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Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR)
Practical Law Glossary Item 3-507-4188 (Approx. 3 pages)
Glossary
Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR)
Also known as a green card holder. The immigration status granted to foreign nationals living and working in the US permanently. These LPRs are issued a green card by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as evidence of their status.
Foreign nationals may acquire LPR status in various ways, including:
- Sponsorship by certain family members who are US citizen or LPRs.
- Employment-based immigration through employer sponsorship or self-sponsorship based on the immigrant's professional qualifications.
- Admission to the US as a refugee or asylee and completion of permanent resident processing.
- Obtaining a diversity visa after a successful lottery application.
Conditional permanent residents are LPRs who are granted a green card for only two years, and who must file an application within 90 days before the card's expiration to remove the conditions on their status. For an explanation of who may receive conditional status, see USCIS: Conditional Permanent Residence.
For a complete list of methods for acquiring LPR status, see USCIS: Green Card (Permanent Residence).
Admission to the US as an LPR is a requirement for naturalization to US citizenship in most circumstances (INA § 316(a)(1) (8 U.S.C. § 1427(a)(1))).
For an overview of the green card sponsorship process, see Practice Note, Business Immigration Sponsorship: Overview, and for a summary of sponsorship categories, see Key Immigrant Visa Classifications Chart and Family-Based and Diversity Immigrant Visa Classifications Chart.