Permanent resident what type of visa

Domestic employee or nanny - must be accompanying a foreign national employer. A-2 NATO J , H-1B. Specialty occupations in fields requiring highly specialized knowledge. Temporary worker performing other services or labor of a temporary or seasonal nature. Renewals in the U. The chart below contains different purposes for immigrating to the United States, and the related immigrant visa categories for which information is available on this website.

IR1, CR1. F2A, F2B. SD, SR. About this chart - This chart is a list of many immigrant visa categories, but not every immigrant visa category. Embassy or Consulate Straight Facts on U.

You are about to leave travel. Department of State. Links to external websites are provided as a convenience and should not be construed as an endorsement by the U. An apostille validates seals and signatures of officials on public documents. Apostilles authenticate birth certificates, court orders, and many other documents.

Learn more about apostilles and how they are issued. For more information, details on a procedure, or status, call the DOS Office of Authentications at The Diversity Immigrant Visa DV program allows for up to 55, immigrant visas to be awarded each year.

Foreign nationals of countries with low rates of immigration to the U. The DV Lottery, also known as the Green Card Lottery, makes a limited number of immigrant visas available every year to people meeting certain eligibility requirements:. Register online for the Diversity Visa Lottery. For help, review the DV lottery instructions. If you are selected through the random lottery drawing, you can move forward in applying for an immigrant visa Green Card. The State Department wants DV lottery participants to know about scams involving fraudulent email and letters sent to DV program applicants.

The U. It may send you an email reminding you to check the status of your entry, but it will not contact you by email or letter to let you know if you have been selected. You have to check online yourself. Don't expect a green card to work as a frequent travel pass. A common misconception about green cards is that they allow you unlimited travel in and out of the United States without the hassle of reapplying for visas.

The result of this confusion is a common practice by overseas family members of U. They sometimes apply for green cards. But if your plan is to maintain your primary home in another country, the U. The legal term for this is that you abandoned your U. See issues when traveling with a green card. You might have to start over and apply for another one; provided, of course, that you intend to make the United States your primary and permanent place of residence.

If, for example, you are married to a U. The information provided on this site is not legal advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or confidential relationship is or will be formed by use of the site. The attorney listings on this site are paid attorney advertising.

In some states, the information on this website may be considered a lawyer referral service. Please reference the Terms of Use and the Supplemental Terms for specific information related to your state. Grow Your Legal Practice. Meet the Editors. Temporary Visa. The words "visa" and "green card" have a different legal meaning than their everyday meaning. Literally, What Is a Visa? There are two kinds of visas: immigrant and nonimmigrant.

Literally, What Is a Green Card? Confusion and Overlap Between Visas and Green Cards In most cases, nonimmigrant temporary visas, such as a B-2 tourist visa, an H-1B temporary specialty worker visa, or an F-1 student visa can be obtained only at an overseas U. Might Need a "Visa Number" Adding to the confusion, the word visa can be used in situations involving immigrants who are already in the United States and won't need an entry visa.

Why a "Permanent Resident" Green Card Expires A permanent resident's green card carries an expiration date, usually of ten years. Talk to a Lawyer Need a lawyer?