Employment-Based Green Cards

Non-citizens who possess job skills desired by a U.S. employer may be eligible for U.S. lawful permanent residence (a green card). A total of 140,000 green cards are available annually in the employment-based categories. However, a number of limitations apply.

First off, demand is high for the limited number of employment-based green cards that are made available each year. This can lead to waits of several months or years for the green card, depending on the category in which the person applies.

A second issue is that, in most categories of employment-based green cards, the applicant must not only have an employer willing to offer him or her a job, but that employer must also be willing to go through a lengthy process of attempting to recruit U.S. workers for the same job, finding that none are qualified, willing, or available, and then filing extensive applications with the U.S. immigration authorities.