Permanent Residence
Foreign Nationals seeking to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis must obtain legal permanent resident status from the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Generally there are four methods of obtaining permanent residence in the United States: (1) an employment-based petition, (2) a family-based petition, (3) the Diversity Lottery, and (4) an application for political asylum. Obtaining permanent residence is a sometimes long and often complicated process. Persons seeking to obtain this benefit should be prepared for long waiting periods and many layers of bureaucratic red tape.

Employment-Based Permanent Residence
Overview: Foreign nationals seeking permanent residence through the employment-based channel have many considerations to keep in mind while pursuing and planning their application process. The first consideration is a determination of which Preference Category is appropriate for the particular applicant. The immigration law provides for several different preferences into which a prospective permanent resident may fall. The first preference category includes persons of extraordinary ability, outstanding researchers, and multinational managers and executives. The second preference includes persons of exceptional merit and ability, and persons holding a master's degree or higher. The third preference includes persons with a bachelor's degree or two years of training in an occupation, which requires two years of training as the minimum for entry into the field. The fourth preference includes all other workers.