Most of the information on the card is self-evident. The computer and human readable signature at the bottom is not. The format is (digit range: expected data (information contained):

• First line:

1-2: not documented, assumed to be location of the receipt

3-4: US (issuing country, United States)

5: A (letter “A” stands for “alien”, it precedes the actual alien number)

6-14: 9-digit number (A#, alien number)

15: not documented, assumed to be a check-number

16-30: immigrant case number that resulted in the approved green card. The “<” symbol represents a blank space

• Second line:

1-6: birth date (in MM/DD/YY format)

7: not documented, assumed to be a check digit

8: not documented, assumed to be sex

9-14: expiration date (in MM/DD/YY format)

15: not documented, assumed to be a check digit

16-29: country of birth

30: not documented, assumed to be a check digit

• Third line:

last name, first name, middle name, first initial of father, first initial of mother (this line is spaced with “<<” between the name and first name). Depending of the length of the name, the father’s and mother’s initials may be omitted.

A United States Permanent Resident Card, also known as a green card, is an identification card attesting to the permanent resident status of an alien in the United States of America. Green card also refers to an immigration process of becoming a permanent resident. The green card serves as proof that its holder, a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR), has been officially granted immigration benefits, which include permission to reside and take employment in the USA. The holder must maintain permanent resident status, and can be removed from the US if certain conditions of this status are not met.

Green cards were formerly issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). That agency has been absorbed into and replaced by the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Shortly after re-organization BCIS was re-named to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

An alien with a green card application can obtain two important permits while the case is pending. The first is a temporary work permit known as the Employment Authorization Document (EAD), which allows the alien to take employment in the United States. The second is a temporary travel document, advance parole, which allows the alien to re-enter the United States. Both permits confer benefits that are independent of any existing status granted to the alien. For example, the alien might already have permission to work in the United States under an H1-B visa.

A United States Permanent Resident Card (green card)

The official name of the card is Permanent Resident Card (form I-551). The name “green card” comes from the fact that the predecessor, Alien Registration Receipt Card (form I-151) introduced at the end of World War II, was printed on green paper.^[1] Form I-551 was adopted in 1977 and has been printed on paper of various colors, none of which was green, but the term “green card” has nonetheless remained in use. Currently, the card is mostly yellowish-white and the only prominent green feature is the background of the lettering on the back. A card includes the holder’s name and photograph, and other information, and has been updated over the years with numerous anti-counterfeiting devices.