The difference between American passport and green card

Friends who often travel abroad must know that passports play a very important role, and friends who immigrate to the United States must also know the importance of green cards. So, do you know the difference between an American passport and a green card?

If not, let Bian Xiao tell you the difference between American passport and green card, and their differences.

The difference between American passport and American green card

American Passport: Holding an American passport is an American citizen and American nationality. It enjoys the rights of all American citizens, including the right to vote and to be elected. Even if you don't live in the United States for a lifetime, you can retain American citizenship.

American passport is a document issued by the United States to American citizens and American nationals for international travel. The holder is protected by American consular officials overseas.

American green card: the so-called "American green card" only has "permanent residency in the United States" and is not an American citizen. It has no right to vote and stand for election. You must live in the United States for a period of time every year (18 1 day) to keep this green card. If you don't live in America for many years, you will lose this green card.

Many China people have American green cards, but they still have China passports and China nationality. This is an ID card used to prove that foreigners have permanent resident status in the United States. "Getting a green card" refers to the immigration process of becoming a permanent resident.

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.

Benefits of American passport:

(1) Holding an American passport (that is, an American citizen) to attend primary and secondary schools in the United States, as long as all public schools are free and the tuition fee of universities is only one tenth of that of foreign students, you can also apply for loans or scholarships that only American citizens can apply for.

This alone, from primary school to university, can save millions of yuan in tuition fees than foreign students.

(2) Holding an American passport can enjoy all kinds of perfect American social insurance. Even when people are old, they can still receive old-age allowance and live in low-cost and high-quality apartments for the elderly.

(3) Holding an American passport to travel or business in countries above 100 can enjoy visa-free treatment, which saves visa fees and a lot of trouble. At present, only a few countries in the world grant visa-free or visa-on-arrival treatment to China passports. )

(4) Children with American passports can help their parents to apply for permanent residency in the United States (the so-called "green card") when they are 18 years old.

(5) Now, in addition to political asylum, professional and technical personnel and marriage with American citizens, it takes more than four years to apply for an American passport, and it costs more than 654.38+0 million US dollars.

(6) When living or traveling in the United States with an American passport, he shall be protected by the American consul. In case of political instability or major disasters, American citizens can enjoy the priority to leave by plane under the protection of the US government.

Foreigners applying for a green card can apply for two important permits. One is the authorized employment card, a temporary work permit that allows foreigners to find jobs in the United States.

The second is the early entry permit, which is a temporary travel document that allows foreigners to return to the United States. The rights granted by these two licenses are independent of any existing status granted to foreigners.

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 permit.

I-327), as a valid immigrant visa for entry, the re-entry permit 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."

In other words, 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. In addition, according to the case law of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, giving up (such as settling in another country) can automatically lose permanent resident status without first filling out the form or passing the judgment of the immigration court.

Legal permanent residents who have lived in the United States as permanent residents for five years (or have been married to American citizens for three years) and meet all the conditions listed by the Immigration Bureau can apply for becoming American citizens.

Citizens will have more rights (and obligations) than permanent residents (still regarded as foreigners in this respect). These rights include: the right to vote; The right to stand for election in federal and state elections; Eligibility to bring family members into the United States; And federal government positions. Other citizen benefits include visa-free facilities in some countries in the world.

There are two main ways for international students to get a green card in the United States, one is to work, and the other is to get married. Getting married with a green card is the fastest, but you need to be an American citizen, otherwise you will have to wait for the date. A work green card means to finish your studies first, and then find a company that agrees to hire, and the employer will help you apply for an h- 1b work visa.

After obtaining the h- 1b visa, the employer will apply to the Ministry of Labor for a labor card, and then apply to the Immigration Bureau for permanent residency, that is, a green card.

The application process is very complicated, especially the application for work card, which is a headache for most employers. The work green card needs to wait, and the whole process often takes 5-7 years or even longer. There are two most important things in living in America, one is identity, and the other is work. But the problem is that it is difficult to find a job without an identity, and it is impossible to get an identity without a job.

If it is not too difficult to find a job in the United States during the economic boom, it is very difficult for enterprises to lay off employees because of the economic recession.

Getting a green card is also good. You don't need a visa to travel to and from China and the United States, and there are no restrictions on living and working in both places. For people who are not interested in politics and often travel between China and the United States, it is more convenient to hold a green card.

Green card holders can apply for American citizenship after living in the United States for 3-5 years, but many people often give up naturalization and keep their green card status in order to facilitate their return to China.

Ok, do you already know the difference and function between American green card and passport? Then protect your passport quickly! Of course, people with green cards are also very enviable.