Who is a legal immigrant?
A legal immigrant is a foreign-born individual who has been admitted to reside in the United States as a lawful permanent resident (LPR). LPRs are given immigrant visas, commonly referred to as “green cards.” Non-immigrants are foreign-born individuals who are permitted to enter the United States for a limited period of time, and are given only temporary (non-immigrant) visas. Examples of non-immigrants are students, tourists, temporary workers, business executives, and diplomats. (See Appendix A). How does someone come to the U.S. as an immigrant? A foreign-born individual can become a lawful permanent resident in one of the four main ways: • Through family-based immigration, a U.S. citizen or LPR can sponsor his or her close family members for permanent residence. A U.S. citizen can sponsor his or her spouse, parent (if the sponsor is over 21), minor and adult children, and brothers and sisters. An LPR can sponsor his or her spouse, minor children, and adult unmarried children. As a
