United States immigration and settlement routes

A self-petitionable EB-2 immigrant route that may waive the permanent job offer and PERM when the applicant first qualifies as an advanced-degree professional or person of exceptional ability and then satisfies the three-part national-interest framework. An approved I-140 is not a green card; visa availability and adjustment or consular processing remain separate.

A permanent-employment immigration route requiring a qualifying US employer, labour certification where applicable, an immigrant petition and a permanent job offer. The job, recruitment, PERM, petition, priority date and adjustment or consular stage are separate checks.

A family immigration route covering qualifying spouses, unmarried children under 21 and parents of US citizens, plus spouses and unmarried children under 21 of lawful permanent residents in the quota-limited F2A category. A marriage of less than two years at admission may result in conditional residence and a later Form I-751.

A two-stage family route in which a US citizen files Form I-129F for a qualifying foreign fiancé(e). The couple must be legally able and genuinely intending to marry, usually after meeting in person during the preceding two years. The K-1 entrant must marry the original petitioner within 90 days and then file Form I-485 to seek permanent residence.

A temporary employer-sponsored route for a specialty occupation that normally requires a specific professional degree or equivalent. The employer files the labour condition application and Form I-129. H-1B is not a green card, although it may bridge to a later PERM and employment-based immigrant case; cap and selection rules apply to many first-time cases.

A temporary transfer route for a manager, executive or specialised-knowledge employee moving from a qualifying related overseas organisation to a US entity. The applicant generally needs at least one continuous year of qualifying overseas employment during the preceding three years. L-1 approval does not itself create permanent residence; L-1A and EB-1C facts must be assessed separately.

A temporary work route for a person with extraordinary ability or achievement. O-1A covers science, education, business and athletics; O-1B covers the arts and motion-picture or television work. A US employer or agent files the petition. It is not a green card, and its evidence standard is not identical to EB-1A or NIW.

A study-to-work bridge based on full-time study at an SEVP-certified school and eligible practical training. Each education level may support post-completion OPT, and a qualifying US STEM degree may support a further STEM OPT extension. F-1 and OPT do not guarantee H-1B selection or an employment-based immigrant route and are not themselves permanent residence.

A temporary business route for a national of a qualifying treaty country who makes and directs a substantial investment in a real US enterprise. Treaty nationality, lawful source and path of funds, enterprise activity, operational control and renewability are separate official checks. E-2 is not a green card and requires the applicant to maintain the required intent and enterprise conditions.

A discretionary parole route for an eligible founder of a qualifying US start-up formed within the required period. The founder must hold the required ownership, play an active central role and show qualifying investment, government funding or alternative evidence of rapid growth and job-creation potential. It is not a visa, nonimmigrant status or automatic permanent-residence category.

An employment-based immigrant category covering EB-1A extraordinary ability, EB-1B outstanding professors or researchers, and EB-1C multinational managers or executives. EB-1A may be self-petitioned and does not require PERM; EB-1B and EB-1C require a qualifying US employer. Meeting an evidence count is only the first step: USCIS evaluates the record as a whole.

A quota-limited family immigration route for adult unmarried children of US citizens, unmarried children of permanent residents, married children of US citizens and siblings of adult US citizens. Annual and per-country limits apply; the preference category, priority date, petitioner status and filing stage control the process.

An immigrant-investor category based on a qualifying investment in a new commercial enterprise and the required employment conditions. The investment must have a lawful source and remain at risk under the applicable rules. The first status is normally a two-year conditional permanent residence, followed by Form I-829 to remove conditions.