Major Differences Between a US Visa and Green Card—Complete Guide

If you’ve been thinking about moving to the US or taking a vacation there, you might be curious about the distinction between a visa and a green card. Not every visa holder has or will acquire a green card; generally speaking, only a tiny percentage of covered green card recipients enter the nation on a visa. An overview of the distinctions between a visa and a green card is given in this guide.

Imagine that you are a craftsman who receives an invitation to Modern York for a six-month residency program. You would have applied for an interim work visa at your local U.S. embassy or office when you last visited. You will have to either apply for an unused visa or return to your place of origin when the visa expires.

What is a Visa?

Would you be interested in visiting or even moving to the United States? Most people who want to visit the US have to make arrangements for their visa to be approved. They have to connect through a U.S. international haven or department before they can leave. Two categories of visas exist:

• Non-immigrant visas: These visas offer the bearer the right to enter the country for a certain duration and particular departure date, and they can be used for employment, education, medical treatment, or business travel. These are brief documents that do not provide the bearer with permanent residency in the United States.
• Obtaining an immigrant visa is more challenging. This visa allows people to enter the country to live there permanently and is a requirement for applying for a green card. This kind of visa has a longer application process that needs to be finished before visiting the combined states. The holder is usually sponsored by families. A migration visa alone is insufficient to grant citizenship.

What is a Green Card?

A green card holder is considered an immutable citizen of the United States since they are able to work and travel anywhere in the nation. Green cards, a type of visa, allow residents to live abroad without restrictions. Green cards are granted to visitors visiting the US at the point of entry.

To qualify for a green card, the applicant must apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and hold a valid immigrant visa. After three to five years, holders of green cards may petition for citizenship. Compared to visas, green card categories are wider and comprise, but are not limited to:

• Family-based: Applicants may apply if they are the direct relatives of present citizens of the United States or other green card holders. These comprise the closest family members of either citizens or holders of green cards, such as guardians, relatives, kids, dowagers, and widowers.
• Employment-based: Because of their jobs, some professionals and their close families may occasionally receive green cards.
• Holders of humanitarian green cards: Green cards can be obtained by refugees, misfits, and victims of abuse, human trafficking, or manhandling.
• Winners of the green card lottery: Every year, the US government chooses at random up to 50,000 people from a pool of applicants it gets from six different continents, including Africa, Asia, and Oceania. This criteria also applies to people from nations that have not had a large amount of migration to the combined states in a long time.

Green cards have a peculiar bureaucratic oddity in that they require renewal every ten years, even though the possessor can remain in the country permanently. Under certain uncommon circumstances, such as committing a crime, residency is refused.

Distinctions Between a US Visa and a Green Card

• The timing of the application process is the main difference between a visa and a green card. Whereas a visa is issued recently, a green card is issued post-entry. But this isn’t the only difference.
• Obtaining a visa at some time during the most recent trip is advised. They allow admission into the United States and are usually represented by a stamp on a passport.
• In theory, a visa does not permit an unrestricted stay. Non-immigrant visas have a set length of validity that might change based on the reason for the visit, and they eventually expire.
• Non-immigrant visas are typically ineffective as a path to permanent residency status.
• Although they don’t give resident status, immigrant certificates can start the process of gaining permanent resident status.
• An official document known as a “green card” can attest to a person’s eligibility to live and work in the joint states for an extended period.
• The state of green certificates remains unchanged from the time they were acquired upon arrival in the United States.
• A migrant visa must be secured before applying for a green card.
• A green card holder may seek citizenship.

Benefits of a Green Card

• Permanent Residency: You can live and work in the United States for an extended period of time if you have a Green Card.
• Green Card holders can petition to become citizens of the United States once they meet certain residency criteria, usually after five years.
• Work Freedom: Green Card holders can work in the United States for any employer without a sponsor or specific employment offer.
• Travel Flexibility: Compared to visa holders, holders of Green Cards are allowed to travel into and out of the United States with more freedom, notwithstanding certain travel restrictions.
• Benefits Accessibility: Certain government services and programs, including social security, healthcare, and education, may be available to permanent residents.
• Family Sponsorship: To promote family reunification, Green Card holders may sponsor particular members of their family for permanent residence.

Benefits of a US Visa

• Diversity of Options: To meet specific needs and accommodate unique circumstances, a range of visa categories, such as work, student, and tourist visas, are available.
• Quick Processing: There are several situations in which applying for a visa can be quicker than applying for a Green Card, especially if the applicant is traveling or working temporarily.
• No Long-Term Commitment: A visa allows visitors to sample American life without having to make the long-term commitment that comes with permanent residency.
• Green Card Pathway: Certain visas, like the H-1B or L-1, provide a method to apply for a Green Card later on, allowing one to go from being a temporary resident to a permanent resident.

Conclusion

There is a big difference between a green card and a visa after obtaining either. It is best to apply for a visa as soon as possible to enter the United States. In a way, you will be able to get a green card when you arrive. Upon your arrival at a U.S. harbor of passage, movement officials will embed your visa into your international identification document.

Green cards are physical records that exist independently of your visa. Unlike green cards, visas do not allow for an unlimited stay. Nonimmigrant visas have an expiration date and are restricted to a particular purpose of travel.