The United States offers several ways to become a Permanent Resident (Green Card holder). A Green Card allows you to live and work permanently in the U.S.
Below is a list of the various ways that you may qualify for a Green Card. Choose the appropriate category and click Learn More.
A
Family Based Immigration
1. Relatives of U.S. Citizens
a. Spouse
b. Unmarried child (under the age of 21)
c. Unmarried stepchild (under the age of 21)
d. Adopted child (under the age of 18) or
e. Parent or stepparent
f. Unmarried son or daughter (over the age of 21)
g. Married son or daughter (any age)
h. Brother or Sister
2. Relatives of Green Card holders
a. Spouse
b. Unmarried child (under the age of 21)
c. Unmarried stepchild (under the age of 21)
d. Adopted child (under the age of 18) or
e. Unmarried son or daughter (over the age of 21)
B
Employment Based Immigration
1. Employment First Preference
a. Persons with extraordinary ability
b. Outstanding professors and researchers
c. Managers and executives in multinational companies
2. Employment Second Preference
a. Professionals with advanced degrees
b. Persons with exceptional ability
c. Exceptional professors and researchers
3. Employment Second Preference with National Interest Waiver (NIW)
a. Persons with exceptional ability involved in activities that will substantially benefit the U.S. national interest
b. Advanced degree professionals involved in activities that will substantially benefit the U.S. national interest
4. Employment Third Preference
a. Professionals with a U.S. bachelor’s or foreign equivalent degree
b. Skilled workers
c. Unskilled workers
5. Schedule A
a. Registered nurses and physical therapists
b. Persons qualified to work in one of the shortage occupations on the Schedule A list
C
Green Card Lottery
1. Winners of the Green Card Lottery conducted by the U.S. Department of State.
D
Investors
1. Foreign entrepreneurs who invest $500,000 in a commercial enterprise in a targeted employment area that will benefit the U.S. economy and create at least 5 full-time U.S. jobs.
2. Foreign entrepreneurs who invest $1,000,000 in a commercial enterprise that will benefit the U.S. economy and create at least 10 full-time U.S. jobs.
E
Special Immigrants
1. Religious Workers
2. Foreign medical graduates
3. Permanent Residents who departed the U.S. for more than 12 months
Green Card Related Services
1. Adjustment of Status
a. Foreign nationals in the U.S. with approved immigration petitions may file for Adjustment of Status to adjust their nonimmigrant status to permanent residence (Green Card).
2. Consular Processing – Immigrant Visa
a. Foreign nationals outside the U.S. with approved immigration petitions must apply for consular processing to receive permanent residence (Green Card).
3. I-130 Petition
a. U.S. citizens and Green Card holders to sponsor Green Cards for their foreign relatives who wish to immigrate to the U.S.
4. Replace or Renew Green Card
a. You may replace a lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed Green Card.
b. You may replace an expired Green Card or a Green Card that will expire within the next six months.
5. I-140 Petition
a. Form I-140 is available to U.S. Companies to sponsor a Green Card for an alien worker to become a permanent resident in the United States. A Foreign national may also file this petition on his or her own behalf without an employer if he or she has extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics; or is a member of the profession holding an advanced degree, or is claiming exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, or business, and is seeking an exemption of the job offer requirement in National Interest (NIW).
6. Labor certification
a. A Permanent Foreign Labor Certification from the Department of Labor allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers to work permanently in the U.S. In most instances, before the U.S. employer can submit an immigration petition to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the employer must obtain an approved Labor Certification request from the DOL’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA).