Can I work if I get a temporary green card in the United States?

A temporary green card is no different from a formal green card in many aspects. It is better than that you can work without applying for a work card, and you don't need to go to an American embassy or consulate abroad to get a visa to return to the United States when traveling abroad. However, the validity period of the temporary green card is only two years, and the permanent green card can only be obtained after the temporary green card is converted into a formal green card two years later.

If the applicant has obtained a temporary green card, two years later, the applicant needs to apply to the Immigration Bureau for changing to a permanent green card (removing the conditions). The starting date of two-year calculation of green card is the date of obtaining temporary green card, not the date of marriage. According to this calculation, if the applicant gets a temporary green card after one and a half years of marriage, he will get a formal green card two years after getting a temporary green card, that is, after three and a half years of marriage. The window period for a green card to become a full member is one year, nine months to two years after obtaining a temporary green card.

Because the temporary green card needs to be regularized, the green card applicant needs to continue to collect and save all the evidence about the applicant's living with the citizen's spouse, including utilities, bank joint account number, etc. These evidences will play a role in the application for green card regularization, proving that the relationship between husband and wife still exists and the marriage is true. If the applicant and an American citizen have divorced or separated before the green card expires, the holder of a temporary green card should consult his lawyer to find out whether it is possible to become a full green card.