Got a Green Card - now what?

July 29, 2019 11:33 AM

There are lots of websites that tell you about the important rights and responsibilities once you obtain permanent residency (a Green Card) in the US. But there is very little collated information on what the more practically useful things you can now do once you have one, like being able to get TSA Pre status, being able to contribute to political campaigns, etc. So for a new permanent resident, tell me, what are the non-obvious or hidden things a permanent resident can do that a non-permanent resident can not?

Spoiler: I recently got mine, and applied for TSA Pre within 15 minutes of physically getting my Green Card - as much as I've enjoyed the couple of hundred flights I've taken with it....:-)

posted by inflatablekiwi to Law & Government (7 answers total)

welcome to the shittiest parts of our democracy - you can now throw your hard earned cash into the bottomless pit we call "speech":

The [Federal Election Campaign] Act does not prohibit individuals with permanent resident status (commonly referred to as “green card holders”) from making contributions or donations in connection with federal, state or local elections, as they are not considered foreign nationals.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:37 AM on July 29, 2019 [1 favorite]

This is not relevant to most people, but most US medical schools won't accept non-citizens unless they are permanent residents. Now that you have a green card, you could, were you so inclined, go to medical school in the US. I don't recommend it, but you could do it.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 11:45 AM on July 29, 2019

Congratulations, you are now eligible to join the United States Armed Forces. You may travel as tourist outside the United States for up to a year. You may apply for a Social Security card, and if you work in the United States for 10 years you can qualify for Social Security benefits. You may petition for certain family members to become lawful permanent residents of the United States. You must now register with the Selective Service System, if you are between 18 and 25. You are required to file a United States income tax return (assuming you have income). In a very few municipalities including in Maryland and California, you can vote in certain local elections. In many states you can now qualify for "in-state" tuition rates at state colleges and universities. You can work and start a business.
posted by beagle at 12:30 PM on July 29, 2019 [1 favorite]

You can work at SpaceX and other companies subject to ITAR.
posted by caek at 3:24 PM on July 29, 2019

You can now join Major League Soccer and will not count as a foreign player. This is especially important in the United States Open Cup tournament since there is a restriction on how many foreign born players can be on a team's roster.
posted by sideshow at 4:56 PM on July 29, 2019 [1 favorite]

When flying internationally, you can use the airport check-in kiosks instead of needing to get in a super long line for a real person to inspect your documents.

It's probably possible somehow to get a mortgage without a green card but it's a lot easier if they know you're a permanent resident.
posted by carolr at 9:01 AM on July 30, 2019

Debt is a good example. Weirdly it's actually relatively easy to get a mortgage (or most other secured loans) without a green card. That's because there is something for the bank to repossess if you leave the country. Unsecured loans (e.g. student debt refinancing), however, are pretty much off limits to non-permanent residents.
posted by caek at 1:31 PM on August 1, 2019