Sample Permanent Resident Card
A permanent resident card
is commonly known as a green card. It is proof of immigrant status, which
allows the holder to reside and work in the United States. Immigrant status
can be conferred by an immigrant visa
issued by a U.S. consulate abroad, or through adjustment
of status from within the United States by USCIS.
The card is proof that such status exists. Therefore, loss of the card
itself or its theft does not equate to a loss of immigrant status. The
status continues unaffected, and a replacement proof of it can be requested
and obtained. If there is a mistake in the information on the card, it
can be corrected through a timely request for the issuance of a new card.
Replacement cards can be requested through e-filing or paper forms. If
the fault was the Government's and it is caught in time, there is no fee
for a replacement card. Otherwise, there is a fee. The form for paper
filing and procedures for e-filing are available for free from the
USCIS website.
Such cards are commonly valid for a period of ten years and when there
is an expiration date shown, they must be renewed upon expiration. However,
it is unclear whether the requirement to renew applies to older
permanent resident cards that were issued without an expiration date.
If you have been advised of the need to renew your card, the card has
expired or is about to expire and you have reservations about requesting
a new one and need a confidential attorney-client consultation to discuss
it, please contact Messing Law Offices to schedule
an initial consultation.
With regard to seeking employment, a permanent resident card is often
more attractive to potential employers than temporary visas like the H-1B
visa because the employer is saved the trouble and expense of sponsoring
and eventually requesting an extension of a non-immigrant visa (click
the link to see an example of a
non-immigrant visa) for a valued employee or potential hire. Also,
a permanent resident can work indefinitely so long as the permanent residence
status is not lost through a disqualifying criminal conviction or abandonment.
A non-immigrant visa, by contrast, is granted for a limited period of
time, with or without possibility of extension, depending on the classification.
Therefore, from the standpoint of the employer, a permanent resident card
can offer greater stability of employment in the workplace.
If you have questions or concerns about market attractiveness of various
visas for yourself or someone close to you, or you are employer needing
help on the subject, please contact Messing Law Offices
for a free seven minute telephonic consultation or to schedule an initial
consultation.
Employers are required initially to check the
immigration status of all employees hired in the United States, whether
they are U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or non-immigrants holding
an employment authorization document. From the government's perspective,
an employer's preference for one class of non-U.S. citizen employees may
be evidence of illegal discrimination in hiring. The U.S. Department of
Justice investigates complaints of employment discrimination against non-U.S.
citizen workers and is empowered to levy fines against guilty employers.
Read more about immigration-related employment
discrimination.
Permanent residents and employers alike often assume that holders must
produce the card itself , as would be required if questioned by immigration
authorities, but legally permanent residents cannot be required to do
so in order to satisfy the employment eligibiity requirement of employers
if they choose to proffer alternative proof of status. For example, a
U.S. permanent resident is required to declare under penalty of perjury
in Section 1 of the I-9
form whether he or she is a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or alien
authorized to work and should choose permanent resident. He or she must
furnish the A-number associated with permanent residency, but need not
show the employer the permanent resident card itself; the employee could
legally only show a social security card and driver's license to qualify
for the job and an employer could not legally ask to see the card itself
without violating rules against employment discrimination.
If you have questions or concerns about I-9 requirements either as an
employer or employee, please contact Messing Law Offices
for a free seven minute telephonic consultation or to schedule an initial
consultation.
E-Verify is a computerized
check made by the employer of government social security and immigration
databases to make sure that federally-issued documents which are tendered
to prove legal status are authentic and not fraudulent.
If you are an employer with e-Verify questions, please contact Messing
Law Offices for a free seven minute telephonic consultation or to
schedule an initial consultation.
Employment reverification by an employer is required for expiring employment
authorization documents, but this requirement does not apply to a renewed permanent
resident card, whether occasioned upon expiration of an old card or removal
of conditions upon permanent residence. (Permanent residency granted on
the basis of a recent marriage to a US citizen and of certain types of
investments is conditional for a period of two years, near the conclusion
of which a supplemental filing must be made to remove the conditions.)
If you have questions or concerns about employment eligibility requirements either as an
employer or employee, please contact Messing Law Offices
for a free seven minute telephonic consultation or to schedule an initial
consultation.
A special type of proof of permanent residency is a stamp in a foreign
passport affixed by U.S. immigration authorities, which occurs most frequently
when a new immigrant arrives from abroad for the first time at a port
of entry into the U.S. It is issued as temporary proof of permanent residence.
When the holder receives the green card itself, the stamp is superseded
and replaced by it. At that time the employer is required to reverify
employment authorization of the holder.
Sample of stamp and foreign passport showing
temporary proof of permanent residency
Versions
A new version with green lettering and highlights was adopted in 2010.
An example appears below.
Sample of front and back of the 2010 version
of permanent resident (green) card
An earlier version of the permanent resident card was issued beginning
in 1997 by the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the Department
of Justice prior to the creation of the Citizenship and Immigration Service
of the Department of Homeland Security. An almost identical version was
adopted by the Department of Homeland Security in 2004 except as to the
issuing agency and a more sophisticated hologram.
Sample of front and back of the 2004
version of the permanent resident (green) card
Sample of front and back of the 1997 version
of permanent resident (green) card
Tucson Permanent Residency Attorney: Family, Labor, Business-based Immigration Lawyer
At Messing Law Offices, we provide high quality legal services and expertise to families, working men and women, and businesses. If you have a concern in the areas of family based immigration, business based immigration, employment based immigration, or naturalization and you are seeking the help of an experienced immigration lawyer, call Messing Law Offices for professional Arizona immigration attorney assistance.
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