Green Card Waiting Time by Country 2024

A "Green Card" is a U.S. government-issued ID given to foreign-born individuals who have legal permission to live and work permanently in the United States. Green cards, which are also officially called Permanent Resident Cards, are issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Although the United States has become more difficult to immigrate to in recent years, it has historically been both easy to immigrate to and the world's leading destination country for immigrants. As such, the Green Card system receives a high volume of applicants, who come from a vast range of situations. Individuals who wish to apply for a Green Card must be eligible under one of the eight general categories, many of which have a limited number of Green Cards available each year.

The Eight Categories of Green Card Eligibility

• Green Card through Family — Applicant is the spouse, fiancée, child/stepchild, parent, sibling, widow, or widower of a U.S. citizen.
• Green Card through Employment — Applicant has sought-after job skills or is investing heavily in a business that will create at least 10 full-time jobs.
• Green Card as a Special Immigrant — Applicant is working for a nonprofit religious organization, is a juvenile who needs protection from an abusive parent, is an Afghan or Iraqi national who worked for U.S. government, or meets certain additional criteria as an international broadcaster or employee/retiree of certain international organizations.
• Green Card through Refugee or Asylum Status — Applicant was admitted as a refugee or given asylum status at least 1 year prior.
• Green Card for Human Trafficking and Crime Victims — Applicant is a victim of human trafficking or certain other crimes and granted a T or U nonimmigrant visa.
• Green Card for Victims of Abuse — Applicant is abused spouse, child, or parent of U.S. citizen, Cuban native, or other lawful permanent U.S. resident. Special Immigrant Juveniles are also eligible.
• Green Card through Other Categories — Applicant meets one of several rare and specific criteria such as being an American Indian born in Canada, a foreign diplomat who cannot return home, or the winner of a green card lottery.
• Green Card through Registry — Applicant has lived in the U.S. since before Jan 01, 1972.

The Green Card Application Process:

1. An immigrant petition is submitted on behalf of the candidate by a sponsor—in most cases, a U.S. relative or employer. Some applicants (such as investors) may be eligible to file for themselves.
2. If USCIS approves the immigrant petition, one of two next steps occurs, depending upon the applicant's eligibility category and country of origin. Applicants in category F2A (immediate spouses, unmarried children under 21 years of age, often parents of a U.S. green card holder) typically proceed straight to the next step (visa adjudication, steps 5 or 7). However, applicants in the other family-based categories (F1, F2B, F3, F4) are typically given a priority date, placed on a waitlist, and told to watch the US State Department's monthly updates to the application date list. Applicants in employment-based categories (EB1-EB5) are usually processed straightaway, though individuals from China, Mexico, or Central America may be wait-listed in certain categories.
3. Application dates are assigned to each individual country/category combination (China F1, Japan EB2, etc.) and are nearly always dates in the past. However, as the USCIS assigns each month's allotment of immigrant visa numbers in each specific category, the application date is gradually moved forward. Once the application date in the applicant's chosen eligibility category is equal to (or more recent than) an applicant's priority date, the applicant is free to submit their additional required documents via one of two application processes—an adjustment of status (AOS) or consular processing—depending upon where they currently reside.
4. The first process (adjustment of status) is designed for applicants who have already legally entered the U.S. (for example, via a temporary work visa). These applicants file an adjustment of status application with the USCIS. (For the second possible process, skip to step 7.)
5. The USCIS receives the application and researches the applicant. A background check is performed and the applicant's fingerprints, photo, and signature are recorded. The applicant is interviewed and spouses and other sponsors may also be interviewed. Once the research and interview processes are completed, the USCIS makes its decision and mails either a rejection letter or a Green Card to the applicant's most recent address.
6. The second possible process, consular processing, is designed for applicants who do not yet reside in the United States (or who are otherwise ineligible for an AOS application). The process of screening and interviewing is quite similar, but is performed through representatives at the U.S. consulate or embassy in the applicant's current home country instead of by the USCIS.
7. If the applicant passes the screening process, they are issued an immigrant visa that enables them to travel to the U.S., where they are made a permanent resident upon their arrival and mailed a Green Card within approximately four months.

The Green Card Waitlist Explained — Priority Dates, Application Dates and How They Interact

Thousands of people apply for green cards each year. This volume of applications often results in months- or years-long wait times for applicants in most categories. To help manage applicants' expectations and streamline processing, the U.S. Department of State uses a waitlist system based around two specific dates: the priority date and the application date.

• Priority date — Represents the applicant's place in the virtual queue. The priority date is assigned to the applicant upon acceptance of their initial immigrant petition by the USCIS.
• Application date — Represents the virtual queue itself. The application date, which is nearly always a date in the past, is different for each specific country and eligibility class (say, India F3) and gradually moves forward in time as applications are processed. The U.S. Department of State releases a monthly visa bulletin that indicates the current application dates for each category and country-of-origin.

Priority dates and application dates work in tandem. When an applicant's application date has moved far enough forward that it is either the same as or more recent than that applicant's priority date, it is an indication that the applicant has reached the front of the virtual line. An immigrant visa number is available to them and they are free to submit their additional paperwork to USCIS (specifically to the Department of State's National Visa Center) and proceed with their application process.

The data below indicate the application dates for each country and category as of November 2023. However, the dates can change each month. Interested parties are encouraged to consult the U.S. State Department Visa Bulletin page for the most recent dates.

Family-Based Green Card Backlogs (November 2023 bulletin)

F-1: Unmarried Children (21 and Older) of U.S. Citizens

• General: 01-Sep-2017
• China (mainland): 01-Sep-2017
• India: 01-Sep-2017
• Mexico: 01-Apr-2005
• Philippines: 22-Apr-15

F-2A: Spouses and Unmarried Children (under age 21) of U.S. Green Card Holders

• General: 01-Sep-2023
• China (mainland): 01-Sep-2023
• India: 01-Sep-2023
• Mexico: 01-Sep-2023
• Philippines: 01-Sep-2023

F-2B: Unmarried children (age 21 or older) of U.S. Green Card Holders

• General: 01-Jan-2017
• China (mainland): 01-Jan-2017
• India: 01-Jan-2017
• Mexico: 01-Aug-2004
• Philippines: 01-Oct-2013

F-3: Married Children of U.S. Citizens

• General: 01-Mar-2010
• China (mainland): 01-Mar-2010
• India: 01-Mar-2010
• Mexico: 15-June-2001
• Philippines: 08-Nov-2003

F-4: Siblings of U.S. Citizens

• General: 01-Mar-2008
• China (mainland): 01-Mar-2008
• India: 22-Feb-2006
• Mexico: 14-Apr-2001
• Philippines: 01-Mar-2008

Employment-Based Green Card Backlogs

EB-1: Extraordinary People, Outstanding Researchers and Professors, and Multinational Executives and Managers

• General: No wait
• China (mainland): 01-Aug-2022
• Central America: No wait
• India: 01-Jul-2019
• Mexico: No wait
• Philippines: No wait

EB-2: Exceptional People and Advanced Degree Holders

• General: 01-Jan-2023
• China (mainland): 01-Jan-2020
• Central America: 01-Jan-2023
• India: 05-May-2012
• Mexico: 01-Jan-2023
• Philippines: 01-Jan-2023

EB-3(A&B): Bachelor’s Degree Holders, Skilled and Professional Workers

• General: 01-Jan-2023
• China (mainland): 01-Sep-2020
• Central America: 01-Jan-2023
• India: 01-Aug-2012
• Mexico: 01-Feb-2023
• Philippines: 01-Jan-2023

EB-3(C): Unskilled/Other Workers

• General: 15-Dec-2020
• China (mainland): 01-Jun-2017
• Central America: 15-Dec-2020
• India: 01-Aug-2012
• Mexico: 15-Dec-2020
• Philippines: 15-May-2020

EB4: Special Immigrants

• General: 01-Mar-2019
• China (mainland): 01-Mar-2019
• Central America: 01-Mar-2019
• India: 01-Mar-2019
• Mexico: 01-Mar-2019
• Philippines: 01-Mar-2019
• Vietnam: 01-Mar-2019

EB5: Investors

• General: No wait
• China (mainland): 01-Jan-2017
• Central America: No wait
• India: 01-Apr-2022
• Mexico: No wait
• Philippines: No wait
• Vietnam: No wait