When the U.S. government authorizes an immigrant to live and work in this country on a permanent basis, it provides proof of that status by issuing a United States Permanent Resident Card,
according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. That form of identification is commonly known as a “green card,” as it was green from 1946 to 1964 and that color returned in 2010,
according to Investopedia. Permanent U.S. residents 18 or older are required to carry a green card at all times.
High resolution micro-images, laser-engraved fingerprints, and holographic images are among security technologies present on the current version of the green card, according to the USCIS. The card contains the holder’s name, fingerprint, photo, nine-digit alien/USCIS number, birth date, and document number. The expiration date can be found at the bottom on the front of the card, according to the USCIS. The document number, also known as a card number, is located on the back of the card’s current version.
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Each green card contains three lines of information that can be difficult to decipher,
according to the Immihelp website. Here is the information provided on those lines.
- At the beginning of the first line, whether the card holder is C1, a resident within the United States, or C2, a permanent resident commuter living in Mexico or Canada.
- The issuing country, which is the USA.
- The card holder’s nine-digit alien number.
- The immigrant case number that resulted in the green card.
- At the beginning of the second line, the holder’s date of birth.
- The holder’s gender.
- The green card’s expiration date.
- The holder’s country of birth.
- On the third line, the holder’s last name, first name, middle name, first initial of father and first initial of mother. The parents’ initials may be omitted if the card holder’s name is too long.
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