A US Green Card (Lawful Permanent Resident status) lets you live and work in the United States permanently. This guide covers all pathways — employment, family, lottery, and asylum — with current processing times and priority dates.
Sponsored by a US employer. Categories EB-1 through EB-5 based on skills, investment, and priority.
Sponsored by a US citizen or permanent resident spouse, parent, or sibling. Immediate relatives have no annual cap.
50,000 green cards issued annually by random lottery to nationals of countries with historically low immigration rates.
Granted to individuals who have been persecuted or fear persecution in their home country on protected grounds.
Identify whether you qualify through employment, family, diversity lottery, or another pathway. Each has different requirements and wait times.
Your sponsor files Form I-130 (family) or I-140 (employment) with USCIS. This establishes your eligibility and priority date.
Check the USCIS Visa Bulletin monthly. Your priority date must be 'current' before you can proceed. Immediate relatives of US citizens skip this step.
If in the US, file Form I-485. If abroad, complete DS-260 and attend a consular interview at a US Embassy.
Attend a biometrics appointment and complete Form I-693 medical examination with a USCIS-designated civil surgeon.
Attend an interview (if required). Upon approval, receive your green card by mail within 2–3 weeks.
Passage tracks your priority date, monitors the Visa Bulletin, sends alerts when your date becomes current, and scans your I-485 documents for errors before filing.
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