Benefits of having a Green Card !!!

T

techie8

Registered Users (C)
Hello All,

I am starting a thread about the benefits of having a green card. While most people understand the value of a green card, not everyone understands what all can be accomplished with it.

So here are the benefits of the green card that I can think of.


  • Allows visa free travel to Mexico, Bahamas, Canada, Bermuda, Aruba and Switzerland for pleasure for anyone regardless of citizenship.
  • Allows the use of the faster citizens/residents lane in several international airports.
  • No need to carry a load of H1, L1 documentation at the PoE.
  • No need to fill an I-94 when returning.
  • Allows one to work in any job anywhere in the US
  • Allows one to file for unemployment benefits if one loses his/her job.
  • Allows one to vote for certain local elections.
  • Allows one to obtain mortgage loans or line of credit much more easily.
  • Allows one to get a drivers license for the maximum duration and not one which is valid only till I-94 expiry date.

Request others to add more benefits if you can think of any.
 
Thanks for Starting VERY IMPORTANT THREAD

Hi

I know all of US struggled lot to get GREEN CARD. It is specially more true for employment based green cards.

Now it is VITAL that evry one knows benefits of it in terms of ALL US GoVT and other advantages for LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENTS

I specifically want to know more about

(1) Financial Aids for Greencard holders (or permanent resident) for COLLEGE. I know there may be lot of Govt sight with more detailed info. but if some one can link IMPORTANT WEBSITES from GOVT as well as NOn-Profit for college funding that will be GREAT for many users of this websites

Also if you can highlight some experiences of the ADVNTAGES or BENEFITS that your Kids already took in college for Financial aids or Scholarships that will add lot to it



(2) Many of us contribute money in Social Security , Medicare etc. But we dont know What advantages it can offer in short term, long term or in case of family emergencies or illnesses, it can help lot to some one like me who dont know much of ins and out of Social securtiy .

So please make this thread good resource for PERMANENT RESIDENTS and CITIZENS to take maximum advantages of their LEGAL ENTITLEMENTS.

Hope we can make this thread a great resource for GC holders
 
techie8 said:
[*] Allows visa free travel to Mexico, Bahamas, Canada, Bermuda, Aruba and Switzerland for pleasure for anyone regardless of citizenship.
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For countries where a visa is required, the green card makes it simpler to get a visa ... other countries can be almost sure that you won't throw away a green card to become an illegal alien in their country.
 
techie8 said:
Hello All,

I am starting a thread about the benefits of having a green card. While most people understand the value of a green card, not everyone understands what all can be accomplished with it.

So here are the benefits of the green card that I can think of.


  • Allows visa free travel to Mexico, Bahamas, Canada, Bermuda, Aruba and Switzerland for pleasure for anyone regardless of citizenship.
  • Allows the use of the faster citizens/residents lane in several international airports.
  • No need to carry a load of H1, L1 documentation at the PoE.
  • No need to fill an I-94 when returning.
  • Allows one to work in any job anywhere in the US
  • Allows one to file for unemployment benefits if one loses his/her job.
  • Allows one to vote for certain local elections.
  • Allows one to obtain mortgage loans or line of credit much more easily.
  • Allows one to get a drivers license for the maximum duration and not one which is valid only till I-94 expiry date.

Request others to add more benefits if you can think of any.
Click to expand...

Most of US government jobs only accept US citizen.
 
compiler said:
Most of US government jobs only accept US citizen.
Click to expand...
That is not true at all, unless you're talking about political or judicial positions. Outside of that, only a small percentage of government jobs are restricted only to US citizens, mainly those that relate to national security.

Some jobs may put "US citizens only" in the ad, but when you check it out they also meant permanent residents. Many Americans don't realize there is a difference between green cards and citizenship.
 
That is one of the requirements on the most of the government job ads and people see the requirements before knowing whether he is qualified for. The citizen requirement is not listed in the most of non government job ads, however. Do you know why?
 
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Huge tuition benefits from Academic Common Market.
My tution will be 1/3 of I used to pay :)

*****************
ACADEMIC COMMON MARKET

The Academic Common Market (ACM) is a program governed by the
Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), an education consortium of
sixteen southern states. ACM affords students an opportunity to enroll in
certain out-of-state bachelor's and graduate programs that are not offered at
a public in-state college or university, at reduced tuition rates. See the
Facts and Questions page for requirements and criteria pertaining to ACM.

The following states are partners in the ACM consortium and abide by the
policies of the SREB: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina (graduate
programs with restrictions), Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Academic Common Market/Electronic Campus offers selected programs
at in-state tuition rates and through distance learning. SREB maintains
current lists of ACM/EC programs. See www.electroniccampus.org
****************
 
Few Additional Benefits of having GC :
================================
(1).If you are an IT guy working on H1 through layers of companies(body shoppers) you loose any thing between 20% to 50% of your billing rate to them and you can not get rid of them easily unless you have green card, Once you have green card, you can get rid of all the layers and directly work for the client. so your take home may go almost twice.
(2). if you are on H1, and if your spouse is on H4, she will not able to work. Once you get EAD during the GC process, your spose can even work for non-technical jobs legally.
(3) once you get your permanent residency, you can sponsor GC for your siblings.
(4) even in IT, many jobs are open only for citizens or gc holder, so once you have GC you have many more opportunities.

So, if you have a long term plan in US, you must get started on GC processing wihout thinking twice,

Abhijit
 
Abhijit_rey said:
(3) once you get your permanent residency, you can sponsor GC for your siblings.
Click to expand...

No, you cannot. You must wait until you become a citizen, and then FB4 takes over 10 years to become current. If I was a betting man, I'd venture a bet that Congress will abolish FB4 before the 15 years it'll take.
 
Other benefits...

1) a very cool looking card with all it's counter-copying marks on it
2) it makes your wallet look bigger so chicks will dig your large package you are carrying... size is everything.
3) it would make a cool trade when wanting to get that rare baseball card
4) you could make a lot of money selling it to jose ortiz or juan dominguez or any other illegal you meet in downtown Los Angeles.
5) bragging rights... I mean come on, when you are at a party, and you are talking with the american that has everything from a 300 inch plasma to a gold plated ferrari... you can flash your green card and say ... i bet you don't have one of these!

I could go on and on...but this is a list of some of the more important benefits. :D
 
That was funny. And cool too. Especially the last one.

Incidentally, I make fun of an American white guy in my Office about it, all
the time, that have something he doesn't have :D

gettingclosernow said:
Other benefits...

1) a very cool looking card with all it's counter-copying marks on it
2) it makes your wallet look bigger so chicks will dig your large package you are carrying... size is everything.
3) it would make a cool trade when wanting to get that rare baseball card
4) you could make a lot of money selling it to jose ortiz or juan dominguez or any other illegal you meet in downtown Los Angeles.
5) bragging rights... I mean come on, when you are at a party, and you are talking with the american that has everything from a 300 inch plasma to a gold plated ferrari... you can flash your green card and say ... i bet you don't have one of these!

I could go on and on...but this is a list of some of the more important benefits. :D
Click to expand...
 
compiler said:
That is one of the requirements on the most of the government job ads and people see the requirements before knowing whether he is qualified for. The citizen requirement is not listed in the most of non government job ads, however. Do you know why?
Click to expand...
Probably because most non-government jobs are also open to people who neither have US citizenship nor a green card, such as those who have EAD, or Canadians eligible for TN status.
 
TheRealCanadian said:
No, you cannot. You must wait until you become a citizen, and then FB4 takes over 10 years to become current. If I was a betting man, I'd venture a bet that Congress will abolish FB4 before the 15 years it'll take.
Click to expand...
They won't abolish it, because of the "family reunification" mantra that has been the main force of US immigration for decades (even though in reality immigration breaks up families more than it reunites them). But it will become de facto abolished ... wait times will become so long that most people either die before getting the GC approved or just give up on it.
 
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gettingclosernow said:
2) it makes your wallet look bigger so chicks will dig your large package you are carrying... size is everything.
Click to expand...

Don't know about you, but I carry my wallet in my back pocket.. I don't think I want that package to look larger... especially not one part of the package look larger than the other! :eek:
 
Jackolantern said:
They won't abolish it, because of the "family reunification" mantra that has been the main force of US immigration for decades
Click to expand...

That may have been the case so far. However, recently, many members of Congress (and from both parties, if I'm not mistaken) have started talking about changing to a more 'merit-based' form of immigration which will mean making it even more difficult for family-based immigration. There will definitely be a lot more debate before any law is passed, so only time (and the next administration) will tell.
 
Any more inputs on benefits of GC

Hi

Can experienced members highlight more on benefits of GC. Specially in terms of College Financial Aids and Scholarships, Social Securitt medicare. If you can post some important links that will be great.
 
Are you sure?

I know that Library of Congress, for example, has its door open to non-citizens especially when no qualified citizens are available. I think I also saw some federal gov positions consider permanent residents if they become a citizen in six months (or something like that). But are you sure "only a small percentage of government jobs are restricted only to US citizens"?


Jackolantern said:
That is not true at all, unless you're talking about political or judicial positions. Outside of that, only a small percentage of government jobs are restricted only to US citizens, mainly those that relate to national security.

Some jobs may put "US citizens only" in the ad, but when you check it out they also meant permanent residents. Many Americans don't realize there is a difference between green cards and citizenship.
Click to expand...
 
geofu54 said:
I know that Library of Congress, for example, has its door open to non-citizens especially when no qualified citizens are available. I think I also saw some federal gov positions consider permanent residents if they become a citizen in six months (or something like that). But are you sure "only a small percentage of government jobs are restricted only to US citizens"?
Click to expand...
Being a bus driver for a publicly run bus system is a government job. So is being a cop. So is being a programmer at a state government office. So is being in the US military. So is being a teacher at a public school. You don't need to be a US citizen to have those jobs.

The citizenship requirement is just for security-sensitive positions in Federal government agencies like the FBI or CIA (or contractors who work closely with them), or political officials (Mayor, Governor, Senator, etc.).
 
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50. What are two rights only for United States citizens?

A：Apply for a federal job

A：vote.

A：run for office.

From the new citizenship test.
 
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