F1 Visa to Green Card 5 Easy Ways to Get Your Green Card. The F1 student visa is a single-intent visa, meaning you promise to enter the united states to study so return to your home country after completing your studies. this implies that an F1 visa isn’t a direct path to a green card and you cannot enter the US on an F1 visa with the intent of lawful permanent residence.
However, after the F1 visa you can follow several paths that can result in a green card. Five of those options are discussed very well below.
F1 Visa to Green Card: 5 Easy Ways to Get Your Green Card
There are numerous ways to convert your F1 visa to permanent residency card but here we discuss about most effective and working ways to get easily your Green card. SO, If you don’t want to waste time, let’s get started.
1. A dual intent visa change of status
As mentioned above, the F1 visa isn’t a dual purpose visa. So, if you finally want to get your green card, one of the options to do so is to change your status from an F1 visa to a dual intent visa, which is able to be a non-immigrant work visa that allows you to apply later.
A green card (including H1B visa). Then, once you’re on a dual-intent visa, you’ll find an employer who will sponsor you for an employment-based green card – discussed below.
2. Get employer sponsorship
Many students often seek employment through CPT (Curriculum Practical Training) or OPT (Optical Practical Training) while studying in the US. If you find an employer willing to sponsor you for a green card, this may be done through an EB2 or an EB3 employment-based green card.
EB2 visas are for people who receive an offer for a job that requires a sophisticated degree and have that degree or a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and five years of progressive work experience, possess exceptional skills in science, business, or industry, or who have a national interest waiver for the position. There are This process involves an employer filing Form I-140 and obtaining an approved labor certificate from the Department of Labor.
On the opposite hand, the EB3 visa is reserved for skilled workers, professionals and certain other workers. Likewise, to sponsor a employers must file the USA visa Form I-140 and labor certification.
3. Become an investor
The EB5 visa category is an investment visa types that permit you to get a green card in the United States based on investing in a US business and employing US workers. Consequently, if you qualify, you’ll change your status from F1 to EB5 and so adjust status to become a green card holder.
To qualify as an EB5 investor, you want to 1) make the required investment in a commercial enterprise in the us and 2) plan to create or preserve 10 full-time jobs for qualified U.S. workers.
One of the most common questions regarding EB5 is how much money is required to fulfill the required investment amount. As of starting this year, the minimum investment amount is $500,000. To become a green card holder after changing status from a student visa to an EB5 visa, you may file the I-140 and I-485 to regulate your status.
4. Self-apply as a person of extraordinary ability
Another option for obtaining a green card after a student visa is that the EB1 visa for people of extraordinary ability. Because F1 visa holders are pursuing an education in the u. s., they often tend to fit into one of those eligible for an EB1.
These categories are (1) outstanding professors and researchers, (2) persons of extraordinary ability in the arts, sciences, business, athletics or education, and (3) executive directors who have worked in an exceedingly foreign branch of a US company in the past 3 years. The EB1 visa is unique because an applicant can either self-apply or they’ll find a job in their field with an employer willing to sponsor them.
Evidence showing that you just meet the wants for an EB1 includes, but isn’t limited to, published papers or research in your field that has been recognized in journals or media. to urge a green card based on an EB1, you need to have an approved I-526 and file to regulate your status with an I-485.
5. Marry a US citizen or lawful permanent resident
Another option to get a green card if you are in the US on an F1 visa is for people that meet and fall crazy with a US citizen or lawful permanent resident. Then, your spouse can apply for your green card.
However, you want to keep in mind that there’s a 90-day rule that must be followed with the F1 visa. If you enter on an F1, you want to wait a minimum of 90 days before getting married, or there will be a presumption of immigration fraud (that you entered with the intention of marrying instead of the intention of studying) and therefore the green card are denied.
Once you clear the 90-day mark, you need to prove to the government that the relationship is legitimate, but there’ll not be a presumption of immigration fraud. the applying process for this case will include filing Forms I-130 and I-485.