The H-1B visa is the most popular non-immigrant work visa for the U.S. It is an indication that the holder of the U.S visa has an occupation that is desirable in the country and has completed extensive education and training. H-1B visas are given to people for a maximum of 6 years. They are required to return to their home country, after 6 years. The U.S. grants a grace period of 10 days after the H-1B visa expires for employees to make arrangements for their return or extend their stay.

 

What is the H-1B to Green Card Process?

 

Many H-1B visa holders want to become permanent residents of the United States, This will only happen when you get an American Green Card. Since the H-1B U.S. visa is of dual intent, this means that those who have it are eligible to apply for permanent residence.

 

The process of getting a U.S green card from the H-1B visa is called the H-1B to Green Card transfer or the Employment-Based Green Card. Aside from this, there are also other types of Green Cards such as:

 

  • Family-Based Green Card
  • Political Asylum Based Green Card
  • Adoption Based Green Card
  • Refugee Based Green Card
  • Diversity Based Green Card

 

For the Employment-Based Green Card, it can take months or years to get the Green Card. There are several steps required and agencies that require extensive documentation. Most of the agencies recommend hiring an experienced attorney because the procedure can become complicated. They can guide you through the deadlines for a smoother transition and the documentation.

 

How to Transfer an H-1B Visa to a Green Card?

 

Here are the steps for transferring from H-1B to Green Card:

 

  1. Getting PERM Labor Certification.
  2. Filing Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker.
  3. Filing Form I-485, Adjustment of Status.

 

Each one has its procedures and documents you need to submit, so the article will go through how you can complete each one. The most essential factor you need to know is that the Employment-Based Green Card process must be initiated by your employer in the United States. The employee or anyone else cannot start the process of applying for the Green Card.

 

Because of this, you need to find a U.S. employer willing to hire and sponsor you before you start the process of getting a Green Card.

 

Getting PERM Labor Certification

 

In 2005, the U.S. introduced the PERM to make it easier for applicants to get their Employment-Based Green Card. The PERM or Program Electronic Review Management System is linked to the Department of Labor (DOL). It is electronic, reducing the time it takes to apply as well as the paperwork.

 

Employers must file to get the PERM Certification from the DOL, to start the process of getting their employees a Green Card. This includes these steps:

 

  • Registering with DOL
  • Getting approval for a prevailing wage determination
  • Conducting recruitment processes
  • Filing ETA Form 9089
  • Obtaining PERM decision

 

Registering with DOL

 

Each employer who wants to sponsor a foreign worker to get their Green Card from an H-1B visa status has to register with the DOL. After completing the online form, they will get their user ID, password, and PIN number from the DOL in their email.

 

The DOL has created a guide on how to register online, which employers can follow.

 

Getting approval for Prevailing Wage Determination

 

The employer should be paying the prevailing wage to their foreign workers which is a requirement from the DOL. It means that they will be paying the full wage determined by the state and not paying them less. Employers can get the prevailing wage certification from the State Employment Services (SESAs) or State Workforce Agencies (SWAs).

 

They can file it to the DOL after they get the certification. The certification must be valid when it is filed.

 

Conducting Recruitment Processes

 

To prove that no U.S citizen meets the requirements, the employers must follow these procedures:

 

  • Place 2 newspaper print ads for 3 consecutive days, one of which has to be a Sunday. The ad has to be in a newspaper that circulates in the geographic area where the work will be performed.
  • They may place a national journal ad instead of one of the newspaper ads
  • In addition, they should also conduct another recruitment process such as:
    • Place a website ad
    • Conduct on-campus recruiting
    • Participate in job fairs
    • Place radio or TV ads, etc.
  • In any ad, the job title, detailed description, requirements, and employer name must be visible

 

They must hand in a report to the DOL to prove that no U.S citizen was appropriate for the job position after they conduct these recruitment processes. All the efforts of the employer to find U.S employees and the result must be included in the reports. They must also provide reasons as to why U.S citizens who applied were rejected. Employers should also prove that they considered these laid-off workers first before wanting to hire a new H-1B employee and sponsor them for the Green Card if they had laid off previous foreign workers.

 

The DOL reserves the right to oversee the recruitment process and monitor all activities. The employer should keep the files of the recruitment process for 5 years in case of DOL auditing.

 

Filing ETA Form 9089

 

The employer must file the ETA Form 9089 following the prevailing wage determination and recruitment. This form is the Application for Employment Certification. It can be filed either by mail or electronically.

 

The form should prove that the employer has fulfilled all requirements and that the job position is appropriate for the foreign worker to go from an H-1B to a Green Card.

 

Obtaining PERM decision

 

They can either approve or deny the PERM certification after the DOL officers will review all documents. In some cases, they might require an audit or additional documents to reach a decision. Applicants can expect a PERM decision to be made within 45 to 60 days of application.

 

Filing Form I-140

 

The next step to go from H-1B to a Green Card is to file Form I-140 or the Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker. This I-140 form proves that the employee will get the wage that has been advertised in the recruitment phase and that they are eligible to work and live in the U.S. permanently, after getting the PERM approval.

 

They will get a visa number which is accompanied by a date when the employer files Form I-140. The priority date indicates when the case will be processed. The employee can also file Form I-485 at the same time as Form I-140 if that date is current. When this happens, the process is called concurrent filing.

 

Filing Form I-485

 

The final step which concludes the process of H-1B to Green Card is for the employee to file for Adjustment of Status. This is done by filing Form I-485 or the Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.

 

This form will be sent to the USCIS which will allow the employee to work and live permanently in the U.S. as a legal person if approved. There are two ways to file for Adjustment of Status:

 

If within the U.S., employees only file form I-485 and do not need to follow any other procedures. They have to apply while they have a valid H-1B visa, that’s the only rule. They will have to return to their home country if the visa has expired. If the employee has an approved I-40 and their date is not current, is the only exception. Until the procedure is complete they will be granted unlimited extension in that situation.

 

If outside the U.S., employees will have to go through consular processing. Consular processing means that the employee applies for the adjustment of status through the U.S. Embassy at their location. These are the steps that need to be taken for consular processing:

 

  • After the employer petitions with USCIS and gets approval, USCIS sends the application to the National Visa Center (NVC)
  • NVC assigns a case number and sends it to the employer and employee
  • When your priority date becomes current, the NVC will send you the applicable fees to be paid
  • Then it will send you to complete the Affidavit of Support otherwise called a Form I-864 (costs approx. $700)
  • NVC will also send you to complete Form DS-3032 or Choice of Address and Agent. Those who are processing the H-1B to Green Card electronically will have to complete Form DS-261 instead of DS-3032.
  • After you complete these forms, you should send them back to the NVC for processing
  • NVC will then send you Form IV or Instructions Package for Immigrant Visa Applicants, which costs approximately $400
  • After reviewing all documents, the applicant is called for an interview. The accompanying family members should be there too, and prior to the interview, they should go through a visa medical examination.

 

Whether the applicant is in the U.S. or outside, USCIS will process the documents and information of their decision, after all the procedures. You will get a stamp in your passport and then later the physical Green Card if your application is approved. You will have successfully transferred from an H-1B to a Green Card permanent U.S resident.

 

Categories of Employment-Based Green Cards

 

There are around 140,000 people each year qualify to get an Employment-Based Green Card. No matter how big or small the country is, each country gets 7% (9,800 people) of this quota. There are 5 categories of employees who can file to go from H-1B to Green Card. Each one of them gets a share of that 140,000 quotas. The categories are as follows:

 

E-B1 or Priority Workers

 

The one which most people want to apply is the EB1 category but few would qualify for it. The priority dates are usually current so they get processed quite quickly. Those who qualify for E-B1 are:

 

  • Exceptional professors and researchers
  • Managers and executives
  • Those with extraordinary abilities in business, arts, sciences, education, or athletics

 

Each country gets 2,802 of these visas plus the visas not used for E-B4 and EB5.

 

E-B2 or Professionals with exceptional ability or advanced degrees

 

Annually around 2,802 visas plus those not used for E-B1 are given to E-B2 applicants. These include:

 

  • Those with extraordinary abilities in art, business, and science
  • Those with advanced degrees (Masters or Ph.D. degrees)
  • Physicians who will serve in underserved areas in the U.S

 

E-B3 or Skilled/Professional Workers

 

This category gets another 2,802 visas plus those not used by E-B2. The following qualify for an EB3 Green Card:

 

  • Those with Bachelor Degrees
  • Skilled workers who have a minimum of two years of experience or training
  • Unskilled workers

 

E-B4 or Special Immigrants

 

The E-B4 category gets 695 visas annually and those who qualify are:

 

  • Those who are working or have previously worked for the U.S government abroad
  • Religious workers
  • Those who work for the U.S Armed Forces as translators

 

E-B5 or Investors

 

The E-B5 category is reserved for no more than 3,000 U.S. visas. At least 10 full-time jobs in the U.S. and investing from $500,000 to $ 1,000,000 in the U.S. economy are investors who qualify.

 

H-1B to Green Card Fees

 

Getting an Employment-Based Green Card is expensive. It includes fees to be paid both from the employer or sponsor and the employee. These are the fees that need to be paid:

 

  • Attorney Fees – Employers have to pay $2,000 to $5,000 for the attorney to file the PERM certification. A few thousand dollars are also required for them to file the I-140 and I-485 forms. The fees for these two forms can be paid by the employer or employee.
  • Advertisement fees – which depend on the state and medium used to advertise for the job position. Fees range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. These fees must be paid by the employer.
  • Application fees – The I-140 application fee is $580 and the I-485 is $1,070 for each employee. These fees can be paid by either the employee or employer.

 

In general, applying to get a Green Card from an H-1B visa could cost up to $10,000. However, once approved, the person is allowed to live and work in the U.S. permanently.