Green card: overview, tools, and latest updates

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.

Activity · daily, last 90 days

7 indexed updates

Mar 19, 2026 → Jun 16, 2026 · 90 days

Policy climate · last 90 days

Tone of coverage

14% restrictive71% neutral15% favorable

Based on 7 indexed updates in the last 90 days

Visa types in this category

Employment-basedEB-1 through EB-5 categories for workers and investors, tied to annual per-country numerical limits.EB-1Priority workers: extraordinary ability (no employer needed), outstanding professors/researchers, multinational execs.EB-2Advanced degree professionals and National Interest Waiver (NIW) self-petitioners.EB-3Skilled workers (2+ years experience), professionals (bachelor's degree), and other workers.EB-5Immigrant investors: minimum investment in a new commercial enterprise or USCIS-designated regional center.PERMDOL labor certification: prerequisite for most EB-2 and EB-3 I-140 filings.Diversity (DV)Annual diversity visa lottery open to nationals of low-admission countries (55,000 visas per year).Family-based GCImmigrant petitions for spouses, children, parents, and siblings of U.S. citizens and LPRs.Humanitarian GCGreen cards through refugee/asylee adjustment, Special Immigrant Visa programs, and other humanitarian pathways.

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 Fed. Register
Open for commentsProposed rule
Improving Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Foreign Nationals in the United States
The Department of Labor is proposing new rules to strengthen wage protections for foreign workers on EB-2 and EB-3 employment-based green cards and certain temporary work visas obtained through the PERM labor certification process. The changes aim to ensure prevailing wages are…
Published State Dept
Processing
India Per-Country Limit Reached in the EB-5 Unreserved Category
India has reached the per-country limit for EB-5 immigrant investor green cards in the unreserved category, meaning no more visas are currently available for Indian nationals in this category. This creates a significant backlog for Indian EB-5 applicants who must now wait for…
Published USCIS
Proposed rule
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Will Grant ‘Adjustment of Status’ Only in Extraordinary Circumstances
USCIS announced a new policy restricting adjustment of status (green card applications within the U.S.) to only extraordinary circumstances, requiring most applicants to process through consular processing abroad instead. This reverses recent practice and aligns with…
Published State Dept
Processing
India Per-Country Limit Reached in the EB-2 Category
India has reached its per-country limit for EB-2 (employment-based second preference) green cards, meaning Indian nationals in this category will face significant delays in obtaining their green cards. This occurs because a large backlog of Indian applicants has exhausted the…
Published Fed. Register
Open for comments
Agency Information Collection Activities; Revision of a Currently Approved Collection: Petition To Remove the Conditions on Residence
USCIS is revising its form and procedures for petitions to remove conditions on residence (Form I-751). The agency is seeking public feedback on the information collection before implementing changes. Public comments accepted until 2026-07-28.
Public comments accepted through .
Published State Dept
Processing
Annual Limit Reached in the EB-5 Unreserved Category
The annual visa cap for the EB-5 immigrant investor green card category has been reached, meaning no additional EB-5 petitions can be approved under the unreserved visa allotment for the current fiscal year. Applicants who have not yet received approval should monitor future…
Published Fed. Register
Open for comments
Agency Information Collection Activities; Revision of a Currently Approved Collection: Immigrant Petition for the Gold Card Program
USCIS is revising the information collection procedures for the Immigrant Investor Gold Card Program (EB-5 green cards). The agency is accepting an additional 30 days of public comments on the form and data collection requirements. Public comments accepted until 2026-06-29.
Public comments accepted through .
Published State Dept
Lottery / selection
Update on Diversity Visa (DV) Program 2025: Close to Reaching 7 Percent Cap for Egypt
The Diversity Visa (DV) program for 2025 is approaching its 7 percent administrative cap for applicants from Egypt. This means visa availability for Egyptian nationals under the DV lottery may soon be exhausted for the current fiscal year.

All updates · newest first

Full update feed

Every update from this category in chronological order, excluding items already shown above.

Annual Limit Reached in the EB-2 CategoryState DeptNeu
Update on Diversity Visa (DV) Program 2025: Egypt Limit ReachedState DeptNeu
Annual Limit Reached in the EB-3 and EW CategoriesState DeptNeg
Update on Diversity Visa (DV) Program 2025State DeptNeu
Update on Diversity Visa (DV) Program 2026State DeptNeu
Changes to Entry Period for 2027 Diversity Visa (DV) ProgramState DeptNeu
Adjudicating Immigrant Visa (IV) Applicants in Their Country of ResidenceState DeptPos
Diversity Visa Issuance Updated GuidanceState DeptNeu

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