Permanent residents are non-US citizens who have the authority to live and work in the US indefinitely. There are multiple ways to become a Permanent Resident (green card holder). The two most common ways to become a green card holder are through family based petitions and/or employment based petitions. The other common means to obtain permanent resident status are through Political Asylum, Refugee, Adoption and Diversity Lottery.

For now, only the Employment Based Petitions will be discussed. There are five categories for Employment Based (EB) petitions: EB – 1 Priority Workers; EB – 2 Members of Profession holding Advanced Degree or Exceptional Ability; EB – 3 Professionals with Bachelor’s Degree and/or Skilled Worker; EB – 4 – Special Immigrants including Religious Workers; and EB – 5 as Investors Category.

How EB Petitions Work

Each year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) allocates 140,000 petitions that may be awarded green cards through EB categories. Each country, no matter the size or the population, gets seven percent (7%) of the 140,000 available petitions. Meaning, each country gets 9,800. This number, 9800, is further divided into the five categories, as listed above.

Please check back for more detailed information on EB Petitions or if you have questions feel free to give us a call at 1-800-985-5517.