Immigrant Visas

There are two ways that a foreign national can obtain lawful permanent resident status in the U.S. – family-based immigration or employment-based immigration.

Through family-based immigration, a U.S. Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident can petition for certain family members to obtain their permanent residence in the U.S. A special category exists solely for spouses, children and parents of U.S. citizens, while other family members of U.S. Citizen’s or Lawful Permanent Residents fall into four family-based preference categories (F-1 to F-4).

Through employment-based immigration, a U.S. employer can sponsor a foreign national to obtain their permanent resident status under one of four available categories (EB-1 to EB-4). However, under the EB-1 category, certain foreign nationals are eligible to seek their permanent resident status without the necessity of a U.S. employer. Additionally, under the EB-5 preference category, individuals who make sizable investments in the U.S. can also seek to obtain their permanent resident status based on their qualifying investment.

For additional information, please see:

Family-Based Green Cards

Employment-Based Green Cards

Lawful Permanent Resident Status