The document and permanent-resident status
A green card is the common name for the Permanent Resident Card, or Form I-551, an identification document issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). It shows that a person who is not a U.S. citizen has been approved for lawful permanent resident status, commonly abbreviated as LPR.
In practical terms, a green card is not the same as citizenship or simply a temporary visa. The status allows its holder to live and work in the United States without a fixed end date, but it does not make the holder a U.S. citizen. Permanent residents remain subject to immigration law and may be removed from the country for certain violations.
The name “green card” comes from the document’s historical greenish color. The name has persisted even though the card’s appearance has changed. Official and legal contexts may also use terms such as “lawful permanent resident” and “resident alien”; the former is the preferred modern term in immigration law.
Rights, responsibilities, and card validity
Permanent-resident status allows a person to work in the United States and may provide access to public benefits after applicable residency requirements are met. It can also allow the holder to sponsor certain family members for immigration, subject to the relevant rules. These possibilities do not amount to all the rights of a citizen: for example, permanent residents cannot vote in federal elections before naturalizing.
The status also comes with responsibilities, including tax compliance and obedience to criminal laws. It is important to distinguish the validity of the physical card from the duration of the status: the supplied evidence says standard cards are generally valid for ten years and conditional cards for two years. Renewing the card does not, by itself, mean that permanent-resident status has the same expiration date.
A green card is not obtained through naturalization. Naturalization is a separate process through which a permanent resident may become a U.S. citizen if the applicable requirements are met. The supplied evidence refers to continuous-residence periods that vary by circumstance, including five years generally and three years for certain spouses of U.S. citizens; those summaries do not replace checking the full eligibility criteria.