Business or Professional Relationship

Lawful Permanent Resident status is granted based on one of five "preferences:"

First Preference - This is for priority workers that are "the cream of the crop".  At least 40,000 first preference "Green Cards" are issued annually.  This category is broken into three "Employment-Based" classes of immigrants:

EB1-A   Extraordinary Ability - for those with sustained national or international acclaim for displaying extraordinary ability in the arts, sciences, business or athletics, Wayne Gretzky or Jim Carrey are examples

EB1-B   Advanced Degrees - for researchers and professors with exceptional ability and international recognition coming to the US to conduct full-time research for a company or university

EB1-C   Skilled Workers - for executives and managers of multinational company's who have worked in a Canadian affiliate for one of the past three years and now the US affiliate is petitioning for permanent status

Second Preference - Priority workers that the INS views as benefiting the "national interest" (help the economy, cultural, educational or general welfare of the US ) if employed in the US .  This is sometimes called the "national interest" waiver (company or institution doesn't have to petition in advance).  At least 40,000 second preference "Green Cards" are issued annually.  These are broken into two categories:

EB2-A   Advanced Degrees - for professionals with advanced degrees (or equivalent experience) and displaying exceptional ability in the sciences, business or the arts, proof of ability is not as strenuous as "first preference" category however, you must prove you are the only one qualified (or the most qualified person) for the position

EB2-B   Exceptional Ability - for those with more ability than ordinary folks in the areas of the arts, sciences, business or athletics, but don't have the extraordinary ability of the first preference category.  Defining ordinary vs. exceptional vs. extraordinary can be difficult.

Third Preference
Skilled and unskilled workers that don't fit into first or second preference areas.  At least 40,000 third preference "Green Cards" are issued annually, but no more than 10,000 to unskilled workers.  These are broken into three categories:

EB3-A   Workers With Degrees - for professionals with a degree

EB3-B    Skilled Workers - for those with at least two years of experience or higher training and education

EB3-C    Unskilled Workers - for those with less than two years of experience or higher training and education

Fourth Preference
Special immigrants that include religious workers or those who have worked for the US government abroad for 15 years.  At least 10,000 fourth preference "Green Cards" are issued annually.

Fifth Preference
This is the so called "Gold Card' or E-5 visa because it is for investors who establish a business in the US with an investment of $1M in a non-deignated area, or $500k in a USCIS designated area and employ at least 10 people.  This "Gold Card" is issued on a conditional basis for two years, when you file a petition to remove the condition because the investment has indeed been made. There are a lot of complications surrounding the Gold Card and only about 1,000 of the allotted 10,000 annually are approved.  We have direct experience with getting this visa and assist you through this tricky endeavor.