite for successful participation in the lottery, you only have to provide proof of at least twelve years of schooling and two years of professional experience. In Germany, a secondary school leaving certificate followed by an apprenticeship is usually sufficient.
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