US Green Card: Every Way to Get Permanent Residence (2026)
A green card makes you a lawful permanent resident of the United States, with the right to live and work anywhere in the country and, usually after 5 years, to apply for citizenship. Most people qualify through a family member, an employer, an investment, or refugee or asylum status, and many categories have annual limits that create long waits shown in the monthly Visa Bulletin. In 2026, getting the final green card is harder: immigrant visa interviews abroad have been frozen since August 25, and a USCIS memo limits adjustment of status inside the US.
On this page
- What it is
- Lawful permanent residence (LPR) in the US
- Card validity
- 10 years (2 years for conditional residents)
- Main categories
- Family, employment (EB-1 to EB-5), humanitarian, special
- Employment green cards
- About 140,000 a year, plus unused family numbers
- Per-country limit
- About 7% of each year's preference visas
- Diversity lottery
- Paused in 2026
- Citizenship
- After 5 years (3 if married to a US citizen)
What is a green card?
A green card (Form I-551) proves you are a lawful permanent resident (LPR). As a permanent resident you can:
- live and work anywhere in the US, for any employer or for yourself
- travel abroad and return, within limits
- sponsor your spouse and unmarried children
- apply for citizenship after 5 years, or 3 if married to a US citizen
You cannot vote in federal elections, and you can lose status if you move abroad, commit certain crimes, or obtained the card by fraud. The card itself expires every 10 years and must be renewed, but your status does not expire. People who get a green card through a recent marriage or EB-5 receive a 2-year conditional card first and must remove conditions.
What are the green card categories?
| Category | Who it fits | Needs a job offer? | Wait in line? | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immediate relatives | Spouses, children under 21, and parents of citizens | No | No annual cap | Open |
| Family preference F1 to F4 | Other relatives of citizens and green card holders | No | Yes, years to decades | Open |
| EB-1A | People with extraordinary ability | No, self-petition | Short for most countries | Open |
| EB-1B / EB-1C | Outstanding researchers; multinational managers | Yes | Short for most countries | Open |
| EB-2 | Advanced degree holders and exceptional ability | Yes, usually with PERM | Long for India and China | Open |
| EB-2 NIW | Work of national importance | No, self-petition | Same as EB-2 | Open |
| EB-3 | Skilled workers, professionals, other workers | Yes, with PERM | Varies by country | Open |
| EB-4 | Religious workers and other special immigrants | Depends | Yes | Open |
| EB-5 | Investors | No | Mostly current, except some countries | Open |
| Gold Card | $1 million gift, through EB-1 or EB-2 | No | Uses EB-1/EB-2 numbers | Open |
| Refugee and asylee | People granted protection, after 1 year | No | No cap | Restricted |
| Diversity Visa | Lottery winners from low-immigration countries | No | Lottery | Paused |
| VAWA, SIJ, registry | Abuse survivors, at-risk youth, long-term residents since before 1972 | No | Depends | Open or changing |
"Wait in line" refers to the monthly Visa Bulletin. Read how the Visa Bulletin works and priority dates.
Employment-based green cards
There are five employment-based preferences:
- EB-1 for top talent: extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, and multinational managers and executives. No labor certification.
- EB-2 for advanced degree professionals, with the national interest waiver as a self-petition option.
- EB-3 for skilled workers, professionals, and other workers.
- EB-4 for special immigrants such as religious workers.
- EB-5 for investors.
Most EB-2 and EB-3 cases start with the employer's PERM labor certification, then Form I-140. Compare the two main self-petition routes in EB-1A vs EB-2 NIW.
How the process works
Almost every green card case has two stages:
- Petition. Someone proves you qualify: a relative (Form I-130), an employer or you (Form I-140), or you alone (for example Form I-360 or I-589 for humanitarian cases). The filing date becomes your priority date.
- Green card application, once a visa number is available:
- Adjustment of status (Form I-485) if you are in the US and eligible. You can usually apply for a work permit and travel permit while it is pending.
- Consular processing at a US consulate abroad, through the National Visa Center and an interview.
Every applicant must also be admissible: medical exam, criminal and security checks, and the public charge test for most family and some employment cases. If you get a request for more evidence, see RFEs and NOIDs.
What changed in 2026?
- Adjustment of status is harder. USCIS memo PM-602-0199 (May 21, 2026) says people in the US on temporary visas should get green cards inside the US only in "extraordinary circumstances". It applies to pending cases, and no court had blocked it as of early July 2026. Talk to a lawyer before filing.
- Consular interviews frozen. Immigrant visa interviews have been frozen worldwide since August 25, 2026. A separate 75-country pause was vacated by a court on August 21, and the government appealed.
- Travel ban. Immigrant visas are suspended for nationals of the 39 listed countries, and USCIS is holding many pending cases from those countries.
- Public charge. A new rule took effect September 18, 2026.
- Lottery paused. The Diversity Visa program is paused.
- Humanitarian holds. USCIS memo PM-602-0194 holds refugee and asylee green cards for travel-ban nationals; SIJ youth lost automatic deferred action consideration for petitions filed from May 10, 2026.
- Investors. The Gold Card launched, and EB-5 grandfathering ends September 30, 2026.
Keeping your green card
Once you have a green card, protect it:
- Live in the US. Trips abroad of more than 6 months can raise questions, and 1 year or more usually breaks your status unless you have a reentry permit.
- Renew the card every 10 years on Form I-90. See green card renewal.
- File taxes as a US resident and keep your address updated with USCIS.
- Avoid criminal trouble. Some convictions can lead to removal, even for long-time residents.
In this section
- Child of a US citizenOpen
- Diversity Visa lotteryPaused
- EB-1A green cardOpen
- EB-1B green cardOpen
- EB-1C green cardOpen
- EB-2 green cardOpen
- EB-2 NIWOpen
- EB-3 green cardOpen
- EB-4 green cardOpen
- EB-5 investor green cardOpen
- F1 family preferenceOpen
- F2A family preferenceOpen
- F2B family preferenceOpen
- F3 family preferenceOpen
- F4 family preferenceOpen
- Gold CardOpen
- Parent of a US citizenOpen
- Refugees and asyleesRestricted
- RegistryOpen
- Special immigrant juvenileChanging
- Spouse of a US citizenOpen
- VAWA self-petitionOpen
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to get a US green card?
For most people, being an immediate relative of a US citizen (spouse, unmarried child under 21, or parent of an adult citizen), because there is no quota wait. For professionals, EB-1 categories often move fastest, except for people born in India and China.
Can I apply for a green card by myself without a sponsor?
Yes, in a few categories: EB-1A (extraordinary ability), EB-2 NIW (national interest waiver), EB-5 (investor), VAWA (abuse survivors), and refugee or asylee adjustment. Most other categories need a family or employer sponsor.
How long is a green card valid?
The card is valid for 10 years and must be renewed, but permanent resident status does not expire. Conditional green cards from recent marriages or EB-5 last 2 years.
Is the green card lottery open in 2026?
No. The Diversity Visa program is paused: DV-2027 registration never opened, and DV-2026 visas could be issued only under a court order until September 30, 2026.
Can I work while my green card application is pending?
If you filed Form I-485 inside the US, you can usually apply for a work permit (EAD) on Form I-765. Since October 30, 2025, EAD renewals no longer get an automatic extension while pending, so file renewals early.
Can I lose my green card?
Yes. Long absences from the US, some criminal convictions, fraud, or failing to remove conditions can all lead to loss of status. A reentry permit protects you on trips of up to 2 years.
Official sources
- USCIS: Green Card Eligibility Categoriesuscis.gov
- USCIS: Green Carduscis.gov
- US Department of State: Visa Bulletintravel.state.gov
- US Department of State: Immigratetravel.state.gov
General information, not legal advice. NorthAmericans.com is independent and not affiliated with any government.