The Cato Institute developed the Green Card Game to give Americans an interactive and realistic way to experience the difficulty of legally immigrating to the United States. The Green Card Game relies as much as possible on the actual rules and regulations governing legal permanent immigration to the United States in 2023. Laws and practices are constantly evolving, and the game simplifies some aspects of the U.S. immigration system to make it more playable. The game is an educational tool intended for players to experience the U.S. immigration system. Nobody—players, observers, teachers, or otherwise—should view any result from playing the game as legal advice.
The Cato Institute is a public policy research organization—a think tank—dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Its scholars and analysts conduct independent, nonpartisan research on a wide range of policy issues. Cato's vision is to create free, open, and civil societies founded on libertarian principles. A more open legal immigration system would make America a freer, wealthier, and more prosperous country.
The Green Card Game is largely based on the research in: Bier, David J.“Why Legal Immigration Is Nearly Impossible: U.S. Legal Immigration Rules Explained,” Policy Analysis no. 950, Cato Institute, Washington, DC, June 13, 2023.
Credits
Game design by:
David J. Bier, Associate Director of Immigration Studies at the Cato Institute
Alex Nowrasteh, Vice President of Economic and Social Policy Studies at the Cato Institute
Game development by:
Laissez Passer, Inc., José Alvarez Cabrera