5 Ways to Get a Green Card Through Employment
There are five categories of employment-based immigration to the U.S., with about 140,000 EB green cards available each fiscal year (October 1 – September 30).
A great job can be more than just a rewarding career—it may also provide a way to obtain lawful permanent residency in the U.S. Business-based immigration is one way our community is strengthened through the investment, ideas, and skills of people from around the world. There are a variety of ways that a foreign national may obtain an employment-based (EB) green card. Today we’ll provide a high-level overview of the different EB green cards and how they are used.
There are five categories of employment-based immigration to the U.S., with about 140,000 EB green cards available each fiscal year (October 1 – September 30).
First Preference (EB-1) includes priority workers: persons of extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, and multinational executives and managers.
Second Preference (EB-2) includes members of the professions holding advanced degrees or persons of exceptional ability.
Third Preference (EB-3) includes professionals, skilled workers, and other workers.
Fourth Preference (EB-4) includes special immigrants, such as religious workers, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) beneficiaries, and certain juvenile court dependents.
Fifth Preference (EB-5) includes persons who make a qualifying minimum investment of $900,000 in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA) and create 10 jobs for U.S. workers.
Each EB preference type is allotted a specific number of green cards: EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 each receive 28.6% of the overall limit, and EB-4 and EB-5 each receive 7.1% of the overall limit. The Department of State (DOS) currently estimates that the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 employment-based annual limit will be approximately 197,000, due to approximately 57,000 unused family-sponsored visa numbers from FY 2022 being added to the employment-based limit for FY 2023. Certain spouses and children may accompany or follow-to-join employment-based immigrants.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) provides detailed information on EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 as well as EB-4 and EB-5. Our team of ImLaw attorneys are also experts on employment-based green cards and have outlined a helpful overview of the entire employment-based green card application process here. The ImLaw team is able to provide counsel on which EB green cards you may qualify for, how to begin your application, and what fees and documents are required.
The ImLaw team finds it extremely gratifying to assist clients in obtaining their lawful permanent residence/green card status. USCIS provides a helpful guide for new lawful permanent residents on their Settling in the U.S. webpage.
Are you interested in pursuing an employment-based green card through one of these five avenues? Get in touch with our knowledgeable legal team to get started.