Green Card

What It Means

The green card gets its name from the green tint used on early versions issued after World War II under the Alien Registration Act of 1940. The modern card, redesigned most recently in 2017, is a tamper-resistant polycarbonate credential containing a photograph, biometric data, holographic overlays, and a machine-readable zone. Regular green cards are valid for 10 years and renewed using Form I-90, while conditional green cards (issued to spouses married less than two years at adjustment, and to EB-5 investors) are valid for 2 years and require Form I-751 or I-829 to remove conditions. Green cards are obtained through one of two pathways: Form I-485 (Adjustment of Status) for applicants already in the U.S. in a lawful status, or consular processing through Form DS-260 at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. The I-485 is USCIS's highest-volume workload item, with over 1.1 million applications filed annually and pending inventories that regularly exceed 800,000 cases. A green card does not automatically confer U.S. citizenship; LPRs must affirmatively apply for naturalization on Form N-400 after meeting the 3- or 5-year residence requirement. Loss of LPR status can occur through abandonment (extended absence without a reentry permit), commission of certain crimes triggering removability under INA section 237, or voluntary relinquishment via Form I-407. On visatracker.org, I-485 and I-90 processing data feed directly into the field-office Pipeline Score because they represent the most common touchpoints for LPR-status holders.

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