Foreign professionals can come to the U.S. for up to 6 years with an H-1B work visa which is temporary. Although temporary, it\u2019s one of the main ways to get a Green Card (the U.S. permanent residency). The process of changing from H-1B to a Green Card can take multiple years. Below is a description of the timeline and every step you need to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 1: Start Early (Years 1\u20132 of H-1B)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why: The Green Card process can take several years depending on your country of origin and employment-based category. Begin early\u2014ideally in your first or second year of H-1B status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tip: If your Green Card is not filed before the 6-year limit, you may have to leave the U.S., unless extensions are granted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 2: PERM Labor Certification (6\u201312 months)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What: The employer must get a PERM labour certification from the U.S. Department of Labor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Timeline:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prevailing Wage Determination: 2\u20133 months<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recruitment Process: 2\u20133 months<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Filing and Approval: 3\u20136 months<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Note: PERM is not required for all categories (e.g., EB-1, NIW under EB-2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 3: I-140 Immigrant Petition (6\u20139 months)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What: After PERM is approved, the employer files Form I-140 with USCIS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Timeline:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Standard processing: 6\u20139 months<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Premium processing: 15 calendar days (for additional fee)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tip: Filing I-140 also establishes your priority date, which determines when you can move to the final step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 4: Wait for Priority Date to Become Current (Varies)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What: Your priority date must be current in the Visa Bulletin to proceed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Timeline:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
EB-2\/EB-3 from India or China: Can take several years<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other countries: Often 1\u20132 years<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tip: Keep checking the Visa Bulletin monthly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 5: File Form I-485 (Adjustment of Status)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What: Once the priority date is current, file Form I-485 to adjust your status to permanent resident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Timeline:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Processing Time: 8\u201315 months<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You will receive a biometrics appointment, and possibly an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tip: You may apply for EAD (Employment Authorization Document) and Advance Parole while waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 6: Green Card Approval<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What: If approved, you will receive your Green Card (Form I-551), giving you lawful permanent resident status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Timeline: Approval can come within a few weeks after I-485 approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Visit https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/<\/a> for the most recent information, assistance, or more thorough instructions on how to apply for a green card outside of the United States. We are available to assist you at every stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more details CONTACT US TODAY! +918305233223<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Foreign professionals can come to the U.S. for up to 6 years with an H-1B work visa which<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"saved_in_kubio":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-green-card"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/main-qimg-ba12fa113f693c02fa824d15b43b7b98.webp",602,600,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/main-qimg-ba12fa113f693c02fa824d15b43b7b98-150x150.webp",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/main-qimg-ba12fa113f693c02fa824d15b43b7b98-300x300.webp",300,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/main-qimg-ba12fa113f693c02fa824d15b43b7b98.webp",602,600,false],"large":["https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/main-qimg-ba12fa113f693c02fa824d15b43b7b98.webp",602,600,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/main-qimg-ba12fa113f693c02fa824d15b43b7b98.webp",602,600,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/main-qimg-ba12fa113f693c02fa824d15b43b7b98.webp",602,600,false],"kubio-fullhd":["https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/main-qimg-ba12fa113f693c02fa824d15b43b7b98.webp",602,600,false],"morenews-featured":["https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/main-qimg-ba12fa113f693c02fa824d15b43b7b98.webp",602,600,false],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/main-qimg-ba12fa113f693c02fa824d15b43b7b98-602x575.webp",602,575,true],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/main-qimg-ba12fa113f693c02fa824d15b43b7b98-590x410.webp",590,410,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"Green Card<\/a>","tag_info":"Green Card","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=295"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":328,"href":"https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295\/revisions\/328"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpingreencard.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}