Top Benefits 0f US Green Cards for International Students

An international student can enter the USA through a student visa. A US student visa is a temporary allowance to stay in the USA until completion and they can not show the intent to stay back in the USA. Immigrant intent is one of the main reasons that block students from obtaining that Green Card, but even when the steps are quite tough it is not impossible and comes with a lot of possibilities. Here we are discussing the benefits 0f US green cards for international students.

What Is a Green Card?

A green card is a permanent resident visa for non-US citizens which allows them to gain permanent residence and lawfully work in the USA. It also helps them qualify for citizenship after three or four years in the USA. There are different types of green cards; family-based green cards, employment-based green cards, humanitarian green cards, diversity lottery green cards, long-time resident green cards, and certain other types of green cards. 

Those who wish to study in USA might be aware of the advantages of US green cards. You need to keep a watch on the expiry date and plan on renewing the same at least 6 months before its expiry. A green card holder can also not stay out of the US for more than 6 months; immigration tends to ascertain your intention of staying in the US. They can also revoke your green card on the same grounds.

Privileges of Having a Green Card as an International Student

• Citizenship

A green card holder after three years can directly apply for citizenship in the USA; A green card is just one of the conditions to obtain citizenship; There's a need to pass a series of exams and interviews to steer clear of obtaining US citizenship. Having citizenship can help you sponsor distant relatives to realize their American Dream.

• Career Freedom

A green card gives you the freedom to choose the career you want. Even if your placement is through another you can retain the green card and choose to work for another company; A green card holder or his spouse can start their own business and relish their American dream. To take up federal jobs, one needs to be a US citizen.

• Access to the US Social Security

Access to social security is one of the benefits of US Green Cards for International Students. The social security scheme is funded by the tax collected from the citizens. The US social security scheme provides good food, child care assistance, and healthcare assistance. A person who has worked in the US for more than ten years can get access to their retirement benefits. You have to pay taxes every year if you possess a green card. 

• International Travel Is Made Easy

Having a green card makes the travel between your home country and the US an easy process. It is a direr process if you have a student or temporary visa. The green card helps you get through the immigration processes in the US. 

• Sponsorship

Green card holders can sponsor their immediate relatives or family members to live in the USA. Immediate family members include spouses and unmarried children who are below age 21. 

• Affordable Tuition Fees

The Benefits of US Green Cards for International Students can be seen in a range of aspects, particularly in the case of tuition fees. A green card can desirably reduce the tuition fees of vocational colleges, universities, etc. These universities charge an exorbitant fee structure for students who come from different countries. Being a green card holder can help you avail the benefits of federal financial aid for your education requirements. The US government also provides significant financial support which reduces the tuition fee to a considerable amount concerning the fee charged by American universities.

• You Can Choose Where to Live!

If you have the benefits of US green cards as an international student, where to live in the USA will be under your sole discretion. If your Green card is based on employment, then you have to live near your place of work. If your green card is family-based or on the diversity lottery-based, you can choose to live anywhere in the USA. Life might be quite different when you choose not to live in the premium cities of the USA; you can still find places where there are bigger communities that have come from your home country and are settled. 

Read to know: Best Cities in the USA for International Students

Ways to Apply for a US Green Card While on  Student Visa

• To qualify for the Green Card

The terms of the US student visa go against the application for a green card. An active resident application at the same time as holding a student visa isn't negotiable. If the authorities come to know of the fact, they might decide against the re-entry of the student back to the country. Maintaining the status of an F1 visa is a requirement to keep your prospects valid; A student can decide to travel out of the US only after their application has reached the final stage of green card application. Students also have to keep in mind not to stay out of the country for more than five months at a time.

Also, read: How To Get a US F1 Student Visa?

•  Taking up Work under the OPT Programme

When under the student visa, they can apply to work under the OPT (Optional Practical Training Program) which authorizes the student to work after their graduation program for twelve months; Students should have completed a full academic year in the US to be eligible for this program. If you belong to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), then you are eligible for 24 monthly programs and the new rule has 22 new streams to attract international students to America.

• Switching Over Visa

The graduate program or OPT is non-extendable. So, the students need to switch over to another visa called the H-1B visa. This visa is for students who have specific qualifications. The visa can only be sponsored by a US employer of a US-based company. The student cannot work elsewhere or take up business ventures when they are on this visa. The visa is for three years and an extension for another three years. The benefits of US green cards for international students are numerous. The candidate has to prove that they are indispensable in their field because there is a strict quota to apply under this visa.

Early planning is the only way through which an international student can apply towards obtaining a green card. The American dream will start from choosing the right course and being exemplarily well in your field of expertise.

You may also like to read: Study in USA: A Complete Guide for International Students