Florida is a popular spot for immigrants looking to become citizens of the United States. A person that is not a citizen of the United States would need a green card to be able to live and work in the country. It also allows them to be able to leave and come back to the U.S. provided they are not gone for more than a year.
Eligibility Requirements For A Green Card
There are several categories of eligibility that are required to apply for a green card. You could be eligible in one area, but not another. The required documentation must be filled out properly and submitted along with the completed green card application to avoid legal issues.
Family-Based Immigration
Close relatives of U.S. citizens and current green card holders may apply for family-based green cards of their own. Eligible family members include spouses, children, parents, and siblings (as well as the spouses and children of those spouses, adult children, and siblings).
Also included in this category are widows and widowers who were married to a U.S. citizen at the time the citizen died. Like spouses of living U.S. citizens and current green card holders who apply for a marriage-based green card, widows and widowers must prove that their marriage was authentic in order to receive a green card.
Many extended family members — cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents — do not qualify. They may apply for a permanent resident card only if they, too, have a closer relative who is a U.S. citizen or current green card holder.
Employment-Based
Within the employment-based green card category, multiple subcategories of workers can apply for a permanent resident card. In some cases, their spouses and children may qualify for a green card, as well.
Asylum or Refugee Status
People who fear, or have experienced, persecution in their home country — because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group — can seek protection in the United States by applying for a visa from abroad (to come as refugees) or from within the United States (to remain as asylees).
Once they have physically lived in the United States for at least one year since receiving refugee status or asylum, they may apply for a permanent resident card. Children and spouses (and in some cases, other family members) of refugees and asylees may also seek protection in the United States under these programs and eventually apply for a green card.
There are also options for abuse, crime, and human trafficking victims
It is not unusual for legal complications to happen when beginning the green card application process. If a person comes into the country with a visa but ends up staying longer than the visa was assigned, it can cause a status complication. Other issues could also arise with immigration violations. If someone experiences a legal problem due to a green card complication, contact an experienced immigration law attorney for assistance.
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