🇺🇸 United States · Permanent Residency
Permanent-residence routes: eligibility, required years of residence, and the official application steps — including any investment routes where a country offers them.
Quick answer
U.S. permanent residence (a green card) comes through family, employment, investment (EB-5), the diversity lottery or humanitarian routes. Employment green cards (EB-1/2/3) usually require an employer and labor certification, and priority-date backlogs can be long.
Permanent residence in the United States is held through a Green Card (Lawful Permanent Resident status). There is no single application — you qualify through a category: as an immediate relative or family member of a US citizen/LPR, through an employer under one of the five employment-based preferences, through humanitarian programmes (refugee/asylee), the Diversity Visa lottery, or investment (EB-5). Each category has its own forms, eligibility and waiting times, set by USCIS.
- Family-based: immediate relatives of US citizens (spouse, parent, unmarried minor child) have no annual cap; other family categories are capped and can have long waits.
- Employment-based: five preference categories (EB-1 to EB-5), most needing an employer and labor certification, or for EB-5 a qualifying investment.
- Other routes include the Diversity Visa lottery (for nationals of eligible countries) and adjusting from refugee/asylee status after one year.
- Per-country limits and category backlogs mean waiting times vary widely — check the State Department Visa Bulletin and USCIS for current dates.
Step-by-step
- 1
Choose your green-card route
Common routes are family sponsorship, employment (EB-1 to EB-5, including investment), the diversity lottery, and asylum/refugee status.
- 2
Confirm eligibility and priority date
Check the category’s requirements and, for capped categories, wait for your priority date to become current on the Visa Bulletin.
- 3
File the petition and application
A sponsor files the petition (e.g. I-130/I-140); you then apply via adjustment of status (I-485) in the US or consular processing abroad.
- 4
Complete biometrics, medical and interview
Attend a biometrics appointment, complete the immigration medical exam, and attend the green-card interview.
- 5
Receive and maintain the green card
Once approved you get a 10-year green card (or 2-year conditional for some); maintain residence and file taxes as a resident.
- 6
Understand rights and path to citizenship
Permanent residents can live and work freely and generally naturalize after 5 years (3 if married to a US citizen).
Checklist
- Green-card route (family / employment / DV / asylum)
- Eligibility + current priority date (Visa Bulletin)
- Petition (I-130/I-140) + application (I-485/consular)
- Biometrics + medical exam + interview
- 10-year green card (or 2-year conditional)
- Maintain residence + resident tax filing
- Naturalization after ~5 years (3 if spouse of citizen)
- Immigration-attorney advice for complex cases
Official authorities
- USCIS — Green Card
Official overview of permanent residence and how to apply.
- USCIS — Green Card Eligibility Categories
The categories through which you may qualify.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a U.S. green card through work?
Typically an employer sponsors you (EB-2/EB-3) with a labor certification (PERM), or you self-petition under EB-1 or the EB-2 national-interest waiver if you qualify on merit.
What is a priority date?
Your place in line for a green card; per-country limits mean applicants from high-demand countries can wait years.
Does a green card require living in the U.S.?
Yes — green-card holders must maintain U.S. residence; long absences can jeopardise status.
Official-information aggregation, not legal advice. Always verify on the authority's own site.
Government portals
- The White House — Official residence and office of the US President — executive orders, policy briefings, press releases
- U.S. Department of State — US passport and visa services, travel warnings, embassy information worldwide
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) — Federal tax filing, refund status, ITIN/EIN applications, and Free File program
- USCIS — Green card, H-1B and work visas, naturalization, immigration benefits, and case status