United States Visa(1)What is the difference between a visa and a green card?
Every day, people talk about applying for visas or green cards. So what is the difference between a visa and a green card? We know that H-1B is a visa and L-1 is a visa. So is EB1-A a visa? And is EB-5 a visa? We all know that H-1B visas allow work. So if I want to study for a degree while working with an H-1B, do I need to apply for an F-1? I found that the countless videos on the market that talk about US visas have never explained these issues clearly. I decided to launch 20 lectures on US visas, so that entrepreneurs can understand the various types of US visas in a comprehensive way and find the one that best suits you and your team among the various types of visas.
20 Lessons on US Visas, Let Your Company Easily Enter the US. I am an American lawyer, Attorney Liu， and I will provide you with an in-depth interpretation of the legal logic behind entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley.
1. The difference between a green card and a visa
Let’s talk about the first question first. What is the difference between a visa and a green card? Yes, many people have spent a long time applying but still don’t understand whether they are applying for a visa or a green card.
1.1 Scope
Visas cover a wider range than green cards, so why is this series called "20 Lectures on US Visas" instead of "20 Lectures on US Green Cards"? The scope of visas is much wider than that of green cards. There is only one type of green card, but there are dozens of types of visas.
1.2 Inclusion Relationship
A green card is actually a type of visa. What is a visa? A visa is a type of "entry permit," the document that allowed Tang Monk to obtain Buddhist scriptures in the West. Most visas are short-term, temporary entry permits, while a green card is a long-term, permanent entry permit. So a green card is a special type of visa. For example, if we go to big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, we first apply for a temporary residence permit, which is similar to a visa. But if we want to stay for a long time, we also need a household registration, which is similar to a green card.
Many people may refute me when I say that a green card is also a visa. Let me bring up the most obvious point. Although we say that a green card is permanent, it is actually only valid for 10 years. It’s just that when you renew it after 10 years, as long as you haven’t committed any serious crimes, you can basically get it. And if a person really has committed a serious crime, the United States can revoke your green card, but your U.S. citizenship will not be revoked because a person is a serial killer. So a green card is actually still a visa.
It should be said that visa in a narrow sense refers to visas other than green cards, or visa in a narrow sense refers to temporary visas, and visa in a broad sense refers to all types of visas including green cards, that is, it includes both temporary visas and permanent visas.
1.3 Applicable Scenarios
No matter what type of visa, there is a fixed applicable scenario. F student visa is suitable for study; J exchange visit visa is suitable for cultural exchange; H and L visas allow holders to work under a specific employer, but the green card is a comprehensive visa that can cover all aspects of a person's study, life, and work in the United States.
2. Why is the green card called a green card?
Here is a question: why is the green card called a green card instead of a blue card, yellow card, or red card? That’s because the green card is really green. This is an example of a green card. It’s quite green, right?
In addition to the commonly used expression "green card", permanent residency in other countries also has similar informal names or expressions, such as Canada's Maple Leaf Card, Australia's Golden Ticket, and New Zealand's Silver Fern Card. However, it can be found that except for the US green card, the other types have not been heard of much, so it can also be seen that the US green card is of high value.
3. What rights does a green card have?
So why is a green card or permanent residency so valuable and attractive?
Green card holders enjoy almost the same benefits as American citizens in the United States (such as social security, education, medical care, etc.). Of course, there are still some areas where green card holders cannot provide, including
• Political rights: Green card holders do not have the right to vote and cannot run for election themselves.
• Freedom of entry and exit: Green card holders who stay overseas for more than one year may be considered to have abandoned their green card status.
• Family immigration application: Green card holders can only apply for green cards for their spouse and unmarried children, but cannot apply for family immigration for their parents, married children or siblings.
• Risk of deportation: If a green card holder violates a serious law, his or her green card can be revoked. This also confirms from another perspective what we said earlier that the green card is still a type of visa.
Now that we know the difference between a visa and a green card, we have made a comparison table. If you are interested, you can contact us by email. My email address is in the information bar below the video. Find our document to get the form.
20 Lessons on US Visas, Let Your Company Easily Enter the US. I am an American lawyer, Lawyer Liu, and we will see you next time.
