Green card for entrepreneurs: five routes to staying and which one fits

A visa is a temporary stay, with an expiry date, renewals and the question of what happens to your children when they turn 21. The green card is the right to live and work in the USA permanently. For entrepreneurs from Europe, five routes lead there, and each one asks for something different: recognition, a group of companies, a venture in the national interest, a job offer or an investment. This guide sorts the routes by the agencies' own rules and points you to the in-depth guides.

The green card's official name is the Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551. If you hold one, you are a Lawful Permanent Resident: you may live in the USA permanently, work for any employer, run your own company and apply for citizenship after five years. There is no application for entrepreneurs by that name. There are the employment-based categories of US immigration law, EB-1 to EB-5, and within them five routes that can suit founders, managing directors and investors.

Which route fits you doesn't depend on how successful you are, but on how the agency measures your success. One category asks about awards and press, another about a group of companies with a US subsidiary, a third about a venture that benefits America, a fourth about a position no American can fill, and the fifth about capital and jobs. This guide walks through them one by one, with the agencies' figures, and shows you where to dig deeper.

1Green card or visa: what changes

Most entrepreneurs come to the USA on a temporary visa: the E-2 as an investor, the L-1 as a transferred manager, the O-1 as a specialist with outstanding achievements or the E-1 as a trader. These visas are tied to a purpose. The E-2 depends on your business, the L-1 on your employer, and each one ends or has to be renewed.

A temporary visa does not lead to a green card on its own. For permanent residence you need an immigrant petition in one of the EB categories, which follow their own rules. Your visa can serve as a bridge if it tolerates the application: for the L-1 and the H-1B, the law states explicitly that applying for permanent residence is not evidence against temporary intent. For the O-1, the regulations say the same. On the E-2 and the E-1 you must keep the intention to leave the USA when your status ends; a green card petition alone, however, may not be a reason to deny your E visa.

One point weighs on many families: children can accompany you on an E-2 or L-2 only while they are unmarried and under 21. The green card, by contrast, is a status of its own for each family member. If you live in the USA with teenage children, you plan your route to the green card earlier than someone without children.

2The four questions that decide every route

Every green card application for entrepreneurs runs through the same four questions, even if the forms have different names.

Who files the petition? For EB-1A, the NIW and EB-5 you can file it yourself. For EB-1C and PERM, a US employer offering you a position files it. That can be an unrelated company, the US subsidiary of your company at home or your own US company.

Which category do you belong in? USCIS checks the requirements of the category, not your life's achievements in general. A successful baker with twenty years of experience is not an advanced degree professional for EB-2, because the occupation doesn't require a bachelor's degree. An engineer with a master's can be.

Is a visa available? The number of employment-based green cards is capped at a minimum of 140,000 a year. EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 each get 28.6 percent of them, EB-5 gets 7.1 percent. No country may receive more than 7 percent of all preference visas. When it's your turn is shown in the State Department's Visa Bulletin, more on that below.

Are you admissible? At the end, the consulate or USCIS examines you as a person: health, criminal record, past immigration violations. This check is the same for every route.

The table below shows the five routes side by side.

3EB-1A: extraordinary ability, no employer needed

EB-1A is the category for people with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics. You have to show sustained national or international acclaim: either with a one-time, internationally recognized award or with at least three of ten criteria. The criteria include prizes, membership in associations with high admission standards, coverage of you in trade or major media, serving as a judge of others' work, original contributions of major significance to the field, a leading or critical role in distinguished organizations and a salary well above others in the field.

What makes it interesting for entrepreneurs: no job offer and no labor certification are needed, and you can file the I-140 petition yourself. You do have to show that you will continue working in your field. In the November 2026 Visa Bulletin, EB-1 had no backlog for European nationals. How founders and managing directors document the criteria is covered in the guide EB-1A for entrepreneurs and executives.

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4EB-1C: the route for managers and executives of a group of companies

EB-1C is the permanent-residence counterpart to the L-1A. It is open to managers and executives who, in the three years before the petition, worked abroad in a managerial role for at least one year for the same company, a subsidiary or an affiliate. If you're already working in the USA for the US employer, the three years before your last entry on a temporary visa count.

The US employer files the I-140 and must itself have been doing business for at least one year. It doesn't need a labor certification, but it does need a written offer employing you in a managerial role and proof that it can pay your salary. For a mid-sized business with a company at home, this is often the most direct route: the company transfers you to its US subsidiary on an L-1A, and once the subsidiary has been in the market for a year and supports a genuine leadership position, the EB-1C follows. What that means for small and young subsidiaries is covered in the guide EB-1C for small and new US subsidiaries.

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5EB-2 NIW: the venture in the national interest

EB-2 applies to professionals with an advanced degree, meaning a degree above a bachelor's or a bachelor's plus at least five years of progressive experience in the field, and to people with exceptional ability, shown by at least three of six criteria. Normally it requires a job offer and a labor certification. With the National Interest Waiver, USCIS waives both, and you can file the I-140 yourself.

In return, the agency applies a three-prong test: whether your venture has substantial merit and national importance, whether you are well positioned to advance it, and whether, on balance, waiving the job offer benefits the USA. USCIS is clear with founders: the importance of the industry alone is not enough. Someone opening a car dealership doesn't prove national importance by arguing that car dealerships matter. At the same time, the agency recognizes that it is often impractical for an entrepreneur to secure a job offer for themselves. How founders build an NIW case is covered in the guide NIW for entrepreneurs and founders.

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6PERM: EB-2 and EB-3 through a job offer

The classic route to a green card runs through an employer. The employer offers you a permanent full-time position and, in the PERM process, proves to the Department of Labor that it advertised the job at the prevailing wage and found no qualified American applicant. Only with this labor certification does it file the I-140 with USCIS. If the position requires an advanced degree, the petition falls under EB-2. If it requires a bachelor's or at least two years of training or experience, it falls under EB-3.

The route is predictable, but slow. In October 2026 the Department of Labor was processing applications received in January 2026, taking 336 days on average. Before that come the prevailing wage determination and the recruitment. After that, you wait in EB-2 or EB-3 for your priority date. How the process works step by step and who has to pay for what is covered in the guide to the employer route.

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7EB-5: the investment that creates ten jobs

The EB-5 is the capital route. You invest in a new US business and use it to create or preserve at least ten full-time jobs for American workers. Since March 15, 2022, the investment has been $1,050,000, or $800,000 in a Targeted Employment Area (a rural area or one with high unemployment) and for infrastructure projects. For petitions filed from January 1, 2027, the law adjusts these amounts for inflation. You invest directly in your own business or through a USCIS-approved regional center.

The EB-5 first leads to a conditional green card valid for two years. In the 90 days before the second anniversary, you file Form I-829 to remove the conditions. In the November 2026 Visa Bulletin, all EB-5 categories were current for applicants charged to Europe. How the investment, the source of funds and the process fit together is explained in our guide Green Card through Investment.

Alongside it is the Gold Card program created by Executive Order 14351. It treats a gift to the US Department of Commerce, $1 million for an individual or $2 million when a company gives on behalf of an individual, as evidence for the EB-1A, EB-2 exceptional ability and the NIW. The petition is Form I-140G, and the USCIS fee is $15,000 per person. For the political context, see our article on the Gold Card.

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8The green card through your own US company

Many entrepreneurs ask whether their own US company can sponsor them. The answer is yes, but not every route works equally well. For the EB-1C, it is the intended employer, provided it is affiliated with your company abroad and has been doing business for a year. For the NIW and the EB-1A, you don't need it as the petitioner, but it is often the vehicle you use to carry out your plans. For the EB-5, it can be the business you invest in.

PERM is where it gets tricky. If the applicant owns shares in the employer, is related to its owners, or the company has only a few employees, the employer must show in an audit that the position was a genuine offer to the American labor market. A job the owner advertises for himself rarely passes that test. Our guide on the topic shows how to weigh the routes through your own company.

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9From visa to green card: E-2, L-1, O-1 and E-1

If you already work in the US on a visa, you are looking for the next step from your status. Every visa has a natural follow-on. From the L-1A, the route usually leads to the EB-1C (covered in our guide From L-1A to EB-1C); from the L-1B, through PERM or the NIW. From the O-1, the EB-1A is the obvious choice, since both look at extraordinary achievement, but the EB-1A is a separate review with its own criteria. From the E-2 and E-1, the options are the EB-5, the NIW, the EB-1A and, in some cases, the EB-1C if a company abroad stands behind your US company.

Our guides to the individual visas go deeper: From L-1 to Green Card, From E-2 to Green Card, From E-1 to Green Card and O-1 Visa or EB-1 Green Card. If you want to move from the E-2 to the EB-5, you'll find the details in Concurrent Filing and Switching from E-2 to EB-5.

The order of steps is what matters. If you want to stay in the US and apply for the green card there, you must maintain your status until you file. For EB-1 to EB-3 and EB-5, the law forgives status violations totaling no more than 180 days. And if you travel during the process, you may need travel permission, depending on your visa. Our guide gives an overview of all four visas.

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10Waiting times: Visa Bulletin and priority date

An approved petition does not yet mean you get the green card. You also need an available visa number. Your place in line is set by your priority date: with PERM, the day the Department of Labor accepted the application; without labor certification, the day USCIS receives the complete I-140. Every month, the State Department publishes two cut-off dates per category and country in the Visa Bulletin. If your priority date is before the Final Action Date, the green card can be issued. If it is before the Date for Filing, you may submit your documents, provided USCIS accepts that chart for the month.

Important for entrepreneurs with an international background: the country your number is charged to depends on where you were born, not your passport. Someone born in India with a European passport is in the Indian line, where the EB-2 Final Action Date in November 2026 was November 1, 2013. People born in Europe fall under All Chargeability Areas. The October 2026 bulletin also showed that cut-off dates can move backward when demand exceeds the new fiscal year's quotas.

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11Costs: the government filing fees

Government fees are fixed and public. For the I-140 petition, you pay $715 on paper or $665 online, plus the Asylum Program Fee: $600 for a regular employer, $300 for small employers and self-petitioners, as with the NIW or the EB-1A. If you want a faster decision, Premium Processing costs $2,965. USCIS then responds to most I-140 petitions within 15 business days with a decision or a request for evidence, and within 45 business days for the EB-1C and NIW.

For the green card itself, each person pays separately: in the US, $1,440 for the I-485 on paper; at the consulate, $345 for the immigrant visa plus the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee after entry. The EB-5 has its own fees, which rise on November 30, 2026. Our guide Costs and Timelines adds up what a family pays in fees on each route and how long each stage takes. Attorney fees come on top.

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12The process: adjustment of status or consulate

Once your petition is approved and your priority date is current, there are two routes to the card. If you are lawfully in the US, you file for adjustment of status with USCIS on Form I-485 and wait for the decision in the country. In EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3, you may file the I-485 together with the I-140 if your visa would be immediately available on approval. While the I-485 is pending, you can apply for a work permit and travel permission.

If you live in Europe, the process runs through the National Visa Center and the consulate. You submit Form DS-260 online, pay the fee, have a medical exam with an approved physician and attend the interview. You enter the US on the immigrant visa and become a permanent resident the moment you arrive. Which route is better depends on where you live, whether you need to travel during the process and what status you hold in the US.

13Spouses and children

In all employment-based categories, the family follows the principal applicant. Once the petition is approved, your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can receive the green card in the same category with the same priority date. They don't need their own petition, but each files their own I-485 or consular application and pays their own fees.

The age limit is where families stand to lose the most. If your child is 20 during the process and you face a long wait for your priority date, calculate carefully whether they will still count as a child at the end. That is one reason families with older children should seriously consider a route without a backlog, meaning EB-1 or EB-5, even if another route looks cheaper on paper.

14After the green card: taxes, travel, citizenship

With a green card, you become a US tax resident. The IRS calls this the green card test: anyone who is a lawful permanent resident at any point in the calendar year counts as a resident for federal tax. You then file returns with the IRS and your state on your worldwide income. If you hold a green card but keep living in your home country, you are dealing with two tax systems at once. Plan for this before you apply, not after; our US Tax Return service handles both sides.

The green card is meant for people who live in the US. As a rule of thumb, USCIS assumes you may have abandoned your status if you are abroad for more than a year; even shorter trips can be enough if everything points to a life centered outside the US. For longer absences, apply for a reentry permit before you leave; it covers up to two years. Absences of six months or more can also break the continuous residence needed for naturalization. After five years as a permanent resident, you can apply for citizenship; the path is explained in our guide Becoming a US Citizen.

In short

• Entrepreneurs have five routes to a green card: EB-1A, EB-1C, EB-2 with a National Interest Waiver, EB-2 and EB-3 through PERM, and EB-5.
• Without an employer, you can get there through the EB-1A, the NIW or the EB-5; the EB-1C and PERM require a US employer, which can be your own company.
• Besides the petition, the Visa Bulletin decides when you can get the green card: for applicants born in Europe, EB-1 and EB-5 are current in November 2026, while EB-2 and EB-3 have backlogs.
• The L-1 and H-1B are expressly compatible with a green card application, as is the O-1; with the E-2 and E-1, intent to depart remains a requirement, but a green card application alone is not grounds for denial.
• With a green card, you are taxed in the US on your worldwide income, and long stays abroad put your status at risk.

Frequently asked questions

What are the requirements for a green card as an entrepreneur?

It depends on the route. EB-1A requires national or international acclaim, EB-1C one year in a managerial or executive role at an affiliated company abroad, the NIW an advanced degree or exceptional ability plus an endeavor in the national interest, PERM a job offer with a labor market test, and EB-5 an investment of $1,050,000, or $800,000 in a targeted area. The table above gives you the overview.

Can I apply for a green card without an employer?

Yes, through three routes: you file EB-1A and the EB-2 NIW yourself, and with EB-5 you are your own petitioner as the investor anyway. EB-1C and PERM, on the other hand, need a US employer. That can be your own US company, with its own hurdles, which you'll find in the guide Green card through your own US company.

How long does it take to get a green card?

Three stages decide it: review of the petition, visa availability based on your priority date in the Visa Bulletin, and processing at the consulate or with USCIS. With PERM, the Department of Labor process comes first; in August 2026 it took 336 days on average. With premium processing, USCIS responds to an I-140 within 15 or 45 business days with a decision or a request for evidence.

Does my E-2 visa automatically lead to a green card?

No. The E-2 is a temporary visa and requires that you intend to leave the US when your status ends. A green card application alone, however, must not be a reason to deny your E-2. To make the switch, you need a separate route, such as EB-5, the NIW or EB-1A. More in the guide From visa to green card.

Do I have to pay US taxes with a green card?

Yes. Anyone who holds a green card at any point in the calendar year is a US resident for federal tax purposes and must file tax returns with the IRS and the state. That applies even if you still live in your home country in Europe.

How much does a green card cost?

Government fees start with the I-140 petition at $715 on paper plus the Asylum Program Fee. On top of that, per person, comes the I-485 at $1,440, or $345 plus $235 at the consulate. EB-5 has its own, higher fees. The full breakdown is in the guide Costs and timelines of the entrepreneur routes.

How we help you

• Visa RoadmapIn writing: which visa fits you and your family, prepared with the immigration attorney on the firm's team.
• Visa and Green Card ConsultationWhich route to the USA fits you, settled in one conversation.
• Visa Roadmap for Company FormationFormation and visa in one plan, so the company carries the visa.
• Form a CorporationThe US corporation (Inc) for growth, investors and your visa.
• Tax structureA clean structure between parent company and US subsidiary, or between you and your US company, coordinated with your accountant.
• Moving to the USAVisa, bank account, taxes and where to live: your move with Mount Bonnell Advisors.