For Indians building a long-term life in the United States, getting a Green Card and becoming a US citizen are two different immigration milestones. A Green Card gives an Indian national lawful permanent resident status, allowing them to live permanently in the US, while citizenship brings additional rights and responsibilities, including the ability to vote in federal elections and hold a US passport.
The difference can matter especially for Indians who have spent years in the US on employment-based visas such as H-1B before obtaining permanent residence and later considering naturalization.
Green Card vs US citizenship
A Green Card holder is a lawful permanent resident, not a US citizen. USCIS says permanent residents can live and work permanently in the United States, but permanent resident status can be lost in certain circumstances. For example, USCIS provides a process for documenting abandonment of permanent resident status, while the State Department warns new immigrants that extended periods outside the US can affect permanent resident status.
A US citizen, by contrast, has citizenship status that is not the same as permanent residence. US citizens can obtain US passports, and the State Department identifies the US passport as proof of US citizenship and a document used for re-entry to the United States.
{{/usCountry}}A US citizen, by contrast, has citizenship status that is not the same as permanent residence. US citizens can obtain US passports, and the State Department identifies the US passport as proof of US citizenship and a document used for re-entry to the United States.
{{/usCountry}}For an Indian who becomes a US citizen, international travel also involves a different set of rules. The State Department says US citizens who hold another nationality must enter and leave the US using a US passport.
Can Green Card holders vote in US elections?
This is one of the clearest differences.
Green Card holders cannot vote in federal elections. USA.gov states that noncitizens, including permanent legal residents, cannot vote in federal, state and most local elections. Some jurisdictions have limited rules concerning noncitizen voting in certain local elections.
US citizens, meanwhile, can vote in US federal, state and local elections if they meet the applicable registration and eligibility requirements.
For Indian immigrants who have spent many years in the US, this is therefore a major legal distinction between permanent residence and citizenship.
Family sponsorship is different too
Citizenship can also expand the family members an Indian immigrant can petition for.
The US State Department says US citizens can petition for a spouse, son or daughter, parent, or brother or sister. Green Card holders can also sponsor family members, but the available categories are narrower. The State Department says lawful permanent residents can petition for a spouse and unmarried son or daughter.
There is also a numerical difference: immediate-relative immigrant visas for qualifying relatives of US citizens are not subject to an annual numerical limit, while family-preference categories are numerically limited.
For Indian families with parents, siblings or adult children in India, these distinctions can become particularly relevant when planning future immigration.
What about taxes for Indians?
Getting a Green Card does not mean an Indian national is outside the US tax system.
The IRS says a lawful permanent resident generally meets the Green Card test for US tax residency. US tax residents are generally taxed on worldwide income in the same manner as US citizens.
That means a Green Card holder with income or financial interests outside the US may have US tax-reporting obligations even when some of those assets or income sources are in India. The specific treatment depends on the circumstances and applicable tax rules.
The IRS also states that US citizens and US resident aliens living abroad are generally subject to US tax on worldwide income.
Can an Indian Green Card holder become a US citizen?
Yes. Naturalization is the process through which a permanent resident can become a US citizen.
USCIS says the general route requires a person to have been a lawful permanent resident for at least five years, along with requirements concerning continuous residence, physical presence, good moral character, English and civics, among other conditions. Certain applicants, including qualifying spouses of US citizens, may be eligible under different timelines.
For Indians who have held a Green Card for years, naturalization therefore represents a separate legal step rather than an automatic conversion of permanent residence into citizenship.