What's the difference between having a green card and a work visa?

[napi21]

I want to call WJ tomorrow morning. Sacby Chambliss is going to be on, and he's my senator. I went to his web site to see what his published position was on immegration. Here's what's there:

The President has laid out his principles for guest worker legislation. Building on that framework as Congress begins the legislative process toward reform, Senator Chambliss believes we must adhere to the following concepts:

To control illegal immigration, we must first control our borders. We must commit to sufficient funding for our border security agencies, including Border Patrol, and our immigration enforcement agencies.
We must treat those who are here illegally as exactly that. Under a guest worker program, they should be allowed work visas not green cards. They should not be given advantages over those who are attempting to come to the U.S. through the legal process, which we should encourage.
Foreign workers in a guest worker program must be temporary workers.
Guest worker participants must have a job, and we must ensure that American workers are not displaced.
Guest worker legislation should make use of program aspects that do work well, including H2A and H1B visa programs.
We must dedicate resources for interior enforcement and strengthen the penalties against aliens in the U.S. who are not guest workers and who continue in their illegal status.
Employers must share the burden to facilitate a workable program and to stop the hiring of illegal aliens.
No one in the U.S. illegally should have the privileges associated with those who are here legally.
_____________________________________________________________________

I see he is differenciating between work visas and green cards. What's the difference?

[lenidog]

1. A work visa only gives you the right to live temporarily in the US and

work at a job while a green card gives you the right of permanent residency.

[MADem]

2. You can have a green card and not work

If you are from another country, and marry an American, you get a green card and you become a "resident alien." If you are rich as a Roosevelt, decide you want to live in the states, and aren't a pervert/criminal, you can get one too.

A work visa is for the specific purpose of working at a particular job.

A couple of friends of mine were resident aliens for thirty five years. They paid taxes, worked, lived their lives. They finally gave up the ghost on going back over the pond (they were from two different countries, and couldn't agree on where to go, plus thought the prices were too high over in Europe, liked their house, their kids/grandkids are here, etc., etc.) so they finally took their citizenship (as senior citizens!).

[Quakerfriend]

3. If you are only holding a work visa, you can be booted out

of the country in 3 weeks, if you lose your job.

Many of my husbands former colleagues were laid off from high tech jobs they had held for several years. Many had purchased homes and had kids in school etc. They still only had 3 weeks to leave.

[pacifictiger]

4. Don't know if its the same these days

but work visa's used to have expiration dates on them. There are different types of visas that could be issued, depending on the reason you are in the US. Some for a specific period of time and occupation, some are open ended. The visa is affixed to your foreign passport.
A green card (which isn't green at all) gives you permanent resident status and is a 'stand alone' ID card, not attached to your passport. However, if you are a foreigner and have travelled overseas, you must present it to immigration with your passport to be able to get back into the US.