Overview
Lawful permanent residence (LPR)
A green card (Form I-551) grants permanent resident status. The path depends on your category: employment-based (EB-1 through EB-5 and PERM), family-based, humanitarian, or the Diversity Visa lottery. Priority dates determine wait times for most categories.
Employment-based green cards are issued to priority workers (EB-1), advanced degree professionals (EB-2, including National Interest Waiver), skilled and other workers (EB-3), certain special immigrants (EB-4), and investors (EB-5). Most EB-2 and EB-3 cases require a PERM labor certification from the Department of Labor before USCIS will accept the I-140 immigrant petition.
The Visa Bulletin, published monthly by the State Department, shows "priority dates" for each EB and family category by country of birth. When your priority date is current, you can proceed to adjustment of status (Form I-485) or consular processing.
Green card holders can live and work permanently in the U.S., sponsor qualifying family members, and eventually apply for naturalization after meeting residency and other requirements.
Visa types in this category
High-signal items · last 90 days
What to watch
Ranked by impact: rule changes, fee updates, open comment periods, executive actions, and processing shifts. Not just newest: most consequential.
- Published USCISOpen for commentsCourt Order on Diversity Immigrant Visa Program Hold Policy
- Published Fed. RegisterOpen for comments60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: DS-864E, Request for Exemption From Immigrant Visa Applicant's Affidavit of Support
Public comments accepted through .
- Published USCISProcessingUSCIS Issues Guidance on Making Public Charge Inadmissibility Determination
- Published USCISFinal ruleUS Citizenship and Immigration Services Rescinds 2022 Public Charge Regulation
- Published Fed. RegisterOpen for commentsAgency Information Collection Activities; Revision of a Currently Approved Collection: Petition To Remove the Conditions on Residence
Public comments accepted through .
- Published Fed. RegisterOpen for commentsAgency Information Collection Activities; Extension, Without Change, of a Currently Approved Collection: Application for Regional Center Designation; Application for Approval of an Investment in a Commercial Enterprise; Regional Center Annual Statement; Bona Fides of Persons Involved With Regional Center Program; Registration for Direct and Third-Party Promoters
Public comments accepted through .
- Published Fed. RegisterOpen for commentsAgency Information Collection Activities; Extension, Without Change, of a Currently Approved Collection: Application To Adjust Status From Temporary to Permanent Resident
Public comments accepted through .
- Published Fed. RegisterProcessingLabor Surplus Area Classification
All updates · newest first
Full update feed
Every update from this category in chronological order, excluding items already shown above.
- 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Petition To Classify Special Immigrant Under INA 203(b)(4) as an Employee or Former Employee of the U.S. Government Abroad, or the Surviving Spouse or Child of an Employee of the U.S. Government AbroadFed. RegisterNeu
- Defendants Sentenced in Visa Fraud and Conspiracy CaseUSCISNeu
- India Per-Country Limit Reached in the EB-5 Unreserved CategoryState DeptNeg
- Agency Information Collection Activities; Revision of a Currently Approved Collection: Petition To Remove the Conditions on ResidenceFed. RegisterNeu
- Agency Information Collection Activities; Revision of a Currently Approved Collection: Immigrant Petition for the Gold Card ProgramFed. RegisterNeu
- India Per-Country Limit Reached in the EB-2 CategoryState DeptNeg
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Will Grant ‘Adjustment of Status’ Only in Extraordinary CircumstancesUSCISNeg
- 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Petition To Classify Special Immigrant Under INA 203(b)(4) as an Employee or Former Employee of the U.S. Government Abroad, or the Surviving Spouse or Child of an Employee of the U.S. Government AbroadFed. RegisterNeu
- 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Application To Determine Returning Resident StatusFed. RegisterNeu