Legal Permanent Resident Status in the U.S.

Become a legal permanent resident and receive a green card

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Important things to keep in mind

Permanent residence in the U.S. works differently from a lot of other popular destinations. For example, when it comes to obtaining it through working in the U.S., there are a vast number of different visas to accomplish this but most of them do not have a direct pathway to permanent residence.

When applying from abroad through consular processing, the process can last over a year and a half.

U.S. Department of State (DOS) issues a limited number of immigrant visas and therefore most green card applicants are subject to visa availability and priority dates. This does not effect immediate relatives of U.S. citizens.

  • Immediate relatives of a U.S. citizen

    • Spouse of a U.S. citizen

    • Unmarried child under the age of 21 of a U.S. citizen

    • Parent of a U.S. citizen who is at least 21 years old

    Other relative of a U.S. citizen or relative of a lawful permanent resident under the
    family-based preference categories

    • Family member of a U.S. citizen, meaning you are the:

      • Unmarried son or daughter of a U.S. citizen and you are 21 years old or older

      • Married son or daughter of a U.S. citizen

      • Brother or sister of a U.S. citizen who is at least 21 years old

    • Family member of a lawful permanent resident, meaning you are the:

      • Spouse of a lawful permanent resident

      • Unmarried child under the age of 21 of a lawful permanent resident

      • Unmarried son or daughter of a lawful permanent resident 21 years old or older

    Fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen or the fiancé(e)’s child

    • Person admitted to the U.S. as a fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen (K-1 nonimmigrant)

    • Person admitted to the U.S. as the child of a fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen (K-2 nonimmigrant)

    Widow(er) of a U.S. citizen

    • Widow or widower of a U.S. citizen and you were married to your U.S. citizen spouse at the time your spouse died

    VAWA self-petitioner– victim of battery or extreme cruelty

    • Abused spouse of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident

    • Abused child (unmarried and under 21 years old) of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident

    • Abused parent of a U.S. citizen

  • Immigrant worker

    • Are a first preference immigrant worker, meaning you:

      • Have extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics, or

      • Are an outstanding professor or researcher, or

      • Are a multinational manager or executive who meets certain criteria

    • Are a second preference immigrant worker, meaning you:

      • Are a member of a profession that requires an advanced degree, or

      • Have exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, or business, or

      • Are seeking a national interest waiver

    • Are a third preference immigrant worker, meaning you are:

      • A skilled worker (meaning your job requires a minimum of 2 years training or work experience), or

      • A professional (meaning your job requires at least a U.S. bachelor's degree or a foreign equivalent and you are a member of the profession), or

      • An unskilled worker (meaning you will perform unskilled labor requiring less than 2 years training or experience)

    Physician National Interest Waiver

    • Are a physician who agrees to work full-time in clinical practice in a designated underserved area for a set period of time and also meets other eligibility requirements

    Immigrant investor

    • Have invested or are actively in the process of investing at least $1,050,000 (or $800,000 in a targeted employment area or infrastructure project) in a new commercial enterprise in the U.S. which will create full-time positions for at least 10 qualifying employees

  • Green Card as: a special immigrant; refugee or asylee status; human trafficking and crime victims; victims of abuse; registry; and other categories.

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