Family Sponsorship: You may be petitioned by a close relative who is either a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident. The waiting times vary significantly depending on several factors such as, your familial relationship, the immigration status of your relative, your marital status, and your country of birth. To illustrate, in the case of marriage to a U.S. citizen, obtaining a green card could be achieved within about a six-month period or less. Conversely, if petitioned by a U.S. citizen sibling, obtaining permanent residency may often exceed twelve years, particularly for individuals born in countries experiencing substantial application backlogs, such as India, Mexico or the Philippines. Read more.

Employment Sponsorship: You may be petitioned by a U.S. employer facing difficulty in locating a qualified American worker for a specific job position. Numerous foreign students residing in the U.S. do not have immediate relatives available to petition on their behalf and, consequently, depend on sponsorship from employers. Read more.

Immigrant Visa Lottery:
You may have the chance to participate in the yearly immigrant visa lottery. Although the competition is fierce, with millions of applicants worldwide vying for just 50,000 visas annually, if you meet the eligibility criteria, it’s worth considering, despite the unfavorable odds.

Special Categories:
If you meet specific criteria, you may also be eligible to apply for permanent residence as an investor, an individual with extraordinary ability, an outstanding professor or researcher, a multinational executive or manager, a religious worker, or a person with exceptional ability or an advanced degree, if it is in the national interest of the United States.