What is Green Card and why would you want to get it
Green Card in the official document that allows for lawful permanent residency in the United States. In other words, the holder of this document can live and work in the States for no more than 10 years, in case if the Card was granted on the permanent basis, and no more than 2 years for those who were given a conditional residence permit.
Getting a Green Card is like having a dream come true for all immigrants who want to become a part of the American society. It is not a citizenship yet since it doesn't grant the voting right and certain other social privileges that the fully-fledged US citizens have, but it is definitely a right step towards becoming a true American.
Apart from giving emotional satisfaction, acquiring a Green Card also provides a foreigner with the following benefits:
- Visa-free access to the United States. With Green Card, you can forget about the bureaucratic nightmare you had to go through to get a visa. All you have to do is to show the valid Green Card to the immigration officer.
- We have already mentioned that the Green Card has 2 and 10-years term of validity but it doesn't mean that you would have to re-apply for the Card after these periods expire. The Green Card is granted on the permanent basis, so you would only have to renew it at the appropriate time.
- You can enjoy certain benefits in such areas as healthcare, education, and employment which are not available for legal visa-based immigrants.
How to apply for a Green Card
Now that we have out, why it is advisable to at least try and get yourself a Green Card, let's get down to reviewing the list of documents required for the application. But first, we would like to point out that all these documents must be properly translated into the English language. And not only translated, they must be duly certified or notarized and then apostilled, if necessary. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) accepts only certified copies of the documents; otherwise, the application will be turned down.
Here is the list of documents you will have to submit along with your application form:
- Marriage certificate (if you are married);
- Divorce Decree (if you are divorced);
- Police Clearance (which proves that you don't have any criminal records);
- Deed of ownership of any property or other assets;
- Banking statements;
- Child adoption agreement (if you had adopted a child before applying for the family Green Card).
After you have gathered all documents that require translation, you can fill the online form on Arcbase web-site. Attach the scanned copies of the documents to the form and send it to us. We will get back to you with a quote for translation in no less than 24 hours. Please keep in mind that the urgent translations (less than 24 hours) usually cost up to 100% more than the standard translation, depending on the volume and complexity of translation work.
After we finish translating your documents, we will certify them by placing an agency stamp on every page. The certified translation of your document must be added to your USCIS application form along with the copies of the original documents.
We guarantee that our translations will be approved by the USCIS or any other US authority.