Immigrant Visas

An immigrant visa is required for anyone who wishes to enter the United States to live there permanently, even if that person does not plan to work in the U.S.  An immigrant visa allows the holder to become a Legal Permanent Resident (also known as a "green card" holder) in the United States.

There are three ways to be eligible for an immigrant visa, and each is described briefly below.  For more detailed information about each category, please see the Department of State's web page about immigrant visas and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service's web page about immigrating to the United States.

Who is Eligible?

Family Members of U.S. Citizens or Legal Permanent Residents

U.S. citizens and Legal Permanent Residents can file petitions to obtain immigrant visas for their spouses, siblings, parents or stepparents, and unmarried children or stepchildren under age 21.  U.S. citizens also may file petitions for their children of any age -- married or unmarried.  Legal Permanent Residents may not file petitions for their children who are either married or who are over age 21.  U.S. law does not permit either U.S. citizens or Legal Permanent Residents to file petitons for their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, or in-laws.  In the case of filing for a parent or stepparent, the U.S. citizen or Legal Permement Resident petitioner must be at least 21 years old.

In general, the process is faster when the petitioner is a U.S. citizen than it is when the petitioner is a Legal Permament Resident.  And the process is generally faster for spouses and minor children than it is for parents, siblings, or children over age 21.

Qualified Employees of American Companies

U.S.-based employers can sponsor someone to come to the United States and get a green card.  Usually, the employer must first obtain a certification from the U.S. Department of Labor that there are no workers in the United States who are willing and qualified to do the job.  Then the employer files a petition with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service describing the job and the prospective employee's unique qualifications for that job.  If the petition is approved, then the prospective employee/immigrant must wait for a visa to become available -- there are only a certain number each year.

Diversity Visa Lottery Winners

A Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery makes available 55,000 immigrant visas each year to people randomly selected from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. Eligibility to apply for the DV Lottery is determined by a person’s place of birth, not by a person's current country of citizenship.  For additional general information about the program, please consult see our separate web page about the DV Lottery and the Department of State's web page about the Diversity Visa Lottery.