Rights & liberties
lawful permanent resident
Someone authorized to live and work in the United States permanently, holding a green card. Not a citizen: cannot vote federally and can be removed.
In full
Permanent residence is obtained through family sponsorship, employment, the diversity visa lottery, asylum or refugee status, and other categories, most subject to annual numerical caps and per-country limits that create waits of years or decades. Residents may generally apply to naturalize after the required period.
Also written as: green card
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.