Having a US Green Card — officially known as a permanent resident card — enables citizens from other countries to live and work permanently in the United States. As such, getting a US Green Card is the first step in becoming a naturalized US citizen, should they maintain their permanent residency for five years and meet the other citizenship requirements.
In this guide, we’ll provide information about the various Green Card categories, eligibility, and the Green Card process.
U.S Green Card Key Takeaways
- A U.S. Green Card allows foreign nationals and their immediate family members to live and work permanently in the United States and serves as the primary pathway to U.S. citizenship after meeting residency and eligibility requirements.
- Green Cards are available through multiple categories, including family sponsorship, employment-based, investment (EB-5), humanitarian programs, the Diversity Lottery Visa, and contribution-based options such as the Trump Gold Card.
- Processing times and visa availability vary significantly based on the Green Card category, country of origin, annual visa limits, and whether the application is filed inside or outside the United States.
- The Green Card application process involves multiple steps and costs, including filing petitions and applications, paying United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) fees, completing biometrics and medical exams, and attending interviews, with timelines ranging from months to several years.
What is a Green Card?
A Green Card is a document that the US grants to foreign citizens to allow them to live and work in the US, with some limitations. People with this status are unable to vote in local, state, or federal elections and cannot hold certain public offices. This is the major difference between Citizens and Green Card holders.
What are the Benefits of Having a U.S Green Card?
- Live permanently in the United States: Green Card holders are authorized to live in the U.S. indefinitely as long as they maintain their residency and comply with immigration laws.
- Work freely: Permanent residents can work in part-time or full time positions for any U.S. employer without needing special work visas or sponsorship. They can also change employers freely.
- Legal protection under U.S law: Green Card holders are protected by U.S. federal, state, and local laws, including anti-discrimination statutes in employment, education, housing, and other areas.
- Pathway to U.S citizenship: This immigration status is usually a prerequisite for naturalization. Most holders can apply for U.S. citizenship after generally five years of continuous residency.
- Travel freedom: Green Card holders can travel internationally more easily than many visa holders. They can leave and re-enter the U.S. without a new visa, provided they maintain residency requirements.
- Stability and long-term security: Unlike temporary visas that expire or are tied to specific conditions, a Green Card provides long-term legal residency with periodic renewal (typically every 10 years), offering stability for you and your family.
What are the types of US Green Cards?
There are many types of Green Cards that are available to people seeking permanent residency in the United States. The main categories are:
- Family-based: Sponsored by an immediate family member (spouse, parent, child) or other relatives. This Green Card process often involves the longest timeline because of visa backlogs.
- Employment-based: Sponsored by an employer. Processing times vary depending on category and visa availability.
- Investment-based: Through investment in a US business (via the EB5 Visa program). Generally, the processing can be faster depending on which country you’re applying from (applicants from India and China, for example, face significant backlogs), but requires significant investment.
- Special categories: There are various special categories available to refugees, asylees, and diversity visa lottery winners. Each of these categories has specific requirements and timelines.
Getting a family-based Green Card
The US immigration system prioritizes the principle of family unity, so there are various Green Cards available to reunite people with their family members in the US.
Family-based Green Cards offer a pathway to permanent residency in the United States for individuals based on their close family relationships with US lawful permanent residents or citizens.
The following family members are eligible to apply:
- Spouse of a US citizen: No waiting period or limits on availability.
- Unmarried child under 21 of a US citizen: No waiting period or limits on availability.
- Parent of a US citizen (if the US citizen is 21 or older): No waiting period, but processing times may vary.
Family preference categories:
First Preference (F1):
Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens (21 years of age and older): Currently experiencing long processing times due to high demand.
Second Preference (F2):
Spouses and unmarried children (under 21) of lawful permanent residents: Processing times vary depending on country of origin.
Third Preference (F3):
Married sons and daughters of US citizens: Currently experiencing long processing times due to high demand.
Fourth Preference (F4):
Brothers and sisters of US citizens: Currently experiencing very long processing times due to high demand.
Important notes:
- Sponsorship requirement: Most family-based categories require a US citizen or lawful permanent resident to sponsor the applicant.
- Marriage validity: Spouses applying based on marriage must prove a bona fide (real) marriage.
- Visa availability: Certain categories have annual visa limitations, leading to longer processing times.
Getting an employment-based Green Card
If you’re a highly skilled worker, this visa is for you. Employment-based Green Cards offer opportunities for foreign nationals who are highly skilled, professional workers with diverse skill sets to contribute to the US economy and gain permanent residency.
To get employment-based Green Cards, you must be eligible under one of the categories listed below:
First preference (EB-1): Priority workers
The EB-1 category is granted to various ‘priority workers,’ which is determined by the ability and expertise.
EB-1a for individuals with extraordinary ability:
Researchers, artists, athletes, and industry leaders demonstrating sustained national or international acclaim in their fields.
EB-1b for outstanding professors and researchers:
Internationally recognized academics with sustained achievements and contributions to their field.
EB-1c for multinational managers and executives:
Executives or managers transferring within the same multinational company to managerial or executive positions in the US.
Second preference (EB-2): Professionals holding advanced degrees or exceptional ability
EB-2a for professionals with advanced qualifications:
Highly skilled workers with advanced degrees (Master’s or equivalent) and at least five years of progressive experience in their profession.
EB-2b for persons of exceptional ability:
Individuals with exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, or business demonstrated through extensive experience and recognition.
Third Preference (EB-3): Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Other Workers
EB-3a for skilled workers:
Workers with at least two years of specialized training or experience in a skilled profession with a labor shortage in the US.
EB-3b for professionals:
Workers with bachelor’s degrees or equivalent in their profession and at least two years of experience.
EB-3c for other workers:
Unskilled or semi-skilled workers performing jobs with a shortage of US. workers.
EB-4 for special immigrants:
This category covers specific groups of individuals, such as religious workers, certain international organization employees, and certain special immigrant juveniles.
Getting an Investor Green Card
The EB5 Visa, also known as the Investor Green Card, provides a pathway to permanent residency by making a substantial investment into a US commercial enterprise and meeting job creation or job preservation requirements.
Eligibility:
- Invest a minimum of $1,050,000 (or $800,000 in Targeted Employment Areas, which are areas with high unemployment and/or rural areas) in a US commercial enterprise.
- Create or preserve at least ten full-time jobs for US workers.
Benefits:
- Green Card for you and your immediate family after two years (conditional) and five years of sustained investment and job creation (permanent).
- No specific education or job offer required.
Pathway to US citizenship after five years of permanent residency.
Getting a Green Card Through the New Trump Gold Card
The Trump Gold Card, often referred to simply as the Trump Card, is a newly unveiled US residency-by-contribution program, launched by executive order and designed for high-net-worth individuals seeking permanent residence in the United States. Officially announced on 11 December 2025, it represents a decisive shift away from traditional investor immigration models that rely on commercial investment and job-creation metrics.
Unlike earlier pathways, the Trump Gold Card allows eligible foreign nationals to qualify for US permanent residency (a Green Card) by making a direct financial contribution to the US federal government, rather than investing in businesses or projects. The result is a faster, more predictable, and administratively simpler route to lawful permanent residence.
Under the Trump Gold Card, eligibility is based purely on contribution thresholds, removing many of the procedural hurdles associated with earlier programs.
Features of the program include:
- $1 million minimum contribution for a single applicant
- $15,000 processing fee
- Corporate sponsorship option, allowing companies to sponsor employees with a $2 million contribution per individual
- Family inclusion, permitting spouses and unmarried children under 21 to apply with the main applicant. Each dependent will also be charged a processing fee and an individual $1M contribution.
- A proposed Platinum tier, expected to require a $5 million contribution and offer enhanced benefits
Trump’s US Card offers a direct and streamlined pathway to a Green Card, followed by eligibility for US citizenship after five years, provided standard residency and naturalization requirements are met.
Getting a humanitarian Green Card
The US immigration system offers various Green Cards to help people in need of urgent humanitarian support, which includes individuals who are refugees, asylees and victims of abuse and serious crimes.
For refugees and asylees
Individuals who fear or have experienced persecution in their home country because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group may apply for a visa from abroad or from within the United States. Those coming from abroad are considered refugees, while those who are applying from within the US are considered asylees.
After one year of living in the US following obtaining status as a refugee or asylee, they are then able to apply for Green Cards.
In order to apply as a refugee, you must meet the following criteria, as stated by USCIS:
- You properly file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status;
- You were admitted into the United States as a refugee under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA);
- You are physically present in the United States at the time you file your Form I-485;
- You have been physically present in the United States for at least one year after your admission as a refugee at the time you file your Form I-485;
- Your refugee status has not been terminated;
- You have not already acquired permanent resident status; and
- You are admissible to the United States for lawful permanent residence or eligible for a waiver of inadmissibility or other form of relief
To apply as an asylee, the eligibility requirements are:
- You properly file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status;
- You are physically present in the United States at the time you file your Form I-485;
- You have been physically present in the United States for at least a year after you were granted asylum;
- You continue to meet the definition of a refugee, or to be the spouse or child of a refugee;
- You have not firmly resettled in any foreign country;
- Your grant of asylum has not been terminated;
- You are admissible to the United States for lawful permanent residence or eligible for a waiver of inadmissibility or other form of relief; and
- You merit the favorable exercise of discretion
For human-trafficking victims
You may be eligible to apply for a Green Card (Lawful Permanent Residence) if you hold T Non-immigrant Status and meet the following requirements:
Maintain continuous physical presence: You must have been physically present in the United States for three years since being lawfully admitted in T nonimmigrant status OR during the entire investigation/prosecution of the trafficking, whichever is shorter.
Meet the other eligibility requirements: This includes good moral character, no inadmissibility bars, and sufficient financial support.
For crime victims
You may be eligible to apply for a Green Card (Lawful Permanent Residence) if you hold U nonimmigrant status and meet the following requirements:
Maintain continuous physical presence: You must have been physically present in the United States for three years since being lawfully admitted in U nonimmigrant status or during the entire investigation/prosecution of the qualifying crime, whichever is shorter.
Provide assistance to law enforcement: You must have not unreasonably refused to provide assistance to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of the crime.
Meet other eligibility requirements: This includes good moral character, no inadmissibility bars, and sufficient financial support.
For abuse victims
You may be eligible to apply for a Lawful Permanent Residence through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) if you meet the following requirements:
Be a victim of abuse: This includes extreme cruelty, such as physical, emotional, or psychological abuse from a US citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse, parent, or child of a U.S. citizen parent.
Reside in the US: You must currently reside in the United States, regardless of immigration status.
Meet other eligibility requirements: These include good moral character, no inadmissibility bars, and sufficient financial support.
Green Card Lottery
The Diversity Visa Lottery Program is an opportunity for individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States to obtain a US permanent resident card. It’s essentially a drawing with randomly selected winners, offering a chance at permanent residency for those who might not qualify through other methods.
For this category, it’s important to bear in mind the following points:
Random drawing:
Entries are not based on merit or specific qualifications.
Eligibility:
Open to citizens of countries designated by the State Department with low immigration rates to the US (excluding high-immigration countries like Mexico and China).
Application period:
Generally held once a year, typically between October and November.
Cost:
Free to register online.
Selection process:
Entries go through a randomized computer drawing by the Department of State.
Winners:
Roughly 50,000 visas are available annually, distributed among eligible countries.
Winning does not guarantee a Green Card:
Winners still need to go through visa processing and meet other eligibility requirements.
How to apply:
During the designated application period, register online through the official State Department website.
Follow instructions carefully and submit all required information before the deadline.
No fees are involved and beware of scam websites charging for applications.
Important reminders:
Winning the lottery is just the first step, not a guarantee of a Green Card.
Winners still need to undergo medical checks and interviews and demonstrate sufficient financial resources.
Seek professional advice from attorneys who specialize in immigration law for proper guidance throughout the immigration process.
What’s the Green Card application process?
General steps:
| Determine eligibility: Explore different Green Card categories (family-based, employment-based, etc.) and see if you meet specific requirements. |
| Gather supporting documents: Prepare documentation proving eligibility, such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, employment contracts, etc. |
| File necessary forms: Depending on your situation, this might involve Form I-130 (family), I-140 (employment), I-526 (investment), or others. |
| Pay application fees: Costs vary depending on the category and additional services. |
| Biometrics appointment: Provide fingerprints and photographs for security checks. |
| Interview: This might be required for various categories to verify information. |
| Decision and Green Card issuance: USCIS processes your application and sends you their decision. If approved, you’ll receive your Green Card. |
Applying from within the United States (adjustment of status)
If you’re already present with a valid non-immigrant visa, you may be eligible to adjust your status to permanent resident without leaving the country.
Requires demonstrating continuous lawful presence and meeting eligibility criteria.
Processing times generally faster than consular processing.
Applying from outside the United States (consular processing)
If you’re applying from other countries, your immigration process is slightly different. According to immigration law, you will go through consular processing at a US embassy or consulate in your country.
Requires obtaining a visa number within your category before applying for the Green Card.
Processing times can vary significantly depending on visa category and backlogs.
How long does it take to get a Green Card approved?
Green Card processing times vary widely based on your category, country of origin (country caps), and visa availability. Applications can take anywhere from several months to a few years.
The total process, including petition filing, document review, biometrics, interviews, and any appeals, typically ranges from 1 to 3 years, though some categories or nationalities with visa processing backlogs can take longer.
How much does a US Green Card cost?
In February 2024, you can calculate the total cost of a US Green Card by factoring in the following costs:
Green Card filing fees:
The table below shows the current fees that apply when you apply for a Green Card
| Fee Type/Form | Online Filing | Paper Filing |
|---|---|---|
| I-130 | $625 | $675 |
| I-90 | $415 | $465 |
| I-485 (biometric services included) | $1440 | – |
| I-485 (applicants under 14) | $950 | – |
Mandatory costs:
USCIS immigrant fee (after application is successful): $235
Medical examination: The cost varies depending on the provider and location but typically ranges from $200 to $500. You will need to undergo a medical examination by a USCIS-authorized civil surgeon to ensure you meet the health requirements for a Green Card. .
Other Green Card costs:
Attorney fees: While not mandatory, legal representation can be highly beneficial, especially for complex cases or if you lack experience with immigration processes. Attorney fees can vary significantly depending on the complexity of your case, the attorney’s experience, and their location.
Translation services: If any of your documents are not in English, you will need to have them translated by a certified translator. Translation fees can vary depending on the length and complexity of the documents.
Travel expenses: Depending on your location and the application process, you might incur travel expenses for attending appointments, interviews, or medical examinations.
Form I-90 replacement card fee: There is a $45 fee for a replacement Permanent Resident Card. This occurs in rare, error cases.
Additional Green Card cost considerations:
Financial sponsorship: Depending on your Green Card category, you may need to have a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident sponsor your application and demonstrate their ability to financially support you. This might involve additional costs for gathering supporting documents and legal advice.
Application photos: Specific photo requirements exist, and you might need to pay for professional photos meeting those requirements.
Mailing fees: You may need to mail various documents and applications. Consider incorporating those costs into your budgeting.
How Can Global Citizen Solutions Help You?
Global Citizen Solutions is a boutique migration consultancy firm with years of experience delivering bespoke residence and citizenship by investment solutions for international families. With offices worldwide and an experienced, hands-on team, we have helped hundreds of clients worldwide acquire citizenship, residence visas, or homes while diversifying their portfolios with robust investments.
We guide you from start to finish, taking you beyond your citizenship or residency by investment application.
