Ask Sophie: How many employment green cards are available each year?

Ask Sophie: How many employment green cards are available each year?

Here’s another version of “Ask Sophie,” the tips column that solutions immigration-relevant thoughts about doing the job at know-how corporations.

“Your queries are crucial to the unfold of information that makes it possible for men and women all more than the environment to increase previously mentioned borders and pursue their desires,” suggests Sophie Alcorn, a Silicon Valley immigration attorney. “Whether you’re in persons ops, a founder or searching for a occupation in Silicon Valley, I would love to response your queries in my future column.”

TechCrunch+ users obtain access to weekly “Ask Sophie” columns use promo code ALCORN to invest in a a single- or two-12 months membership for 50{c024931d10daf6b71b41321fa9ba9cd89123fb34a4039ac9f079a256e3c1e6e8} off.


Dear Sophie,

I’m trying to figure out how lengthy I have to hold out for a inexperienced card.

I have two inquiries for you: How quite a few work green playing cards in just about every class are out there each year? How do I make sense of the Visa Bulletin?

— Standing By in San Jose

Dear Standing By,

Thanks for achieving out to me with your concerns! Prior to I dive into how many work eco-friendly playing cards are offered just about every 12 months, let me start out by providing a little bit of context on how the total employment-primarily based eco-friendly card allocation program works, such as precedence dates, the Visa Bulletin, backlogs and much more.

The green card course of action

Most employment-based mostly eco-friendly cards demand an employer to sponsor you. The only two work-based inexperienced cards that allow an specific to self-petition dependent on past or future work accomplishments (not expense) are the EB-1A incredible capability inexperienced card and the EB-2 NIW (National Curiosity Waiver) eco-friendly card.

Implementing for the EB-1A, the EB-1B green card for superb professors and researchers, the EB-1C eco-friendly card for multinational professionals and executives or the EB-2 NIW green card is frequently a two-step approach:

  • Filing Type I-140, the environmentally friendly card petition, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration (USCIS).
  • If or when a inexperienced card number is available, file Type I-485, the application to sign up lasting home or alter position, to USCIS if the inexperienced card beneficiary is within the U.S. If the environmentally friendly card beneficiary is outside of the U.S., the beneficiary need to file Variety DS-260 online, the U.S. Division of State’s electronic inexperienced card application.

Applying for the EB-2 superior diploma or remarkable ability environmentally friendly card or the EB-3 inexperienced card for qualified staff necessitates an employer sponsor to go as a result of an additional phase right before submitting an I-140: An employer must go by way of the PERM labor certification method with the U.S. Office of Labor. PERM certification is a time-intense course of action aimed at protecting opportunities, wages and the doing the job circumstances of U.S. personnel.

The EB-1B, EB-1C, and PERM-centered EB-2 and EB-3 eco-friendly playing cards all demand U.S. petitioners to sponsor you primarily based on a career present.

A composite image of immigration law attorney Sophie Alcorn in front of a background with a TechCrunch logo.

Picture Credits: Joanna Buniak / Sophie Alcorn (opens in a new window)

Availability of employment-based mostly environmentally friendly cards

At least 140,000 work-based mostly eco-friendly playing cards are offered at the commence of each and every fiscal yr on Oct 1. If any family members-dependent environmentally friendly playing cards from the preceding fiscal calendar year have been unused, all those are additional to the employment-dependent environmentally friendly card complete once-a-year restrict.

Just about every work-centered environmentally friendly card category is allotted a minimal of the overall once-a-year restrict.