*There are four different types of immigration categories:
1. Citizens. A US citizen is either a person who was born in the US or became a naturalized citizen following a period of three or five years as a resident in the country. .
2. Conditional and Permanent Residents. Conditional residents are individuals who receive their green card prior to completing two years of marriage. Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) are immigrants who have obtained a green card and are authorized to live and work in the US permanently.
3. Non-Immigrant Status. Individuals who are considered non-immigrants are legally living and working in the country on a temporary basis. Some examples of people with non-immigrant status could include students on an F-1 visa and tourists or business visitors on B1 or B2 visas,
4. Undocumented. Undocumented immigrants are individuals who are in the country illegally or otherwise without permission, in which case they would be unable to live in the US temporarily or permanently. They are also unable to legally work in the US and won’t have access to benefits accessible to residents, such as driver’s licenses and health insurance.
*To read the text of the comprehensive immigration legislation proposed by President Biden shortly after taking office in 2021, click here.