Employment-Based Green Card Eligibility
A foreign national seeking permanent residence with respect to employment in the U.S. has five categories from which to choose, from highest to lowest priority. The following summaries will give you a general overview of each employment category. See the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) publication "Immigrant-Based Employment" (PDF) for more detailed information.
EB-1: Priority Workers
- Extraordinary ability in the fields of athletics, business, arts, sciences or education
- Outstanding researchers or college professors
- Business executives/managers transferred to the U.S.
EB-2: Professionals with Advanced Degrees or with Exceptional Ability
- Exceptional ability in the fields of business, the arts or sciences
- Professionals with advanced degrees
- Medical physicians practicing in traditionally underserved areas of the U.S.
EB-3: Skilled/Professional Workers
- Professionals with bachelor's degrees who do not qualify for a higher preference category
- Skilled workers, with a minimum of two years training and experience
- Unskilled workers
EB-4: Special Immigrants
- Religious workers
- Current and former employees of the U.S. government living overseas
EB-5: Immigrant Investors
- Those seeking green cards in connection with a new commercial enterprise (annual limit of 10,000).
From FindLaw Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors.
