15 Ways to Get a Green Card in 2026: Family, Work, Investment and Humanitarian Paths

There are 15 main ways to get a green card: six through family, six through the employment-based preference categories (including the EB-5 investor category), and three through the diversity visa lottery or humanitarian protection. Each route carries its own eligibility rules, forms and waiting times. The number 15 is this guide’s framework for grouping the routes, not a count of statutory categories. Some numbered routes (for example EB-1B with EB-1C, and VAWA with T and U) combine related categories that share a filing path.

The wait differs sharply between routes. Spouses, unmarried children under 21 and parents of adult U.S. citizens are not subject to the annual limits, while the capped family and employment preference categories wait for a visa number in the monthly Visa Bulletin. This guide walks through each of the 15 routes, the November 2026 cutoff dates, government fees as of November 5, 2026, the 2026 policy changes, and the eligibility issues that can block an application even when a category fits.

What Are the Ways to Get a Green Card?

The ways to get a green card fall into four groups: family sponsorship, employment-based preference categories, the diversity visa lottery, and humanitarian protection. Within those groups, these are the 15 main routes, each covered below. In every route, a petition or application must be filed and approved; no status converts to a green card on its own.

How Can Family Members Get a Green Card?

The family-based process starts when a U.S. citizen or permanent resident relative files Form I-130 for the family member (or Form I-129F for a fiancé(e)). Immediate relatives do not wait for a visa number. Everyone else waits in a family preference category (8 U.S.C. 1153(a)).

1. Spouse of a U.S. Citizen

Spouses of U.S. citizens are immediate relatives, so there is no Visa Bulletin wait. The citizen files Form I-130. A spouse in the United States who was inspected and admitted or paroled may be able to file Form I-485 at the same time (8 U.S.C. 1255(a)); a spouse abroad goes through consular processing.

The marriage must be genuine. If you have been married less than two years on the day you become a permanent resident, your green card is conditional for two years, and you and your spouse must file Form I-751 jointly during the 90-day window before the card expires (8 U.S.C. 1186a). If no petition is filed on time, conditional status terminates by operation of law. USCIS may accept a late joint petition if you show good cause and extenuating circumstances for the delay. A spouse who divorces, is widowed or is abused during the conditional period may be able to file alone and request a waiver of the joint filing requirement, and those individual filings follow their own timing rules. Our marriage green card service page and step-by-step guide to how to get a marriage green card cover the process.

2. Fiancé(e) of a U.S. Citizen (K-1)

A U.S. citizen can file Form I-129F for a fiancé(e) abroad if the couple met in person within the two years before filing, unless USCIS waives that requirement (8 U.S.C. 1184(d)). After entry on a K-1 visa, the couple must marry within 90 days of admission, and the new spouse files Form I-485. A K-1 entrant can adjust status only on the basis of marriage to the citizen who filed the petition; marrying someone else does not support adjustment from K-1 (8 U.S.C. 1255(d)). See our K-1 visa page.

3. Parent of a U.S. Citizen

A U.S. citizen who is at least 21 years old can petition for a parent as an immediate relative (8 U.S.C. 1151(b)(2)(A)(i)). There is no annual cap. Green card holders cannot petition for parents. Stepparents can qualify if the marriage creating the relationship took place before the child turned 18 (8 U.S.C. 1101(b)(1)(B)).

4. Son or Daughter of a U.S. Citizen

A U.S. citizen parent can petition for children of any age, but the category depends on age and marital status:

• Unmarried children under 21: immediate relatives, no annual cap.
• Unmarried sons and daughters 21 or older (F1): up to 23,400 visas a year, plus certain unused numbers (8 U.S.C. 1153(a)(1)).
• Married sons and daughters of any age (F3): up to 23,400 visas a year plus certain unused numbers, with its own Visa Bulletin date (8 U.S.C. 1153(a)(3)).

A child’s marriage or 21st birthday can move the case to a slower category. The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) can preserve “child” status for some applicants who turn 21 while waiting, but a preference-category applicant must seek to acquire permanent residence within one year of a visa becoming available (8 U.S.C. 1153(h)). A marriage after the petition is filed moves an F1 case to F3, and the marriage of an F2B beneficiary ends that petition entirely.

5. Brother or Sister of a U.S. Citizen

A U.S. citizen who is at least 21 can petition for a brother or sister in the F4 category, which is capped at 65,000 visas a year plus certain unused numbers (8 U.S.C. 1153(a)(4)). In the November 2026 Visa Bulletin, the F4 final action date for all chargeability areas was October 22, 2012. The petition does not give the sibling any status or work authorization while the wait runs.

6. Spouse or Child of a Green Card Holder

Permanent residents can petition for a spouse and unmarried children under 21 (F2A) and for unmarried sons and daughters 21 or older (F2B). The second preference category has a base limit of 114,200 visas a year plus certain unused numbers, and at least 77 percent of F2 numbers go to F2A (8 U.S.C. 1153(a)(2)). Green card holders cannot petition for married children, parents or siblings. If the petitioner naturalizes, a spouse or child under 21 becomes an immediate relative, and an F2B beneficiary moves to F1 unless the beneficiary opts out in writing (8 U.S.C. 1154(k)).

Family-based applicants need a Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, from the petitioner unless a statutory exemption applies (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(4)(C)).

What Are the Employment-Based Ways to Get a Green Card?

Employment-based green cards fall into five preference categories. EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 each receive 28.6 percent of the annual limit of at least 140,000 visas, and EB-4 and EB-5 each receive 7.1 percent (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)). In each category, the beneficiary’s priority date must be earlier than the Visa Bulletin cutoff for the case to be approved.

7. EB-1A Extraordinary Ability (Self-Petition)

EB-1A is for people with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics, shown through sustained national or international acclaim. You file Form I-140 yourself, with no job offer, and show a major one-time achievement or at least three of ten regulatory criteria (8 CFR 204.5(h)(3)). Meeting three criteria is only the first step. USCIS then weighs all the evidence to decide whether you are among the small percentage at the very top of the field (USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 6, Part F, Ch. 2). Learn more on our EB-1A page.

8. EB-1B Outstanding Researchers and EB-1C Multinational Executives

EB-1B is an employer petition for an internationally recognized professor or researcher with at least three years of teaching or research experience and an offer of a qualifying permanent position. EB-1C is for managers and executives who worked abroad for a related company for at least one year in the three years before the petition (or before entry to the United States to work for the U.S. employer) in a managerial or executive capacity, and who will fill a managerial or executive role in the United States (8 CFR 204.5(i) and (j)).

9. EB-2 and EB-3 Through PERM Labor Certification

EB-2 and EB-3 employer cases generally start with PERM labor certification from the Department of Labor, followed by Form I-140. EB-2 covers jobs requiring an advanced degree (a bachelor’s degree plus five years of progressive experience counts as the equivalent of a master’s) or applicants with exceptional ability. EB-3 covers skilled workers (jobs requiring at least two years of training or experience), professionals with a bachelor’s degree, and other workers in jobs requiring less than two years of training (8 CFR 204.5(k) and (l)).

Two timing points matter. The priority date is the date the Department of Labor accepts the PERM application for processing, and the employer must file Form I-140 within 180 days of PERM approval or the certification expires (20 CFR 656.30). See our PERM labor certification, EB-2 visa and EB-3 visa pages.

10. EB-2 National Interest Waiver (Self-Petition)

The National Interest Waiver lets an EB-2 applicant skip the job offer and PERM requirements. Under the USCIS Policy Manual, you must show that your proposed endeavor has substantial merit and national importance, that you are well positioned to advance it, and that on balance waiving the job offer would benefit the United States (Vol. 6, Part F, Ch. 5, applying Matter of Dhanasar). You must still qualify for EB-2 as an advanced degree professional or a person of exceptional ability. See our EB-2 NIW page.

11. EB-4 Special Immigrants

EB-4 is a group of special immigrant categories filed on Form I-360. It includes religious workers, special immigrant juveniles, certain Afghan and Iraqi nationals who worked for or on behalf of the U.S. government, and other groups.

• Religious workers: you must have been a member of a religious denomination with a bona fide nonprofit religious organization in the United States for at least two years immediately before the petition, and have worked in a qualifying religious occupation for at least two of those years (8 CFR 204.5(m)). The non-minister program is authorized through December 11, 2026 under P.L. 119-103 unless Congress extends it again; ministers are not affected by that sunset.
• Special immigrant juveniles: the applicant must be under 21 at the time of filing, must be unmarried when the petition is filed and when USCIS decides it, must be in the United States, and must have a state juvenile court order that declares the applicant dependent on the court or places the applicant in the custody of an agency or individual, finds that reunification with one or both parents is not viable because of abuse, neglect, abandonment or a similar basis under state law, and finds that return to the home country is not in the applicant’s best interest. USCIS must also consent to the SIJ classification (8 CFR 204.11).

EB-4 categories draw from the same fourth-preference allocation. The Visa Bulletin may display separate lines for particular classifications (for example, Certain Religious Workers alongside the general Employment Fourth Preference), even when the dates coincide.

Can You Get a Green Card Through Investment?

12. EB-5 Immigrant Investor

Yes. The EB-5 category is available to investors who put the required capital at risk in a new U.S. commercial enterprise and show that the investment creates at least 10 full-time jobs for qualifying U.S. workers; eligibility, admissibility and the lawful source of the funds are decided on the facts of each case. In a direct investment, the enterprise itself must employ the 10 workers. In a regional center project, indirect and induced jobs calculated under an accepted economic methodology can count, and the jobs must be created within the period USCIS policy sets for job creation. The statutory minimum is $1,050,000, or $800,000 in a targeted employment area or an infrastructure project (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(5)). The statute schedules an inflation adjustment of those amounts starting January 1, 2027, and every five years after that; the adjusted figures had not been announced as of November 5, 2026.

EB-5 investors receive conditional residence and must file Form I-829 during the 90-day window before the two-year conditional card expires (8 U.S.C. 1186b). Investors must trace the lawful source of every dollar invested, and the law requires the capital to be at risk; a guaranteed return can disqualify the investment. USCIS has published a final rule setting new EB-5 filing fees that takes effect 60 days after Federal Register publication, a date USCIS has indicated as November 30, 2026; confirm the effective date against the published rule before filing. See our post on the EB-5 fee increase and our EB-5 visa page.

How Does the Diversity Visa Lottery Work?

13. Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery

The diversity visa program makes up to 55,000 immigrant visas available each fiscal year by random selection among eligible entrants who are natives of countries with low rates of immigration to the United States (8 U.S.C. 1153(c)). The number actually available in a program year appears in that year’s DV instructions; the DV-2026 instructions reported up to 55,000, and the DV-2027 figure will appear when its instructions are published. Entrants must have a high school education or its equivalent, or two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience. Entry is online only, during a registration period of at least 30 days that the State Department announces each year. Selectees who apply for the immigrant visa pay a $330 DV application fee per person.

Two changes apply to DV-2027. First, under a State Department final rule published March 11, 2026, entrants must hold a valid, unexpired passport, provide its details at registration, and upload a scan of the passport’s biographic and signature page, unless one of the rule’s listed exemptions applies. Second, the State Department said it was deferring the opening of the DV-2027 entry period; its DV entry page listed no DV-2027 entry dates when checked on November 5, 2026. A USCIS hold on DV-2026 adjustment applications (PM-602-0193) was temporarily vacated by a federal court on August 28, 2026.

Selection is not a visa. A selectee must complete the visa or adjustment process, including the interview, before the end of the program’s fiscal year (September 30), and visas can run out before that date. Derivative spouses and children lose eligibility on the same day.

Can Refugees and Asylees Get a Green Card?

14. Refugee or Asylee Adjustment

Yes. Refugees and people granted asylum can apply for a green card on Form I-485 based on at least one year of physical presence in the United States, counted from admission as a refugee or from the grant of asylum (8 U.S.C. 1159). Under USCIS policy, an asylee may file before the full year has accrued, but the application cannot be approved until the year is complete. Refugees are required by statute to apply; asylees are not required to, but asylum can be terminated if conditions in the home country change or if the asylee is found ineligible, so delay carries risk. Refugees pay no I-485 filing fee under the current USCIS fee schedule. Travel to the country of claimed persecution before adjustment can raise questions about continued eligibility and should be reviewed with an attorney first.

What Green Card Options Exist for Survivors of Abuse, Trafficking or Crime?

15. VAWA Self-Petition, T Visa and U Visa

Three protections let survivors seek a green card without relying on an abuser:

• VAWA self-petition: abused spouses and children of U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and abused parents of citizens 21 or older, can file Form I-360 without the abuser’s involvement, with no filing fee (8 U.S.C. 1154(a)(1)). A spouse whose marriage ended by divorce can still file within two years of the divorce if the abuse was connected to it. See our guide to VAWA requirements.
• T visa (trafficking survivors): T nonimmigrants can generally apply to adjust after continuous physical presence for at least three years since admission in T status, or for the full period needed to assist the trafficking investigation or prosecution, whichever period is shorter, along with the other statutory requirements (8 U.S.C. 1255(l)).
• U visa (crime victims): U nonimmigrants can generally apply to adjust after at least three years of continuous physical presence in U status, unless they unreasonably refused to assist law enforcement (8 U.S.C. 1255(m)). A single absence of more than 90 days, or absences totaling more than 180 days, breaks continuous presence unless the absence was in order to assist in the investigation or prosecution of the qualifying crime, or an official involved in that investigation or prosecution certifies that the absence was otherwise justified (8 CFR 245.24).

Are There Other, Narrower Ways to Get a Green Card?

Yes. One is registry, which allows a person who entered the United States before January 1, 1972 and has lived here continuously since then to apply for a record of permanent residence if they meet the other statutory requirements (8 U.S.C. 1259). Another is cancellation of removal granted by an immigration judge, which results in permanent residence (8 U.S.C. 1229b). The Cuban Adjustment Act allows a Cuban native or citizen who was inspected and admitted or paroled, has been physically present in the United States for at least one year, is admissible (with the exceptions that apply to this program), and merits a favorable exercise of discretion to apply for a green card. Each route has eligibility rules that an attorney should review against your history.

How Long Is the Wait for a Green Card in 2026?

The wait depends on your category and your country of chargeability, which is generally your country of birth, not your citizenship. Preference categories wait until their priority date is earlier than the final action date in the Visa Bulletin (a priority date equal to the cutoff is not yet reached). This snapshot is from the November 2026 bulletin, the latest posted as of November 5, 2026; dates change monthly and can move backward.

Mainland China, Mexico and the Philippines have their own columns in several categories; for example, EB-1 China showed August 1, 2023 and F2A Mexico showed April 22, 2026 in November 2026. These are final action dates. The bulletin also publishes a separate dates for filing chart, and USCIS announces each month which chart adjustment applicants may use. For the month-by-month changes, see our November 2026 Visa Bulletin breakdown. Form processing times are posted separately on the USCIS processing times page; they vary by form and office and can change at any time.

How Much Does It Cost to Apply for a Green Card?

Government fees depend on the route and on whether you file in the United States or abroad. These are the main fees as of November 5, 2026, from the USCIS fee schedule (Form G-1055) and the State Department fee page.

Medical exams, translations, biometrics where required, and attorney fees are separate. The medical exam (Form I-693) is paid to the civil surgeon who performs it, and USCIS does not set a nationwide price for it. EB-5 petition fees are scheduled to change in late November 2026 under the published final rule. Confirm every fee on the live USCIS or State Department page before filing; USCIS rejects filings with the wrong fee.

What 2026 Changes Affect Green Card Applicants?

Several 2026 actions changed who can get a visa and how USCIS handles pending cases. As of November 5, 2026, official State Department and USCIS pages described these developments; court orders in particular can be stayed, modified or appealed, so confirm the current status before relying on any of them:

• Travel restrictions: Proclamation 10998, effective January 1, 2026, fully or partially suspended entry and visa issuance for nationals of 39 countries and Palestinian Authority document holders, with exceptions that include lawful permanent residents (State Department notice).
• 75-country immigrant visa pause: the pause on immigrant visa issuance to nationals of 75 countries that began January 21, 2026 has not been applied since August 21, 2026, under a court order in CLINIC v. Rubio (State Department update). The order does not by itself end the policy permanently.
• USCIS holds blocked: on August 24, 2026, a federal court enjoined memos PM-602-0192 and PM-602-0194, which held pending applications of nationals of the restricted countries, and ordered normal adjudication (USCIS alert). The government may appeal, so applicants from those countries should check the current status before relying on it.
• DV-2027 passport requirement: the State Department rule published March 11, 2026 requires a valid passport and a passport scan to enter the DV-2027 lottery and deferred the opening of the DV-2027 entry period.
• EB-5 inflation adjustment: the statute schedules the first inflation adjustment to the $800,000 and $1,050,000 investment amounts for January 1, 2027.
• Financial sponsorship and public charge: family-based immigrants still need a Form I-864 affidavit of support unless exempt; for the separate public charge rule, see our explainer on the 2026 public charge rule.

What Can Block a Green Card Even When You Qualify for a Category?

Fitting a category is necessary but not enough. These issues can block otherwise eligible applicants, although exceptions and waivers apply in some cases:

• Manner of entry. Adjustment of status inside the United States generally requires that you were inspected and admitted or paroled (8 U.S.C. 1255(a)). Someone who entered without inspection generally cannot adjust unless an exception such as 8 U.S.C. 1255(i) applies, and leaving for a consular interview can trigger the unlawful presence bars below.
• Unlawful presence bars. A person who accrues more than 180 days but less than one year of unlawful presence and then leaves the United States before removal proceedings begin is inadmissible for three years; a person who accrues one year or more of unlawful presence and then leaves or is removed is inadmissible for ten years (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(9)(B)). Statutory exceptions and tolling rules apply, for example for minors and certain pending applications, and a provisional waiver on Form I-601A may be available before departure for some applicants.
• Status violations. Preference-category applicants (not immediate relatives) are barred from adjusting if they worked without authorization or fell out of status (8 U.S.C. 1255(c)). Section 245(k) excuses those violations only for EB-1, EB-2, EB-3 and certain EB-4 religious worker applicants and their qualifying derivatives, and only when the violations after the applicant’s most recent lawful admission total no more than 180 days (8 U.S.C. 1255(k)).
• Public charge and support. A missing or insufficient Form I-864, or a public charge finding, is a ground of inadmissibility (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(4)). The affidavit is required for family-based immigrants and for employment-based immigrants whose petition was filed by a U.S. citizen or permanent resident relative or by an entity in which such a relative owns at least 5 percent, subject to statutory exceptions.
• Criminal, fraud and misrepresentation grounds. A prior misrepresentation to immigration officials or a qualifying conviction can require a waiver that is not available in every category (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(2) and (a)(6)(C)).
• Aging out. A child who turns 21 before a visa is available may lose derivative status unless CSPA protects them.

Which Way to Get a Green Card Fits Your Situation?

Start with the relationships and qualifications you already have. These questions narrow the list quickly:

1. Do you have a U.S. citizen spouse, parent, child or sibling? Routes 1 to 5 may apply.
2. Is your relative a green card holder? Route 6 covers spouses and unmarried children only.
3. Do you have a U.S. employer willing to sponsor you? Routes 8 and 9 may apply; see our employer-sponsored green card page.
4. Can your own record or investment carry the case? Routes 7, 10 and 12 do not need an employer; see our guide to ways to get a green card on your own.
   •  Are you a native of a DV-eligible country with a high school education or qualifying work experience? Route 13 may apply when registration opens.
5. Do you have refugee or asylee status, or are you a survivor of abuse, trafficking or a qualifying crime? Routes 14 and 15 may apply.

More than one route can apply at once, and filing in two categories is permitted in some situations (for example, an employer’s EB-3 petition and your own NIW). The right order depends on the cutoff dates, your status, and your travel plans.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the fastest way to get a green card?

  There is no single fastest route. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and categories marked “Current” in the Visa Bulletin, such as EB-1 for all chargeability areas other than India and mainland China in November 2026, avoid a visa number wait. Form processing time still applies and varies.

• Can a green card holder sponsor a brother, sister or parent?

  No. Permanent residents can petition only for a spouse and unmarried children. Parents and siblings can be sponsored only by a U.S. citizen who is at least 21.

• How much money do I need to invest for an EB-5 green card?

  The statutory minimum is $1,050,000, or $800,000 in a targeted employment area or infrastructure project, and the investment must create at least 10 full-time jobs (directly, or through regional center methodology for regional center projects). The statute schedules an inflation adjustment starting January 1, 2027.

• Is the DV-2027 green card lottery open?

  When we checked on November 5, 2026, the State Department had not posted DV-2027 entry dates on its DV entry page. The March 2026 rule requires a valid passport and a passport scan to enter. Watch dvprogram.state.gov and travel.state.gov for the official announcement.

• Does marrying a U.S. citizen guarantee a green card?

  No. The marriage must be genuine, and the spouse must be admissible and complete the full process. A marriage entered to evade immigration law permanently bars future family petitions (8 U.S.C. 1154(c)).

• How many green cards are available each year?

  The family preference limit is 226,000, the employment-based limit is at least 140,000, and the diversity program makes up to 55,000 available. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are not capped. No single country can receive more than 7 percent of the combined family and employment preference total (8 U.S.C. 1152(a)(2)).

• Can I apply for a green card from inside the United States?

  You may be able to, by filing Form I-485 to adjust status, if you were inspected and admitted or paroled and your category allows it. People abroad, or those not eligible to adjust, go through consular processing instead.

• Can I have more than one green card petition pending at the same time?

  In some situations, yes. A family petition and an employment petition can be pending at once, and you can hold an approved I-140 in one category while another is filed. Only one Form I-485 is adjudicated to approval, and the priority date from an earlier approved I-140 can in some cases be retained for a later one (8 CFR 204.5(e)).

• What happens if my child turns 21 while we wait?

  It depends on the category. For an immediate relative child of a U.S. citizen, the Child Status Protection Act freezes the child’s age on the date Form I-130 is filed, as long as the child was under 21 and unmarried on that date and stays unmarried (8 U.S.C. 1151(f)). For preference categories, CSPA instead subtracts the time the petition was pending from the child’s age on the date a visa became available, and the child must seek permanent residence within one year of that date (8 U.S.C. 1153(h)).

• Does a pending green card application let me work or travel?

  Not by itself. A pending Form I-485 allows you to apply for employment authorization (Form I-765) and advance parole (Form I-131). Leaving the United States without advance parole while an I-485 is pending is treated as abandoning the application, with a limited exception: certain H-1, H-4, L-1, L-2, K-3, K-4 and V nonimmigrants may travel if they meet the regulatory conditions, including remaining eligible for that status and returning in it with a valid visa where one is required (8 CFR 245.2(a)(4)(ii)).