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Immigrant visas & green cards
Routes to permanent residence (a green card) through employment, investment, the Diversity Visa lottery and special immigrant categories. Family-based green cards are listed under Family.
Investor green card: $1.05M ($800K in a TEA) creating 10 U.S. jobs; 2-year conditional residence.
- Max stay
- Permanent (2 yrs conditional)
- Annual cap
- 7.1% of EB
- Sponsor
- Self
Spouse of a U.S. citizen, married under 2 years. 2-year conditional Green Card, then Form I-751.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- None
- Sponsor
- U.S. citizen spouse
Spouse of a U.S. citizen, married 2+ years at visa issuance. No wait for a visa number.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- None
- Sponsor
- U.S. citizen spouse
Green card for advanced-degree professionals and exceptional ability; NIW allows self-petition.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- 28.6% of EB
- Sponsor
- Employer or self (NIW)
Green card lottery for natives of low-admission countries; up to 55,000 visas a year. DV-2027 entry dates not yet announced.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- 55,000
- Sponsor
- None (lottery)
Green card for extraordinary ability, top researchers and multinational managers; no PERM needed.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- 28.6% of EB
- Sponsor
- Self (EB-1A) or employer
Employer-sponsored green card for skilled, professional and other workers; PERM required.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- 28.6% of EB
- Sponsor
- Employer
Parent of a U.S. citizen aged 21 or older. No wait for a visa number.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- None
- Sponsor
- U.S. citizen son or daughter
Green card for spouses and unmarried children under 21 of green-card holders; 77% of second-preference numbers.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- 77% of 114,200+
- Sponsor
- Permanent resident
Special immigrant green card: religious workers, Special Immigrant Juveniles and other listed groups.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- 7.1% of EB
- Sponsor
- Varies by subgroup
Green card for unmarried adult (21+) children of U.S. citizens; 23,400 a year plus unused F4 numbers.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- 23,400
- Sponsor
- U.S. citizen parent
Green card for unmarried adult (21+) children of green-card holders; 23% of second-preference numbers.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- 23% of 114,200+
- Sponsor
- Permanent resident parent
Green card for married children of U.S. citizens and their families; 23,400 a year plus unused F1/F2 numbers.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- 23,400
- Sponsor
- U.S. citizen parent
Green card for siblings of adult U.S. citizens and their families; 65,000 a year plus unused numbers.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- 65,000
- Sponsor
- U.S. citizen sibling (21+)
Green card petition backed by a $1M individual or $2M corporate gift; uses EB-1 or EB-2 NIW.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- EB-1 / EB-2 limits
- Sponsor
- Self or company
- Dual intent
- N/A
Unmarried child under 21 of a U.S. citizen, including stepchildren and some adopted children.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- None
- Sponsor
- U.S. citizen parent
Intercountry adoption visas: IR-3 (adopted abroad) and IR-4 (to be adopted in the U.S.); IH-3/IH-4 for Hague cases.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- None
- Sponsor
- U.S. citizen adoptive parent
Immigrant visa for permanent residents stuck abroad over one year (or past a reentry permit) through no fault of their own.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- None
- Sponsor
- Self
Green cards for Afghan and Iraqi U.S.-government employees and translators; Afghan visas restricted by Proclamation 10998 since 2026.
- Max stay
- Permanent
- Annual cap
- Fixed allocations
- Sponsor
- Self (I-360)