Employment-Based Green Cards
The green card process, step by step
How an employment-based green card moves from the first petition to permanent residence, and on to citizenship. Each step links to a detailed guide.
Updated
The Process
Five stages of an employment-based green card
File the immigrant petition
Most employer-sponsored EB-2 and EB-3 cases start with PERM labor certification from the Department of Labor, followed by Form I-140. EB-1A and National Interest Waiver cases file the I-140 without PERM.
Wait for your priority date
Your priority date is your place in line: the PERM filing date for labor-certification cases, or the I-140 filing date for EB-1 and NIW cases. Your line is set by your country of birth, with limited exceptions, and the monthly Visa Bulletin shows when your date is current.
Adjust status or process abroad
Adjustment of status completes the green card inside the United States on Form I-485, which can be filed only when a visa is immediately available. Consular processing completes it through a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. The medical exam, Form I-693, must be filed with the I-485, and EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 applicants are subject to public charge.
While your case is pending
After an I-485 has been pending 180 days, AC21 portability can let the case move to a new job in the same or a similar occupational classification. A pending I-485 can also be transferred to a different petition, but approval is discretionary. A child's age is calculated under the Child Status Protection Act, which sets a one-year deadline to act. Leaving without advance parole generally abandons a pending I-485, with an exception for H-1 and L-1 workers returning to the same employer.
After you get your green card
A green card generally works as an entry document after an absence of less than one year, and a reentry permit protects against abandonment based solely on the length of an absence. Most green card holders can apply for citizenship after five years (three if married to a U.S. citizen), and up to 90 days early.
Pathways
Where your green card starts
EB-1A Extraordinary Ability
Self-petitioned green card for individuals with sustained national or international acclaim.
Learn moreNational Interest Waiver
EB-2 green card category waiving the labor-certification requirement for those whose work benefits the United States.
Learn moreEmployer-Sponsored (PERM)
PERM is the Labor Department certification behind most EB-2 and EB-3 employer-sponsored green cards.
Learn moreCompare Pathways
Compare EB-1A, EB-2 NIW, O-1A, and L-1 at a glance.
Learn moreAll Green card guides
- Switching Categories Mid-Process: Moving a Pending I-485 to a New Petition
- From Green Card to Citizenship: Naturalization Timing and the 2026 USCIS Vetting Changes
- Public Charge in 2026: What the New Rules Mean for Employment-Based Green Card Applicants
- Will My Child Age Out? The CSPA for Employment-Based Green Cards
- Traveling on a Green Card: Abandonment, Reentry Permits, and Citizenship Timelines
- The Green Card Medical Exam (Form I-693): What Changed and How to Time It
- Adjustment of Status vs. Consular Processing
- The PERM Labor Certification Process, Step by Step
- The Visa Bulletin and Priority Dates, Explained
- Changing Jobs During the Green Card Process