The Origins of the Term Green Card

The United States Permanent Resident Card is the official designation for the documentation that a person holds when they are a certified lawful permanent resident of the United States of America. This permanent residency card is known by many different names, including what may be the most popular even though it is not the most technical, the green card.

Those who can claim ownership of the modern green card may not be aware of the genesis of this nickname and other alternative ways to refer to the United States Permanent Resident Card. After all, the permanent residency card that most people earn for their hard work these days is not literally green. Is the green card simply a misnomer or some sort of inside joke, or does this reference to an important part of an immigrant's documentation actually have some basis in historical authenticity? In other words, was there ever such a thing as a green "green card

The Permanent Resident Card acquisition process manifested itself in the United States as a result of the Alien Registration Act of 1940Today, however, the United States Permanent Resident Card has returned to a off-white or a shade of white.

Whereas previous instances of the permanent residency card, especially when living up to their color of their familiar namesake, may have only contained a photo of the holder and some general identification information, today's "green card" not only contains a photo of the holder, but also watermarks and other security measures, as well as fingerprint information for the permanent resident as registered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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