If you are looking to potentially obtain a U.S. green card, you may have more options than you think. While the traditional routes, such as H-1B and F1 visas, are good options, they come with several challenges, including the potential for decades-long wait times. For this reason, you may be interested in exploring employment-based (EB) visas. There are five different types of EB visas, and each comes with its own set of requirements.
So, what makes the several EB visa types—from EB1 to EB5—different? The types of EB visas are a cornerstone of the U.S. immigration system, designed to attract skilled professionals, investors, and specialized workers who contribute to the country’s economy and diversity. Primarily to support employment-based immigration, the EB visa program focuses on both immediate labor needs and long-term national interests. Each year, the U.S. government offers about 140,000, split between the five different types.
Understanding the different types of EB visas is essential for anyone considering employment or investment-based immigration to the U.S. Because each is tailored to unique groups of individuals, finding the pathway that most aligns with your skills, career, and long-term goals can help ensure a smooth visa process.
This is where Peachtree Group comes into play. Our team has spent more than 40 years helping clients potentially obtain green cards through investment. Our experience with the EB5 visa system has seen us manage over $2.0 billion in transactions, helping thousands of investors navigate the complex immigration system to find the right pathway to permanent residency. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explain the five different EB visa types and why they may be right for you.
Before we go in-depth on each of the five types of EB visas, let’s first discuss the purpose of the EB visa types. These employment-based immigration programs provide a vital way for workers and investors to secure a permanent future in the United States while contributing to its economic growth and global competitiveness. An EB visa allows individuals the chance to leverage their unique qualifications to achieve their immigration goals.
For professionals looking to further their careers, the EB 1-4 visa categories can open doors to industries such as healthcare, technology, and academia. For investors, the EB-5 route offers the ability to turn a financial contribution in a U.S. business into permanent residency.
So, which path is right for your career and financial aspirations? Here's a quick breakdown of the five EB visa types.
EB-1: Extraordinary Ability, Outstanding Professors, Researchers, and Multinational Executives. 40,000 visas per year.
EB-2: Advanced Degrees or Exceptional Ability. 40,000 visas per year.
EB-3: Skilled Workers or Other Professionals. 40,000 visas per year.
EB-4: Translators and Religious Workers. 10,000 visas per year.
EB-5: Investent-based Immigration. 10,000 visas per year.
The EB-1 visa, often referred to as the “first preference” category in the U.S. employment-based immigration system, is designed for individuals who have achieved exceptional success or possess extraordinary qualifications in their field. This visa category caters to three primary groups:
For those looking for an EB-1A visa, they must demonstrate sustained national or international acclaim in their field, such as science, arts, education, business, or athletics. In other words, you have to prove that you’ve risen to the top of your field. Individuals in this category can self-petition, eliminating the need for a job offer.
For EB-1B visas, applicants must have at least three years of experience and be recognized internationally for their academic achievements. Additionally, you will need to have a job offer from a U.S. institution to teach or research.
Finally, EB-1C visas require that applicants have worked for at least one year within three years as a manager or executive at a top organization. Those who are transferring to a U.S. branch of the organization are eligible for this visa.
Compared to other employment-based immigration routes, the EB-1 visa comes with several benefits. One of the biggest is the potential for shorter wait times, as the category is not subject to the same backlogs as an H-1B for example. Your timeline could also be expedited further by EB-1 visas not requiring Department of Labor-issued certifications.
The second preference category is reserved for individuals who bring advanced expertise or exceptional abilities to the U.S., particularly in fields like sciences, healthcare, and technology. It is important to note that in certain cases, those with EB-1 visas could switch to an EB-2. With this said, though, the EB-2 type of EB visa is not for executives or professors.
Applicants for this type of EB visa must possess an advanced degree, such as a master’s or PhD. Candidates must demonstrate a level of expertise significantly above what is ordinarily encountered in their field. This can be proven through awards, certifications, or membership in professional associations. Additionally, you must be able to provide documentation from your employer(s) that proves at least ten years of experience in your field. A job offer from a U.S. employer is typically required, but there are exceptions.
Individuals whose work is deemed to be of substantial benefit to the U.S. can self-petition without needing a job offer. This is done through a National Interest Waiver (NIW). For scientists, entrepreneurs, and other professionals, this type of EB visa is particularly attractive.
For individuals who have strong qualifications in their field, the EB-2 visa offers the advantage of being accessible. Those currently holding an EB-1 visa may consider transferring to an EB-2 if their circumstances change or if they seek a broader eligibility framework. For instance, professionals who no longer meet the "extraordinary ability" threshold could qualify under "exceptional ability" or the advanced degree criteria.
The added benefit of the NIW option also helps certain immigrants expedite the process of earning employment-based immigration status. Like the EB-1 visa, the EB-2 can provide a more balanced pathway to permanent residency or full-time U.S. citizenship for highly skilled individuals.
So, what is the difference when comparing EB-1 vs. EB-2 vs. EB-3? While the three may sound similar, this EB visa type appeals to those who may not qualify for the higher thresholds of EB-1 or EB-2 but still possess valuable abilities sought by U.S. employers. EB-3 visas offer a broad range of opportunities, as they include skilled workers and professionals and even unskilled workers in industries where demand for jobs is still high.
Let’s start with skilled workers. In this category, jobs could include computer scientists, journalists, or graphic designers. Applicants must have at least two years of training or experience, which could be satisfied by post-secondary education. On top of this, you must have a full-time offer for a U.S. job and complete a Department of Labor Form ETA-9089 to certify your status.
When we consider professionals, the requirements are similar. Candidates must hold at least a U.S. bachelor’s degree (or a foreign equivalent) required for the position. A major difference is that they must also demonstrate that no qualified U.S. workers are available for the specific role.
Finally, for “other workers” or unskilled workers, you must demonstrate the ability to perform work for which qualified U.S. workers are unavailable. This typically requires less than two years of training or experience, but it is important to note that wait times could be longer for this group due to bigger backlogs.
The primary difference lies in the job requirements. Skilled workers require specific training or experience, often making their roles more specialized. In contrast, unskilled workers fill essential positions that do not demand formal training, such as roles in agriculture or hospitality.
The final employment-based immigration route for those considering EB visas is the EB-4. This EB visa type is a specialized pathway to permanent residency for individuals who fall into unique employment-based classifications. The fourth preference category provides valuable opportunities for those who may not fit into the three categories of EB-1 vs. EB-2 vs. EB-3 to still take control of their U.S. future.
This category supports “special immigrants” who fall into a few different job categories: religious workers, translators, broadcasters, and certain members of the U.S. government or armed forces who currently reside abroad.
The EB-4 visa provides an essential pathway for individuals whose roles contribute to the U.S. in non-traditional yet vital ways, such as promoting religious freedom, supporting international diplomacy, or aiding national security.
Unlike the four options above, which are focused on employment-based immigration, EB-5 is centered around investment-based immigration. This type of EB visa is perfect for those who want to combine their entrepreneurial ambitions with the chance to obtain a U.S. green card. Since the program is designed to stimulate economic and job growth in the country, there are a few requirements that investors must meet:
To qualify for this EB visa type, no previous business or educational experience is required. Anybody who meets the investment and job creation requirements can apply. And while conditional residency is granted for the first two years until you prove the value of your investments, you can treat this very much like having a green card. You’ll be able to live, work, or travel anywhere in the U.S.
Another big benefit of this type of EB visa is that your immediate spouse and any unmarried children under the age of 21 will be eligible as well. This provides you and your family with direct routes to U.S. green cards. You are also not required to have a full-time job offer or corporate sponsor, giving you more freedom and flexibility throughout your immigration process.
At Peachtree Group, our projects help you streamline this process. Our advisors provide expert guidance at every step, helping you through your initial investment and providing all relevant information about our projects and how investors are creating jobs. Plus, our global hotel partners allow you to invest in world-renowned brands such as Marriott, Hilton, and IHG. Want to learn more about how we can help you potentially earn your green card? Visit our website or fill out our contact form and we’ll get back with you right away.
What is the difference between the EB visa types?
There are five different types of EB visas. EB visas 1-4 are employment-based immigration visas, while EB-5offers a route for investment-based immigration.
What type of EB visa is right for me?
Choosing the right EB visa type comes down to several factors, including your career, level of education, and job experience. EB-5 visas are available to all who meet certain investment and job creation criteria.
Each month the US State Department publishes the official Visa Bulletin, which is the source for information on visa availability in the United States. It shows which approved immigrant applicants may move forward to obtain their immigrant visa based on the date the original petition was filed: If your EB-5 petition is approved by USCIS, you go to the Visa Bulletin chart to see if there is a visa currently available for you.
Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing are unchanged in the February 2025 Visa Update. However, Last month we mentioned the possibility of cut-off dates being established for reserved categories.
IIUSA, the trade association for EB-5 regional centers gave this analysis of the February 2025 Visa Bulletin, "In the January Visa Bulletin, the State Department issued a note warning of the possibility for cut-off dates to be established for Reserved EB-5 categories in the upcoming months. However, the latest Visa Bulletin confirms that no Final Action Dates or Dates for Filing will be required in February. Additionally, the February Visa Bulletin does not include any further warnings in its notes section, suggesting it is unlikely that cut-off dates will be established for the set-aside categories in March."
There are 140,000 employment-based green cards available each year, with specific limits for each “preference” category. US immigration law also sets limits on the number of green cards available based on the country of origin. No single country of origin can account for more than 7% of the green cards issued across all family-based and employment-based categories.
Although generally not an issue for most countries, this country-of-origin cap can create backlogs for EB-5 investors from China and India. (Generally, there are not enough EB-5 applicants from Mexico or the Philippines to create backlogs for those countries, which are the only other countries subject to the country-of-origin caps.)
Potential EB-5 participants should refer to the Visa Bulletin to understand whether there are visas immediately available for them after their I-526 or I-526E petition is approved. The chart for EB-5 from the latest visa bulletin shows the following:
This Visa Bulletin shows there is currently a backlog only for investors approved under the “old” EB-5 program, which was in place before the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (the “RIA”), effective on March 15, 2022.
For Chinese and Indian pre-RIA investors, the dates are July 15, 2016 for Chinese applicants and January 1, 2022 for Indian applicants. Investors from China and India who applied under the old program after the cutoff dates listed (July 15, 2016, for China; January 1, 2022, for India) cannot immediately seek to get their visa and move to the United States. They must wait for the listed date to move forward to their petition’s application date, generally known as their “priority date”.
Note it is only the “Unreserved” preference category in EB-5 that shows a cutoff date. The new reserved preference categories for EB-5 all show as ‘C’ or “Current”, meaning anyone who has an approved EB-5 petition related to the new reserved visas created by the RIA can start the process to immigrate to the US, even those from China and India.
Conventional EB-5 wisdom is that the country cap is calculated within each preference category, not across all preference categories. That would mean that no one country could have more than 7% of just EB-5 visas in any reserved visa category.
This is wrong.
In a US Federal Register announcement dated March 28, 2023, the US Government acknowledged they were calculating country caps incorrectly and outlined how country caps were to be calculated moving forward. Here is an article we have written to explain EB-5 visa country caps the confusion and why investors born outside of China and India can confidently choose between either a rural or high unemployment EB-5 project.
The cutoff dates do not move in lockstep with the real-world calendar. The last time the dates changed for China and India were:
The Visa Bulletin dates are calculated by the Department of State based on information they have from USCIS about approved petitions. These charts do not show the impact of petitions that may have been filed before now, but are not, yet, approved.
The Visa Bulletin is the end of the story. To know how long a would-be immigrant might need to wait, it’s important to understand how many petitions might be in process ahead of them.
Think of the Visa Bulletin like a toll plaza on a highway. It lists how long the line is at the toll booth and separates the line for specific countries that have a backlog. However, the Visa Bulletin does not show how many cars are on the highway on their way to the toll plaza. Those are the pending petitions. This information is generally not made public, but there have been efforts by EB-5 industry groups to get this information. We will provide our analysis of this information separately.
Concurrent filing is a mechanism where EB-5 investors already in the United States can send in some forms at the same time as their first Form I-526E application, instead of waiting until that application is approved. With concurrent filing, investors can fill out and send in both their Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) and their Form I-526E petition at the same time.
Generally, this will allow those investors to travel in and out of the United States without any other visa, and to legally work in the United States without any separate employment sponsorship or visa. These investors may receive these benefits while their I-526E petition is pending, NO MATTER HOW MANY PETITIONS MAY HAVE BEEN FILED AHEAD OF THEM.
In our metaphor, this means that it does not matter how many cars are on the highway ahead of you. As long as there is not, yet a line at the toll booth, you may apply for these benefits. Essentially, if you’re here, you can stay here.
Have questions about EB-5, visit our website or fill out our contact form.
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ATLANTA (May 28, 2024) – Peachtree Group ("Peachtree") has received its I-956F approval from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS"), the government agency that oversees the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, for the development of a Home2 Suites by Hilton in Boone, N.C.
USCIS adjudicated the I-956F petition for the hotel development in just five months.
"It is a testament to the due diligence of the Peachtree team that it was able to get the project approved so quickly, especially when the published processing time is over 15 months," said Adam Greene, EVP EB-5 for Peachtree Group.
Peachtree originated $21.7 million of fixed-rate construction financing over a five-year term for Narsi Properties to develop a 105-room Home2 Suites by Hilton near downtown Boone. This historic town, situated in the vibrant mountains of western North Carolina, is close to Appalachian State University, its 22,000-plus students and faculty, and numerous other demand generators including three of the most popular ski resorts in the state. The hotel is expected to be completed by Fall 2024.
"Construction is underway, demonstrating tangible progress and reducing initial project risks. Importantly, even as we raise EB-5 capital, Peachtree has bridged the loan, offering certainty of execution for the project and is maintaining an equity stake aligned with the same risk level as our EB-5 investors. This commitment ensures our interests are directly tied to the project's success, reassuring all stakeholders," said Greene.
The EB-5 visa program provides the opportunity for foreign investors to potentially obtain a green card in exchange for making a significant investment in a new commercial enterprise that creates jobs in the U.S. Under the program, foreign nationals who invest a minimum of $800,000 in a U.S.-based project that creates or preserves at least ten full-time jobs for U.S. workers are eligible to apply for permanent residency in the U.S.
"Peachtree Group launched its EB-5 program last year to provide an important financing tool that enables us to continue funding job-creating projects across the country," said Greg Friedman, Peachtree's CEO and managing principal. "This hotel development is expected to create roughly 328 jobs."
About Peachtree Group
Peachtree Group is a vertically integrated investment management firm specializing in identifying and capitalizing on opportunities in dislocated markets, anchored by commercial real estate. Today, the company manages billions in capital across acquisitions, development and lending, augmented by services designed to protect, support and grow its investments. For more information, visit www.peachtreegroup.com.
Contact:
Charles Talbert
678-823-7683
ctalbert@peachtreegroup.com