Living in the United States of America: how do I get a Green Card USA?
Immigrating to the USA is a dream for millions of people around the world. The country continues to fascinate the collective imagination. We all have in mind the images of those thousands of immigrants wishing to expatriate, for whom the first vision of America was the Statue of Liberty arriving at Ellis Island harbor.
Those days are gone, and the new key to opening the “Golden Door” and living in the U.S. is to obtain a Green Card USA. This card entitles its holder to establish permanent residence on American territory, and to work in the United States indefinitely. But how do you get a green card USA ? We’ll explain the conditions required by the American authorities to access this precious sesame and open the doors to the American dream.
Obtaining a Green Card USA if your parent is an American citizen
The first solution to qualify for a trip across the Atlantic and and obtain a USA green card is to have a family member, more or less close, who is an American resident and citizen. This relative must then apply to sponsor you. This means that he or she must initiate the immigrant visa procedure. To do so, he or she must already complete a petition to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service.
The application will then be examined, and if it is approved, the expatriation candidate must make an appointment at the appropriate American embassy or consulate, depending on his or her location. During the interview, the documents in the file will be examined (copy of online form I-130, biometric passport, passport photo, etc.), and the consular officer will question the applicant on his or her reasons for wanting to come and live in the USA.
If you are married and wish to immigrate with your spouse and children, they too will have to go through the same procedure.
At the end of the interview, the applicant is informed of the outcome of his/her application, and his/her fingerprints are taken electronically. The USA immigrant visa will be issued in the following days, enabling the applicant to organize his or her trip to the USA. Once on American soil, the new permanent resident will will get his Green Card USA by post.
A U.S. citizen may sponsor more than one family member:
- a wife ;
- a son or daughter;
- a brother or sister;
- a parent over the age of 21.
A person in possession of a green card who has been sponsored by a U.S. citizen can apply for U.S. citizenship after 3 years.
Obtaining a green card USA if you have a permanent resident parent
The procedure for obtain a Green Card USA is quite similar to the previous paragraph. You must have a family member living in the USA as a permanent resident, and they must submit a petition on your behalf. The major difference lies in the degree of kinship.
In fact, a permanent resident can sponsor only his/her spouse and son/daughter, provided he/she is not married.
The petition must also be approved, and the candidate must go to the US embassy for an interview.
The waiting time for an appointment and the documents to be provided vary from embassy to embassy.
Once again, the application documents are examined and the applicant is informed whether or not he or she is authorized to live in the United States. If the answer is yes, he or she will be issued with a U.S. immigrant visa, allowing him or her to enter the country. Once here, he or she will receive a green card within a few weeks. He or she will then be able to find a job or take courses at an American university. A card with a social security number can also be sent, if applied for in advance.
A person who comes into possession of a green card sponsored by a permanent resident can apply for naturalization after 5 years.
Obtain a Green Card USA by being sponsored by an employer
An employer can sponsor you to obtain your work permit and enable you to live legally in the United States.
To do so, he must make you a promise of indefinite employment, fill out a petition and submit it to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. If the proposal is found to be legitimate, the same procedure applies as for a family-based application.
Some people who work in highly skilled fields and are recognized internationally as experts in their field have the opportunity to sponsor themselves and obtain a USA green card.obtain a USA green cardif they intend to live in the USA and continue working in their fields of expertise.
Special cases
Applications for a permanent resident card for family or professional reasons account for the majority of authorizations issued. There are, however, other statuses that allow for obtain a Green Card USA Here are a few examples:
- religious worker, working for a non-profit organization;
- special juvenile immigrant (victim of abuse, abandonment or neglect) ;
- Afghan or Iraqi citizen (having worked for the American government) ;
- journalist (coming to work in the USA);
- asylum seeker or refugee ;
- victim of abuse.
The green card lottery
The last solution for obtain a green card USAis to be drawn in the green card lottery.
This lottery is the result of the DIversity Immigrant Visa program. Each year, 55,000 USA green cards are allocated to foreign nationals participating in the lottery.
Certain conditions must be met to be eligible for this program, such as your country of origin, your level of education or your professional experience. For more details, please visit the official U.S. government website.
Be aware that the procedure for expatriating and obtain a Green Card USA can be long and complicated. The U.S. government has established quotas for the number of green cards issued each year. If supply exceeds demand (which is often the case), a waiting list is drawn up, and applications are examined chronologically from the date of issue of the petition. An interesting but costly solution is to retain the services of a lawyer specialized in immigration matters, who is used to dealing with paperwork and administrative delays.
How much does a green card cost in the USA?
The USA Green Card, also known as the Permanent Resident Card, allows non-American citizens to work or study in the USA for as long as they wish. It gives its holder the same rights and duties as an American citizen, after 5 years of habituation in the USA. That’s why obtaining it is notoriously difficult.
Many foreigners wish to expatriate to the USA, whether to find work, do an internship, study at an American university or even obtain a scholarship for their children, the green card offers a variety of possibilities. However, its entitlements come at a cost, and not the least. Let’s take a closer look at price of the USA green card.
Visit green card price by category
In reality, there is no green card USA pricebut several. In fact, there are different categories of immigrant visa applications for expatriates. These include family reunification visas, business visas, investment visas and diversity visas. As a result green card USA prices vary according to the category and formalities involved.
You will only be asked to complete one form on a regular basis: the l-485 form.
Green card for family reunification
An American citizen of legal age can sponsor a close family member (spouse, parents, siblings, etc.) for a green card. This is also the case for green card holders, who can apply for family green cards, but must limit themselves to petitions for their spouse and unmarried children.
Procedure and green card price (total costs shown include form fees and biometric service fees) :
- file form l-130, petition for foreign parent: $535. Once this first step has been approved, you can move on to step 2;
- file form l-485, application for registration of permanent residence or change of status :
- for minors under 14 with an l-485 application from a parent: $750 ;
- for minors under 14 who do not have an l-485 application from a parent: $1,140 ;
- for people aged 14 to 78: $1,225 ;
- for people aged 79 and over: $1,140.
Green card for business purposes
An application for a green card for professional reasons in the United States of America can be sponsored by the employer only if the worker is considered to be an expert in his or her field of activity. You can also apply for a green card without a job offer if you are considered an extraordinarily capable worker, or if you have a national interest waiver.
Procedure and green card price (total costs shown include form fees and biometric service fees) :
- file form l-140, immigration application for foreign worker: $700 ;
- file form l-485, application for registration of permanent residence or change of status: $1,225.
Employers are responsible for most of the cost of the green card, as they must obtain permanent labor certifications (PERM) costing between $4,000 and $7,000.
Green card by investment
Probably the highest category in terms of price of a USA green card, the investment green card can cost between 500,000 and 1 million U.S. dollars, not including application and filing fees.
Procedure and green card price (total costs shown include form fees and biometric service fees) :
- file form l-526, Alien Entrepreneur petition: $3,675 ;
- file form l-485: $1,225.
Green card lottery
Under the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, 50,000 immigrant visas are issued each year to registered immigrants from countries with low immigration rates to the USA. This program was set up by the U.S. government (DOS), and involves winning the green card lottery for permanent residency.
People who have been selected for residency, mostly outside the USA, must go through consular processing to be issued an immigration visa. They must also file several forms so that U.S. authorities can judge their eligibility:
- Form I-94, Arrival and Departure Record on the official U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website: $6 ;
- Form I-601, Request for waiver of ineligibility (if applicable): $930.
Please note that each category requires a medical examination and will be verified by submitting form I-693 “Medical Examination Report and Vaccination Record”. We are unable to give you a price because the USCIS does not regulate medical fees for examinations. They may vary depending on the doctor.
USCIS immigration fees
The USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) filing fee is part of the price of the USA green card and are mandatory if you wish to immigrate to the U.S. as a permanent resident. USCIS immigration fees include the processing of your immigrant visa application and the production of your green card.
The USCIS fee is over $200.
USCIS fee-exempt persons are :
- children entering the U.S. under orphan adoption programs;
- Iraqi and Afghan immigrants;
- returning legal permanent residents (SB-1) ;
- non-immigrant visas.
We advise you to pay the USCIS immigration fee after receiving your immigrant visa from the State Department and before leaving for the United States.
If you are unable to pay USCIS fees before your departure for the USA, you may receive payment instructions from USCIS.
As we have seen in this article, the green card USA is an important investment. If you don’t have the means to pay the immigration fees, a family member, friend or third party can make the payment for you. They will need your Alien file number (A number) and your State Department file number (DOS).
How do I pay for petition forms?
For each application, you can pay the form fees by money order, personal check or cashier’s check. You can also pay by credit card at a USCIS Lockbox facility, using form G-1450 “Authorization for Credit Card Transactions”. Finally, if you wish to pay by check, it must be made payable to the US Department of Homeland Security.
If you live outside the USA, where there is no USCIS international office, you can contact the US embassy or consulate in your country.
Don’t be discouraged, the green card process may seem tedious, but once you’ve completed it… The American dream is yours!
What’s more, the green card is not the only official document allowing foreign nationals to travel or reside in the United States. You can apply for an ESTA exemption if you intend to stay in the USA for less than 90 days. You can also apply for a classic USA visa, an entry authorization that will enable you to obtain a work permit, improve your English, work in the USA and many other possibilities, provided you don’t live here permanently. The ESTA has an online form, while the visa requires an interview at the American embassy in France.
How can I get a free green card?
A green card is the Holy Grail for millions of people around the world. This card entitles its holder to become a permanent resident of the United States. This means not only the right to live in the USA permanently, but also to work in the USA indefinitely and/or to study at an American university.
Many people ask how to get a free green card. Unfortunately, whatever the solution, there will always be a price to pay. The American dream comes at a price, and it can be very high.
How to get a free green card The different scenarios
First of all, you need to know who can apply for a green card. There are several possible cases.
Every year, the majority of applications are for family reunification. You must therefore have a family member already living in the United States of America. This relative may be an American citizen or a permanent resident (in possession of a green card). An American citizen can sponsor a wider circle of relatives than a permanent resident.
How to get a free green card will surely be a question he’ll ask you. You can tell him that he has to sponsor you, which involves applying for a petition and paying a fee of $525. The application will be reviewed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Please note that no refunds are possible, even if your application is rejected.
In addition, if your petition is approved, you’ll be required to pay a U.S. visa application fee of $1225. You should also expect to pay for any documents or formalities required by the U.S. government during the interview with the consular officer, such as passport photos, a medical examination, travel to the U.S. embassy or consulate, the cost of expatriation insurance and any application for a social security number.
You can also be sponsored by an employer who offers you a permanent position in the USA. Employer sponsorship costs an average of $10,000 to qualify, including application and law firm fees. In this case, the employer covers a large part of the legal fees to help you live in the USA.
Certain people with recognized or so-called extraordinary technical abilities can sponsor themselves, and are therefore exempt from paying the petition fee. They will still be required to pay a visa application fee of $1225.
The American authorities have a quota of visas to issue each year. The process can take from 2 to 5 years.
Is there any wayto get a free green card ?
As we’ve just seen, immigrating to the USA represents a fairly high cost, both for you and for the person sponsoring you. So.., how to get a free green card ? Is there a way? Well, yes, there is, but it requires you to be in a situation where you fear for your safety.
Asylum seekers and refugees benefit from a waiver of the procedural fees for obtaining their US green card. But to be considered as such, you must have justified fears that remaining in your current country would be dangerous for you and your family. The criteria for asylum seeker status are based on 5 points of persecution: race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a specific social group.
The green card lottery: or how to get a green card (almost) for free ?
In order to qualify for low-cost expatriation and obtain a green card (almost) free of chargeOne solution is to take part in the green card lottery. Launched in 1994 as part of the Diversity Visa Program, this lottery entitles 55,000 people selected at random each year to expatriate and establish permanent residency in the United States of America.
Registration for the lottery is completely free, and can be done via the government website. There are, however, a few admissibility requirements for prospective immigrants. For example, nationals of certain countries (Canada, UK, Haiti) are not allowed to register. Applicants must also have a higher education diploma or recognized professional experience in a trade requiring at least two years’ training. The draw is made by geographical area, with the majority of green cards reserved for areas that are generally under-represented in US immigration figures.
If you’re lucky enough to be selected, you’ll already avoid the significant cost of the petition. But you won’t escape the cost of the visa application procedure that follows your selection. Without a USA visa, you won’t be able to enter the USA.
It is important to know that a permanent resident card does not entitle you to American citizenship or the right to vote. However, naturalization is possible within 3 to 5 years of your arrival on American soil. This procedure, of course, involves paying additional fees.
How do I enter the US green card lottery?
Each year, out of 15 million participants in the green card lotteryOnly 50,000 people receive the precious sesame that is the green card. Why is it so coveted? Because it allows a foreigner to live in the United States as an American citizen, indefinitely.
Visit green card lottery is the easiest way to earn a U.S. green card. However, it requires a great deal of motivation and patience. Find out more about the procedure imposed by the American government in this article.
Steps to participate in the green card lottery
Organized by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the primary objective behind the creation of the “Lawful Permanent Resident Card” is the ethnic diversity of the U.S. population. The green card is part of the immigration visa category, and gives its holder the same rights and duties as American citizens (apart from the right to vote and jury service).
There are four different applications for a green card: family reunification, professional opportunity (provided you’re an expert worker in your field), asylum and the diversity visa lottery. In this article, we focus on the last application on the list: the green card lottery.
To submit an application, several steps are required:
Determine your eligibility
- Make sure you want to become a permanent resident and are not applying for the green card lottery for a temporary stay such as a tourist trip, business trip or stopover. If you wish to travel to the USA temporarily, we advise you to apply for a USA visa or to use the ESTA waiver program if all conditions are met;
- make sure you’re from an eligible country (see the list of countries on the official website). Not all countries are eligible for the green card lottery. The countries selected are those that have provided fewer than 500,000 migrants to the U.S. over the past 5 years. If you live in a non-eligible country, you can apply if you were born in an eligible country, if your spouse was born in an eligible country, or if one of your parents was born in an eligible country;
- check that you meet the professional or educational criteria. You must have completed at least 12 years of schooling, or have worked for at least 2 years (in a position requiring training).
Registration for the green card lottery
A quick and complex process, you’ll have just one hour to complete the E-DV Entry Form and submit your application to the green card lottery. There’s no way to suspend your application.
Registration generally takes place from October to November. Applications can only be made online at dvlottery.state.gov by clicking on “Begin Entry.
To complete your registration for the green card lottery, you must provide the following information:
- first and last names, etc. (in the order in which they appear on your passport) ;
- genre ;
- date of birth ;
- place of birth ;
- native country ;
- country of eligibility (which should normally be the same as your country of origin) ;
- a recent photo of yourself that respects the format and technical requirements of the form (you can visit the website https://www.dvlottery.state.gov and click on the link “Photo Validator” link to check that your photos match);
- postal address ;
- country of residence ;
- telephone number ;
- email address to which you have access ;
- highest level of education ;
- living biological and adopted children (number, first and last names, dates and places of birth, gender and passport photos).
Receive confirmation number
Once you have completed your registration, click on “Submit to send your request.
Please do not close the page until you have received your confirmation number. This confirms receipt of your application (and therefore your registration for the green card lottery) but will also be useful when checking the lottery result.
The results of the green card lottery
After several months, you can obtain the results of the green card lottery on the site, by clicking on “Entrant Status Check and entering your application number.
If you’ve been selected, congratulations, the American dream is yours! But this is just the beginning of a long process. After selection, U.S. Homeland Security must ensure that the winner has an admissible profile. To do this, you need to complete the DSQ-260 form (Online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application), undergo a detailed interview at the American embassy in your country, and undergo a medical examination by a doctor approved by the US government.
Tips for applicants to the green card lottery
- The lottery application form is free of charge. However, if you are selected, there will be an immigration fee to pay;
- You can only apply once per period. However, you can apply with your spouse. As a result, you may be selected either for your spouse’s application, or for your own;
- if you have lost your confirmation number, go to the “Verify Entrant” pagepage, then click on “Forgot Confirmation Number”.
You will be asked to enter the year in which you applied, your marital status, date of birth and e-mail address (in the same terms as when you applied).
Can I work in the USA without a green card?
A career path is often made up of multiple experiences. Working in the USA can be a great opportunity in the course of a career. Many people think that you need a USA green card to immigrate to the USA and work there. However, there are other ways of working in the USA without a green card. In this article, we’ll look at the various options available for temporary expatriation to the United States.
How to obtain a visa to work work in the USA without a green card ?
A USA green card means that you are a permanent resident of the United States. This card gives you the right to live, study or work anywhere in the U.S. indefinitely. But if you don’t want to make the U.S. your permanent home, you can still go there for a fixed period, to work on a specific contract or assignment.
In this case, you don’t need a green card to live in the USA, but a USA work visa for non-immigrants. There are several types, depending on the type of assignment or contract you wish to carry out.
The procedure for obtaining one of these visas and work in the USA without a green card is almost always the same.
The procedure for work in the United States without a green card
In order to work work in the United States without a green cardIn order to apply for a temporary work permit, you need to find a job and be sponsored. This condition is immutable (except in exceptional cases) to all temporary work permit procedures. Finding an employer is explained by the fact that a work visa procedure can only be launched once the employer has completed a petition application and submitted it to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The employer is then considered your sponsor for obtaining a US non-immigrant visa.
The procedures are similar if you want to do an internship in the USA.
The USCIS will study your application and judge whether it is eligible to work in the USA without a green card.
If your application is accepted, you must then start the visa application process. The first step is to complete the DS-160 online form on the Consular Electronic Application Center Website. Once you’ve completed the form, you’ll need to print out the confirmation page containing a bar code. This page will be required to obtain an appointment at the US Embassy.
It’s up to you to make an appointment with the American consulate or embassy where you live. The purpose of this appointment is to interview an American consular officer, who will assess the relevance of your project and determine whether you can working in the United States without a green card.
It’s imperative to prepare well for this interview. The American authorities do not take homeland security lightly. You need to be prepared to answer a lot of questions, about your reasons for coming to the U.S., your level of English, and above all your willingness to return to your home country once your stay in the U.S. is over.
Make sure you are aware of the documents required for your application. These may vary according to your geographical location. However, you’ll still need to provide the DS-160 certificate, passport-size photos and your biometric passport.
If your spouse and children are coming to the U.S. with you, they too will need to apply for a visa. You must also prove that you will be able to support your family during your stay in the USA.
At the end of this interview, the consular officer will decide whether you are eligible for a non-immigrant visa, allowing you to work in the USA without a green card. He’ll also decide which is most appropriate for your situation.
Your fingerprints will be taken electronically, and all that’s left to do is pay the application fee, which varies from embassy to embassy. It is advisable to take out health insurance at the same time, as medical costs in the U.S. can quickly become staggering.
You will be informed of the deadline for receipt of your passport containing your visa, giving you the right to work in the USA without a green card.
It may seem simple at first, but the procedures and paperwork involved can sometimes seem more like an obstacle course. It can be useful to call on the services of a law firm staffed by lawyers who specialize in immigration cases.
It’s advisable not to buy airline tickets or make any reservations for your trip to the U.S. until you’re sure you’ve obtained your visa.
The U.S. government sets quotas for the number of visas to be issued each year. Make sure you apply well in advance for your work authorization, and that you’re sure to be able to work in the United States without a green card.
A U.S. visa entitles a foreign national to travel to the U.S. and to request permission to enter U.S. territory. However, a visa does not guarantee entry into the United States. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers have the authority to grant or deny entry when you step off the plane or ship. If authorization to enter the USA is granted, CBP agents will stamp your passport or issue you with an I-94 arrival/departure form.
Extend your stay
The 50 American states that make up the country offer a wealth of economic, cultural and natural attractions. Whether it’s the immense cities of New York, San Francisco or Philadelphia, the sumptuous spectacle offered by the Grand Canyon and the great national parks of Yellowstone and Yosemite, or the beauty of the great wild plains of the American West, it’s very easy to fall in love with this extraordinary country and to want to stay longer, or even to settle down permanently to live the American dream.
Above all, don’t take the risk of staying illegally beyond the expiry date of your visa. You could be considered an illegal immigrant and subject to prosecution, or even banned altogether from setting foot on American soil. It is possible to apply for an extension to your current visa, or to apply for a permanent resident card, in order to expatriate permanently to the USA.
If you choose to move to the U.S. permanently, you can apply for U.S. naturalization 5 years after obtaining your residency permit.
How much does an ESTA travel authorization cost?
ESTA travel authorization is required for entry into the USA. It is issued only to foreign nationals covered by the USA Visa Waiver Program. They must have a temporary stay of 90 days or less. It is valid for two years. During this period, travelers can make several visits to the USA. The ESTA application is subject to a processing fee, following a decision by the American authorities to add a processing fee.
ESTA also serves to maintain the country’s internal security.
Completing the ESTA application form
Thanks to the official U.S. government website, you can easily obtain your ESTA. Your application is reviewed and processed fairly quickly. If all the information is correct and complete, in most cases your application will be received within a few minutes (maximum 72 hours). However, if there are any errors in your application form, you’ll need to make a new request.
In order for the American authorities to accept your application, you must bring your valid passport (passport number and date of issue are required). Electronic or biometric passports are accepted. You don’t need to have your plane ticket in hand; you can buy it later. We advise you to apply quickly, in case you need to regularize the situation with the American embassy in the event of a problem, for example. Make sure you have filled in all the details and ticked all the right boxes on the online form. There’s no need to go to the U.S. embassy or consulate for the ESTA form.
For all questions relating to finding a job in the USA, answer “no” only. If you’re planning to travel to the USA as a family, every member of the family, regardless of age, must obtain ESTA authorization. Freight forwarders can either enter the U.S. with a U.S. visa, or with a simple ESTA document. You should bring this document with you, as it may be requested.
How much does an ESTA authorization cost?
The price of an ESTA authorization will depend on one key factor. The price has been $40 since September 2025.
Travelling to the USA is expensive, but you should know that applying online for an ESTA will cost you much less than applying for a USA visa, or re-applying for a biometric (fingerprint) passport.
What to expect after submitting your authorization request
Depending on the answers provided, the ESTA application may be granted, refused or pending. If it is granted, the applicant will be able to travel to the USA. However, if the application is rejected, a request for a tourist visa or green card must be made to the consular services of the US embassy.
Authorization is said to be pending if the content of the form is not clear enough and requires further study. You will receive the final decision within 72 hours. If your travel authorization expires before your return, you will not need to apply for a new authorization unless you wish to travel at a later date.
In any case, it’s the customs officials at the border post who will have the final say on your stay in the USA.
