How to Get a U.S. Green Card through a Job or Investment

One of the most widely used methods to obtain legal permanent residence in the U.S. is through an employment-based immigrant visa petition. The Department of State (DOS) has devised a system where people who have been waiting longest have the first right to a visa. DOS keeps track of your place on the waitlist using the date your employer first submitted a “visa petition” indicating that they’d like to help you immigrate. That date is called your priority date. Please follow this link for more information on Priority Dates and Adjustment of Status.

You May be Eligible for a Green Card based on Employment Preference:

EB-1: First Preference, Priority Workers (persons of extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researches and multinational executives and managers)

EB-2: Second Preference, Professionals with Advanced Degrees or Persons with Exceptional Ability

EB-3: Third Preference, Professionals, Skilled and Unskilled Workers (O*NET)

EB-4: Fourth Preference, Special Immigrants (Religious workers, court dependents, returning residents and others)

EB-5: Fifth Preference, Immigrant Investors (persons who invest funds in the U.S. economy and create (or maintain in certain circumstances) 10 jobs for U.S. workers.

• Eligibility to become a permanent resident is based on an offer of a permanent employment in the United States. Most categories require an employer to receive a labor certification and then file a Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker.
• Green Cards may be available to investors/entrepreneurs who are making an investment in an enterprise that creates new U.S. jobs.
• Some immigrant categories allow “self-petition” filing. This option is available for either “Aliens of Extraordinary Ability” or certain individuals granted a National Interest Waiver.
• There are a number of specialized jobs that may allow receiving a Green Card based on a past or current job.

We Can Help You

At Guzhva Law Firm, we are providing thoughtful solutions and measurable value to each individual situation. Because U.S. immigration law and regulations significantly affect how foreign nationals may qualify for immigrant visas, it is important that you obtain up to date information about the provisions that apply to you.

Our immigration attorney can help you prepare the forms and supporting documents with much less of your time involved and with much more accuracy. Furthermore, the attorney will be able to inform you of any potential problems in your particular case and how to improve your chances of success.

To schedule a free phone consultation with an immigration attorney, please contact us today. With offices in Washington State, in Bellevue near Seattle, we work with clients worldwide.