Employment-Based Green Cards

The Chander Law Firm assists employers seeking to sponsor employees for lawful permanent resident (green card) status in the United States.

Approximately 140,000 immigrant visas are available each fiscal year for aliens (and their spouses and children) who seek to immigrate based on their job skills.  Their are five employment-based immigrant visa preferences (categories).   Those categories include:

• First Preference (EB-1) - This preference is reserved for persons of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics; outstanding professors or researchers; and multinational executives and managers.
• Second Preference (EB-2) - This preference is reserved for persons who are members of the professions holding advanced degrees or for persons with exceptional ability in the arts, sciences, or business.
  • Labor Certification - PERM
  • National Interest Waivers (NIW)
  • Special Recruitment Procedures for College and University Teachers
    
• Third Preference (EB-3) - This preference is reserved for professionals, skilled workers, and other workers.
• Fourth Preference (EB-4) - This preference is reserved for “special immigrants,” which includes certain religious workers, employees of U.S. foreign service posts, retired employees of international organizations, alien minors who are wards of courts in the United States, and other classes of aliens.
• Fifth Preference (EB-5) - This preference is reserved for business investors who invest $1 million or $500,000 (if the investment is made in a targeted employment area) in a new commercial enterprise that employs at least 10 full-time U.S. workers.

Labor Certification - PERM

The most commonly used employment based preference categories (EB-2 and EB-3) require the issuance of an approved Labor Certification from the Department of Labor before a petition for alien worker can be filed.  In the labor certification process, the employer demonstrates that insufficient United States workers able, willing, and qualified for the position and that the employment will not adversely affect working conditions of United States workers.  Employers apply for Labor Certification using the PERM (Program Electronic Review Management) system.

• More about Labor Certification & PERM

If you have questions regarding employment-based lawful permanent resident status, contact The Chander Law Firm now.