Visa vs. Green Card: What's the Difference?
A visa is a temporary permission to enter or remain in the US for a specific purpose and time period. A green card (lawful permanent residence) is permission to live and work in the US permanently. Both are important, but they are very different in what they provide and how long they last.
Reviewed by Gracie Johnson, Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law, State Bar of California, California State Bar #276536
Last reviewed: July 2, 2026
A visa is a document (usually stamped in your passport by a US consulate) that authorizes you to seek admission to the US. Visas come in many types: tourist visas (B-1/B-2), student visas (F-1), work visas (H-1B, L-1, O-1), and many others. A visa has a fixed period of validity and a specific purpose. You can only do what your visa category allows — for example, a tourist visa does not allow you to work.
A green card (Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card) is proof of lawful permanent residence. With a green card, you can live anywhere in the US, work for any employer, and generally enjoy the same rights and benefits as US citizens except the right to vote and the ability to hold certain government positions. Green cards are renewable every 10 years and do not expire in the sense that your right to permanent residence expires.
The typical path is: visa → green card → citizenship. You first enter the US on a visa (or as a refugee or asylee), establish eligibility for a green card through a family or employer petition (or through asylum), and then after holding a green card for 5 years (or 3 years if married to a US citizen), you may be eligible to naturalize.
Many people in South LA are confused about where they are in this process. If you need help understanding your current status and your options, call Gracie Johnson Law at (310) 554-4630.
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Also available in Spanish: Visa vs. Tarjeta Verde: ¿Cuál Es la Diferencia?