Nov 2026 bulletinEB-2 · India 01 Nov 2013 · China 01 Oct 2021 · Rest of world 01 Apr 2025PERM~10.0 months

Road to the Green Card

One process. Three very different clocks.

Stage-by-stage guides for the employment-based green card, with India, China and the rest of the world side by side. Today's dates are on the Visa Bulletin tracker.

The process

  • Steps 1 and 2: prevailing wage and PERMMost employment green cards start with the employer proving to the Department of Labor that no qualified US worker is available. This is how that works and how long it takes.
  • Step 3: the I-140 and your priority dateThe I-140 is the employer's immigrant petition. Its approval locks in your priority date, your place in line, and unlocks H-1B extensions and the H-4 EAD.
  • Step 4: the wait, and how to read the Visa BulletinThe monthly Visa Bulletin decides when your green card can move. Final Action vs. Dates for Filing, what "current" and "unavailable" mean, and why country of birth matters.
  • Step 5: adjustment of status (I-485)When your date is current you file the I-485, usually with a work permit (EAD) and travel document (advance parole). Fees, the medical exam, and job changes with Supplement J.

Side paths

  • EB-1: the faster lane (A, B and C)EB-1 skips PERM and has much shorter queues than EB-2 and EB-3 for India and China. Who qualifies for extraordinary ability, outstanding researcher and multinational manager.
  • EB-2 NIW: the national interest waiverA self-petition in EB-2 that skips PERM if your work benefits the US. The three-part Dhanasar test and who it suits.
  • EB-5: the investor green cardA green card through investing $800,000 or $1,050,000 in a US business that creates 10 jobs. How it works and why many Chinese and Indian families look at it.
  • Upgrading and downgrading between EB-2 and EB-3Your priority date can move to a new I-140 in a different category. When switching from EB-2 to EB-3 (or back) can speed things up, and what it costs.

After the green card

  • After the green cardWhat changes the day your card arrives, how long you can stay abroad, changing jobs, and keeping your status safe on the way to citizenship.
  • Step 7: becoming a US citizen (N-400)Five years after the green card (three if married to a citizen) you can apply to naturalize. The requirements, the test, and what dual citizenship means for Indian and Chinese nationals.