History Essay

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GREEN CARD "Greencard"isthecommonnameforthepermanentresidentcard(Forml-551 orl-1 51),aformof identificationissuedbytheU.S. Citizenship and lmmigration Services department (USCIS) that indicates the holder's authorization to live and work permanently in the United States. The term "green card" originated with the issuance of thegreen alien registration receipt card (lNS Form l-151) in 1951, which bestowed similar benefits on its holder. Despite the fact that the color of the card has changed severaltimes since this original card was issued, the term green card has remained the popular name for the card.

Eligibility

Green cards are generally available to the immediate family members of U.S. citizens, refugees and persons seeking political asylum, investors, green card lottery winners, educated professionals, and individuals with employment offers for certain positions that are in demand by U.S. employers. ln addition to gaining the right to reside and work permanently ln the United States. individuals who are issued green cards will eventually be able to apply for U.S. citizenship, a process referred to as "naturalization." Green card eligibility can vary according to admissions categories, and some immigrants maywait manyyears to receive one. USCIS grants cards based on a complex system that includes numerical quotas. Most cards (around 440/o) go to immigrants who are immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, either through blood or marriage.

Origins

Precursors to the green card developed during a time when the United States was concerned with increasing the number and scope of immigration laws in general, in an attempt to better classiflT and track foreign visitors, immigrants, and other noncitizens within its borders. Atthe beginning of the 20th century, most immigration laws were solely concerned with those defining conditions, such as physical and mental illness, that were used to deny entry to certaln persons. Several laws passed in the early part of the century, such as the Naturalization Law of 1906 and the lmmigration Act of 1921 (also known as the First Quota Law), however, attempted to limit immigration based on other factors and to track the number and types of immigrants seeking entry into and already living within the United States. lncreasing needs to classify groups of immigrants necessitated the development of identification cards for some types of individuals, such as "border commuters," who worked in the United States or visited often but whose official residence was in Mexico or Canada.

As a result of the Alien Registration Act of 1940, the first standardized immigrant identification card, the white Form AR-3, was created. Designed as a national defense measure, the act required all aliens (non-U.S. citizens) within the United States to register with the U,5, Sovernment at post offices. After processing, a receipt card (Form AR-3) was mailed to each registrant as proof of his or her compliancewith the law. The Alien Registration Act, however, did not discriminate between legal and undocumented immigrant residents. All were registered, and all received AR-3s in return. Therefore, the AR-3 represents a precursor to the green card, insofar as it was the government's first attempt to produce a standard form of identification for immigrants. However, this card did not carry with it the same benefits or level of security normally associated with the green card.

ln 1951, however, the Security Act of 1950 produced the original green card, the green alien registration receipt card (Form l-151). This card was created to provide some classes of legal immigrants the permanent right to live and work in the United States. By '1 952, the lmmigration and Nationality Act required that the card, now also referred to as USCIS Form l-551, be carried by all eligible immigrants. This card represented security to its holder and was recognized as a standard form of permanent resident status identification by government officials and employers. Therefore, the term "green card" came to refer not only the card itself but also to the official permanent resident status desired by so many individuals.

Card Design

ln fact, the status that the green card conferred became so desirable that the lmmigration and Naturatization Service (now USCIS) began to experience serious counterfeiting problems. To deal with this issue, between its introduction and the present. the INS issued a series of different designs for the card in various colors, The color of the form was first changed from green to another color in 1964, when the card becameapaleblue. lnl9gT,lNSbeganissuingpinkpermanentresidentcards.Regardlessof colorordesign,however,thel-151 andl-551 continue to carry the benefits associated with the term "green card."

ln 1998, the INS Sranted permanent resident cards to over 660,000 immigrants, a 28% decrease from 1996 levels and the lowest number since 1988. This decline is attributable to a sharp increase in the number of pending immigration status adjustment applications. A notable spike in the number of persons receiving green cards occurred between 1989 and 1992, when over 2.6 million former undocumented immigrantsweregrantedpermanentresidentstatusunderthelmmigrationReformandControl Actof 1986.Justover1.1 milliongreen cards were issued in 2017, according to the Department of Homeland Security. This number has stayed fairly steady since the mid-2000s. Most green cards are issued to immigrants who already live in the U.S. on temporary visas,

Jennifer M. Cleary

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1011412019 Print Display - Green Card - Reference Articles Further Reading

U.S. Department of Justice, lmmigration and Naturalization Service . "A Temporary Resident's Guide to Applying for Permanent Residency." M-306, September 1988; U.S. Department ofJustice, lmmigration and Naturalization Service. "1998 Statistical Yearbook of the lmmigration and Naturalization Service." M-367,2000; 13-15; U.S. Department ofJustice, lmmigration and Naturalization Service. "systematicAlien Verification for Entitlement (SAVE) Program User Manual." M-300, September, 2000; U.S. Department of Justice, lmmigration and Naturalization Service. Office of Business Relations."Discussing Common INS Documents." Employer lnformation Bulletin 97-02, April 1997.

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Chicago Citation Van Horn, Carl E. "Green Card." ln American Government, ABC-C11O,2019. Accessed October 14,2019. http://americangovernment2.abc- clio.com/Search/Display/203 1 02.

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