Good moral character in the context of "Permanent residence (United States)"

A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. Green card holders are formally known as lawful permanent residents (LPRs). As of 2024, there are an estimated 12.8 million green card holders, of whom almost 9 million are eligible to become United States citizens. Approximately 18,700 of them serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Green card holders are statutorily entitled to apply for U.S. citizenship after showing by a preponderance of the evidence that they, among other things, have continuously resided in the United States for one to five years and are persons of good moral character. Those who are younger than 18 years old automatically derive U.S. citizenship if they have at least one U.S. citizen parent.