Green card
A Green Card, which is formally called a Permanent Resident Card, allows its holder "to live and work permanently in the United States. The steps you must take to apply for a Green Card will vary depending on your individual situation."[1]
Types of green cards
There are four basic ways that a person can be issued a green card: family-based, employment-based (also called "EB"), refugee (including those seeking asylum), and "diversity immigrant" (commonly referred to as the "green card lottery").
The most common type of green card, and one which has no limit on the number which can be issued annually, is the Immediate Relative ("IR") card. These are given to spouses, children under the age of 21 (which are not the biological children of a US citizen), and parents of US citizens (a citizen must be at least 21 to sponsor a parent).
EB green cards
As explained by Cato:
| “ | EB green cards are in five categories separated by the type of worker or investor and their family members. EB‑1 green cards are for workers of extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, and some multinational firm managers and executives. EB‑2 green cards are for professional workers with advanced degrees and those with exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, or business. EB‑3 green cards are for skilled workers, professionals, or other workers. EB‑4 is for religious workers, certain broadcasters, some foreign employees of the US government, and others. EB‑5 is for a narrow class of investors. All EB categories also include their family members by convention, not according to statute or regulation.[2] | ” |