People who apply for and receive a green card become permanent residents of the United States.  As a permanent resident, one is able to work in the U.S. and is afforded the same protection under U.S. laws as a citizen.

There are 3 ways in which an individual may be eligible to receive a green card.  These are through family, through a job, and through refugee status.

Family members of citizens and permanent residents and immediate relatives of U.S. citizens can apply for permanent residency with a green card.  Also, if you have lived in the U.S. as a refugee for a year or more, you are eligible for permanent residency.

In addition, people who invest in U.S. businesses, have a permanent job offer from a company in the U.S., have been determined to have an “extraordinary ability,” and people doing religious work may be eligible to receive a green card due to their employment.

Contact the Orange County green card lawyers of Garg & Associates, P.C. at 800-242-2151 today, if you or someone you know needs assistance applying for a green card.

U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren recently introduced a bill to Congress that proposes granting permanent residency to more foreign master’s students through green cards.  Students that would qualify for a green card under the bill include foreign students with master’s degrees in science or engineering at a university in the United States.

In addition, the bill would grant green cards to foreigners who start a business in the U.S. that employees at least 5 U.S. citizens.

Technology businesses are supporting the bill arguing that foreigners often come to the United States to get a better education only to have to return to where they came from because they were not able to obtain another visa.

If you are considering applying for a green card, contact the Orange County green card lawyers of Garg & Associates, P.C. at 800-242-2151 and set up an appointment to meet with one of our experienced immigration attorneys.

Last Friday, the U.S. State Department mistakenly told around 22,000 people that they won green cards in their annual visa lottery.  The mistake was caused by a computer glitch and State Department officials said the drawing will be redone.

19.6 million people applied to be in the lottery.  The computer error caused 90 percent of the winners of the “green card” visa lottery to be selected from only the first two days applications were accepted, rather than the entire 30-day application period.

The drawing is an annual program run by the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program to make about 50,000 visas available to randomly selected people from countries with low immigration rates in the U.S.  Winners of the lottery are granted green cards without needing to have a family member or employer sponsor them.

The results of the new drawing are expected to be announced on July 15th.

If you or someone you know is looking to obtain permanent residency with a green card, contact the Orange County green card lawyers of Garg & Associates P.C. at 949-540-6704 to learn more about the green card application process.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, over 1 million new green cards were distributed to foreigners during the 2010 fiscal year. 54 percent of the 1,042,625 green cards were  given to foreigners already living in the United States.

Also, almost two-thirds of the green card recipients were given the green cards due to family relations to a legal resident or citizen of the United States.  Obtainment of a green card allows an individual legal permanent residency.

13 percent of last year’s green card recipients were from Mexico, 7 percent were from India, and another 7 percent were from China.

To discuss obtaining a green card with an experienced immigration attorney, contact the Orange County green card lawyers of Garg & Associates P.C. at 949-540-6704 today.