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United States · Permanent residence

EB-2 Employer-Sponsored (Green Card)

Processing
Often 2-4+ years
Cost
From $1,895
Validity
Permanent residence

Employer-sponsored permanent residence for an advanced-degree professional or a person of exceptional ability. The employer usually completes PERM first.

Requirements

  • An advanced degree, or a bachelor’s plus five years of progressive post-baccalaureate experience, or exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, or business
  • The position itself must call for those credentials; a job whose stated minimum is a bachelor’s is filed as EB-3
  • Permanent, full-time job offer from a US employer
  • Employer completes PERM labor certification
  • Employer proves no able and willing US worker was available
  • Wage must meet or exceed the prevailing wage

Restrictions

  • No self-petition; employer sponsorship is required until any AC21 portability requirements are met
  • Tied to the specific job and location certified on the PERM

Time and cost

Processing time
Often 2-4+ years: recruitment and PERM, then I-140 and the visa queue. It can be much longer depending on category and country of chargeability
Validity
Permanent residence
Cost

From $1,895

Required

  • $715 Form I-140 petition
  • $600 Asylum Program Fee (standard; small employer $300, nonprofit $0)
  • Final stage: $1,440 Form I-485 to adjust status inside the US or $580 immigrant visa and USCIS immigrant fees to process from abroad
  • The employer must pay all PERM costs

Documents

  • Approved PERM (ETA-9089)

    Labor certification from the Department of Labor

    Processing: Often 18 months or longer including prevailing wage, recruitment and adjudication; an audit adds time

  • Form I-140 approval

    Employer’s immigrant petition to USCIS

  • EB-2 qualification evidence

    Degree and experience evidence for the advanced-degree route, or evidence meeting the exceptional-ability standard

  • Experience letters

    From prior employers, confirming role and dates

  • Form I-485 or DS-260

    Adjustment of status, or consular processing abroad

Your family

Status your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can hold alongside this route. Children can study on it too.

Derivative Green CardSpouse can work

Your spouse and eligible children can obtain permanent residence as derivative applicants. Each family member is processed separately and receives full work rights only after becoming a permanent resident.

  • For preference cases, the Child Status Protection Act generally subtracts petition-pending time from the child’s age when a visa becomes available. The child usually must seek permanent residence within one year
  • Derivative applicants adjusting status in the US may generally request an EAD with or after filing Form I-485; consular processing does not provide interim US work authorization

Tips

  • The employer must pay the PERM cost and cannot pass it to you
  • The PERM filing date usually becomes the priority date
  • H-1B can be extended past six years once PERM has been pending a year