Green Card vs. Visa: What's the Difference in 2026?

A visa is permission to travel to a U.S. port of entry and ask to come in. A Green Card (permanent residency) is proof you already hold that status once you're inside the country, legally and for good. The two documents come from different federal agencies, cover different lengths of time, and unlock different rights, which is why the two get confused so often. This article walks through what a visa is, what a Green Card is, how the two compare side by side, how an immigrant visa differs from a nonimmigrant visa, and how a Green Card differs from a work permit.

Key Takeaways

A visa gets you to the door. A Green Card means you're already inside and allowed to stay for good.

• A visa gets you to a U.S. port of entry and lets you ask a CBP officer for admission. It doesn't guarantee entry.

• A Green Card (Form I-551) proves you're already a lawful permanent resident, with the right to live and work in the U.S. indefinitely.

• A nonimmigrant visa is temporary and requires you to leave when it expires. An immigrant visa converts to Green Card status the moment you're admitted.

• An EAD (work permit) proves temporary work authorization tied to an underlying status or pending case. A Green Card carries indefinite work authorization on its own, no separate document needed.

• To move from a visa toward a Green Card, figure out which document you currently hold, then file Form I-485 to adjust status in the U.S., go through consular processing abroad, or renew your EAD before it lapses if you're not there yet.

What Is a Visa?

A visa is a stamp or label placed in your passport by the U.S. Department of State, issued at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad, that lets you travel to a U.S. port of entry and ask a border officer for permission to enter the U.S.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at the port of entry has the sole authority to admit you or deny you, and to decide how long you're allowed to stay. Holding a valid visa is a required step toward entry, not a guarantee of it.

Visas and Green Cards also come from two different parts of the federal government. The Department of State issues visas at embassies and consulates overseas, while U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), issues and administers Green Cards from inside the United States. Because these are separate agencies running separate systems, an issue with one document doesn't automatically affect the other.

What Is a Green Card?

A Green Card is the official proof of Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status, the legal right to live and work in the United States permanently. Officially, it's Form I-551, the Permanent Resident Card, and USCIS issues it to every permanent resident as evidence of that status.

If you're 18 or older, federal law requires you to carry your valid Green Card on you at all times.

A standard Green Card is valid for 10 years and has to be renewed with Form I-90 before it expires, but the permanent resident status behind it doesn't expire on its own. It's the card that has an expiration date, not your status, as long as you maintain it.

Some Green Cards last only 2 years instead of 10. If you got permanent residence through a marriage that was less than 2 years old when your case was approved, or through the EB-5 immigrant investor category, you receive a conditional Green Card. You then have to file Form I-751 (for marriage-based cases) during the 90 days before that 2-year card expires to remove the conditions and get the standard 10-year card.

Traveling abroad doesn't require a separate visa once you hold a Green Card. As long as you've been outside the U.S. for less than a year, the Green Card itself is enough to get you back in. If you know you'll be gone a year or more, you need to file for a reentry permit before you leave, which is valid for up to 2 years, or apply for a returning resident (SB-1) visa at a consulate if you didn't secure a reentry permit first.

What Are the Key Differences Between a Green Card and a Visa?

A Green Card and a visa differ in nearly every practical way that matters: who issues them, what they prove, how long they last, and what they cost.

The gap in cost and duration reflects what each document is for. A visa fee buys you the chance to ask for entry. The Green Card filing fees buy status that doesn't need to be renewed every year or two the way a work permit does.

What's the Difference Between an Immigrant Visa and a Nonimmigrant Visa?

An immigrant visa and a nonimmigrant visa lead to very different outcomes. A nonimmigrant visa is built for a temporary stay, while an immigrant visa is the direct route to becoming a Green Card holder.

A nonimmigrant visa lets you enter the U.S. for a specific, temporary purpose, such as tourism, study, temporary work, or business, for a defined period. You're expected to leave once your authorized stay ends.

An immigrant visa, by contrast, is issued to someone who intends to live in the U.S. permanently, usually after a relative or employer sponsors them through a petition filed with USCIS. Once a CBP officer reviews and endorses the immigrant visa and accompanying paperwork at admission, the holder becomes a lawful permanent resident.

The two categories lead to different places once the visa's time is up. Nonimmigrant visa holders don't receive permanent status and generally have to leave once their authorized period expires, while an approved immigrant visa converts directly into Green Card status the moment you're admitted.

The U.S. has roughly two dozen nonimmigrant visa categories, each labeled with a letter and often a number: B-1/B-2 for business and tourism, F-1 for academic students, H-1B for specialty occupation workers, and J-1 for exchange visitors, among others. Immigrant visas fall into a much smaller set of categories built around family sponsorship, employment, and the diversity visa program.

Most nonimmigrant categories require you to prove you don't intend to stay permanently, and an officer can deny entry to a B-2 tourist, F-1 student, or H-2B temporary worker they believe actually plans to immigrate. The H-1B specialty occupation visa is a notable exception. It allows what's known as "dual intent," meaning you can hold H-1B status and pursue a Green Card, for example through employer sponsorship, at the same time without it counting against your visa.

Getting from a visa to a Green Card happens one of two ways, depending on where you are. If you're already in the U.S. in a qualifying status, you can file Form I-485 with USCIS to adjust status without leaving the country. If you're outside the U.S., you go through consular processing instead, where the Department of State issues an immigrant visa at an embassy or consulate that converts to Green Card status once you're admitted.

What's the Difference Between a Green Card and a Work Permit (EAD)?

A Green Card and a work permit both let you work in the U.S., but only one of them proves permanent status. An Employment Authorization Document (EAD) does not.

An EAD, produced through Form I-765 and commonly called a work permit, is official proof of temporary permission to work in the U.S. It typically stays valid for 1 to 2 years (some categories, such as asylees and refugees, were shortened to an 18-month validity period under recent policy changes), and it must be renewed before it expires.

An EAD's validity depends entirely on the status or pending application underneath it. If that underlying status ends or the related case gets denied, the EAD stops being valid. A Green Card works differently: it confers indefinite work authorization tied to your LPR status itself, with no separate work-permit document required.

This gap matters more since October 30, 2025, when USCIS ended automatic extensions of EAD validity for most renewal applicants under a DHS interim final rule. EAD renewal applications filed on or after that date no longer get the automatic extension that used to bridge gaps of up to 540 days while a renewal was pending. Your work authorization can lapse mid-process if you're relying on an EAD, something that doesn't happen with a Green Card.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a Green Card the same as a work permit? No. A Green Card proves permanent status and comes with indefinite work authorization. An Employment Authorization Document (EAD) only proves temporary permission to work and usually expires within 1 to 2 years.

How do you get a Green Card if you're currently on a visa? It depends on where you are. You can file Form I-485 to adjust status without leaving the U.S. if you already hold a qualifying status, or go through consular processing abroad, where an approved immigrant visa converts to Green Card status once you're admitted.

How much more does a Green Card cost than a visa? A 2026 nonimmigrant visa fee runs $185 to $315 depending on the category. Adjusting status to a Green Card costs $1,390 to $1,440 in USCIS filing fees, plus a $220 Immigrant Fee.

Can a Green Card expire? The card itself can. A standard Green Card is valid for 10 years and needs renewal through Form I-90, though the underlying permanent resident status doesn't expire as long as you maintain it. Conditional Green Cards last only 2 years.

What's the difference between a Green Card and citizenship? A Green Card gives you permanent resident status. Citizenship is a separate step you become eligible for after 5 years of continuous residence as a permanent resident, or 3 years if you're married to and living with a U.S. citizen spouse.

How many types of U.S. visas are there? Around two dozen nonimmigrant categories exist, each tied to a purpose like tourism, study, or temporary work, plus a smaller set of immigrant visa categories built around family sponsorship, employment, and the diversity visa program.