How many years can I apply for a green card on an American work visa?

American work visas refer to special professionals, temporary work visas, special occupations and temporary work services (H- 1B). H 1B visa is the most important work visa in the United States. It is a non-immigrant visa issued to employees with foreign nationality and professional skills employed by American companies.

H 1B visa holders can work in the United States for three years, which can be extended for another three years. After the expiration of six years, visa holders must leave the United States if their status has not changed.

American green card refers to the American permanent resident card, which is an identity document used to prove that foreigners have the status of permanent residents in the United States. The legal permanent residency of green card holders is an official immigration benefit, including conditional permission to stay in the United States and get a job.

The holder must maintain his permanent resident status, and if he no longer meets certain conditions required by the status, the holder may lose his status.

First, the relevant requirements of the US work visa:

1. Most short-term work visas require American employers or institutions to submit application documents and get approval from USCIS before applying for a work visa.

2. All applicants for H, L, O, P and Q visas must first obtain the approval of your job application from USCIS. Only after the work application and I- 129 form are approved can the applicant apply for a work visa from the embassy or consulate.

After the application is approved, the applicant's employer or agency will be issued with Form I-797 (approval notice), which is the applicant's work approval notice. The visa officer will verify the applicant's approval through the Application Information Management System (PIMS) in the State Council, USA.

3. The applicant should show the I- 129 batch number when interviewing the embassy or consulate to verify its information. If the applicant does not meet the visa qualification stipulated in the US immigration law, this application document cannot be used as a guarantee for obtaining a visa.

Second, the United States green card related requirements:

According to American citizenship and immigration law, green card holders are foreigners who have neither American citizenship nor American citizenship. However, in the United States, they basically enjoy the same treatment as their nationals, but they have no right to vote and stand for election.

According to the immigration law of the United States, permanent residents must use a valid immigration visa and a valid home country passport to enter the United States, otherwise they are not allowed to enter the country. After having an American green card, as long as you leave the United States for less than one year, the green card itself can be regarded as a valid entry immigrant visa, and you don't need to apply for a visa at the American embassy or consulate.

If you leave the United States for more than one year, you must apply for a re-entry visa before you can leave the country. As a valid immigrant visa, the re-entry visa is valid for up to two years. Cardholders who have not entered the United States for more than a period of time are likely to lose their permanent residency when they enter the country, because the immigration law requires green card holders to leave the United States only temporarily.

The definition of "permanent residency" in American immigration law is: "According to the immigration law, the privilege of" permanently residing in the United States as an immigrant "has been granted, and this status has not changed."

It means that if the green card owner changes his identity, his permanent residency will be immediately eliminated. Therefore, if a permanent resident inadvertently uses an inconsistent identity (for example, filing tax returns as a non-resident), his permanent resident status will be terminated at the same time.

Legal basis:

Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China

Article 9 A China citizen who has settled in a foreign country and voluntarily joined or acquired a foreign nationality shall automatically lose China nationality.