Green Card holders can join the U.S. Army and they have the legal right to do so. U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents of the United States alone can join the U.S. Army.
If you feel that you are eligible, you can go to a recruitment office and talk to a recruiter. However, the army may not accept anyone who wishes to join. As a Green Card holder, you must be qualified and must meet the general requirements to join the U.S. Army.
Lawful permanent resident status that is granted to you alone may not be sufficient to join the army and your Green Card must be valid and if your card is about to expire, you may not be able to enlist. In order to enlist, your Green Card must be valid until you complete an enlistment. You can renew your Green Card if it is expiring within the next 6 months.
You also need to remember that the recruiters may not be able to help you to get a Green Card and they cannot help you with the immigration process. If you are not a permanent resident and if you do not hold a Green Card and if you wish to join the U.S. Army, you must contact the USCIS and take the necessary steps to obtain a Green Card. Similarly, being a non-U.S. citizen, you need to remember that if you have already served in another country’s army, you may not become eligible to join the U.S. Army.
Members of the U.S. armed forces are granted a variety of benefits and they get special preference when military members apply for U.S. citizenship. They can apply for U.S. citizenship, one year after joining the U.S. Army.
It is well known that the permanent resident cardholders will have to wait for years to apply for U.S. citizenship but the citizenship process is faster for the members of the armed forces.
However, people who enter the United States lawfully, alone can join the U.S. Army and the lawful permanent residents and U.S. citizens who wish to join the army must be physically present in the country, to enlist. Remember that, if you lie about your status, you will be punished and you will never be able to apply for immigration benefits.