Immigration Information

Lawful Permanent Residence ("Green Card")

A "green card" gives you official immigration status (Lawful Permanent Residency) in the United states.

Citizenship

Citizenship is one of the most coveted gifts that the U.S. government can bestow, and the most important immigration benefit that USCIS can grant. Most people become U.S. citizens in one of two ways:

  • By birth, either within the territory of the United States or to U.S. citizen parents, or
  • By Naturalization.
In addition, in 2000, Congress passed the Child Citizenship Act (CCA), which allows any child under the age of 18 who is adopted by a U.S. citizen and immigrates to the United States to acquire immediate citizenship.

Visit the US

A nonimmigrant is a foreign national seeking to enter the United States (U.S.) temporarily for a specific purpose. Nonimmigrants enter the U.S. for a temporary period of time, and once in the U.S. are restricted to the activity or reason for which their visa was issued. They may have more than one type of nonimmigrant visa but are admitted in only one status.

General requirements for foreign nationals seeking temporary admission include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The purpose of the visit must be temporary;
  • The foreign national must agree to depart at the end of his/her authorized stay or extension;
  • The foreign national must be in possession of a valid passport;
  • A foreign residence must be maintained by the foreign national, in most instances;
  • The foreign national may be required to show proof of financial support;
  • The foreign national must be admissable or have obtained a waiver for any ground of inadmissability;
  • The foreign national must abide by the terms and conditions of admission.

Employment Authorization

U.S. employers must check to make sure all employees, regardless of citizenship or national origin, are allowed to work in the United States. If you are not a citizen or a lawful permanent resident, you may need to apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) to prove you may work in the United States.

USCIS issues Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) in the following categories:

  • EAD: This document proves you are allowed to work in the United States.
  • Renewal EAD: You should apply for a renewal EAD six months before your original EAD expires.
  • Replacement EAD: This document replaces a lost, stolen, or mutilated EAD. A replacement EAD also replaces an EAD that was issued with incorrect information, such as a misspelled name.
  • Interim EAD: If USCIS does not approve or deny your EAD application within 90 days (within 30 days for an asylum applicant; note: asylum applicants are eligible to file for EADs only after waiting 150 days from the date they filed their properly completed original asylum applications), you may request an interim EAD document.