How to get residency in the US in 2026: every route

14 min read · Published 7 October 2026

Work visas, talent, investment, study and family: which statuses take the place of a residence permit, what they cost and how they lead to a green card

Free consultation

Key facts	2026
Instead of a residence permit	temporary visa status and the green card (permanent residence)
Work	specialty occupation visa via lottery, intracompany transfer, talent visa
Without an employer	green card for extraordinary ability or national interest
Investment	green card from $800,000, Gold Card from $1,015,000
Family	spouse, children and parents of a US citizen with no quota
Green card application inside the US	$1,440
Citizenship	after 5 years with a green card, 3 years if married to a citizen

Data checked: 07.10.2026

The US has no residence permit in the usual sense. There are two levels. The first is temporary status on a visa for a specific purpose: working for a US employer, study, exchange, business investment. It lasts as long as the basis does and gives no right to stay for good. The second is the green card, or permanent residence: you can live and work anywhere and apply for citizenship after 5 years.

Most people move in two steps: a temporary visa first, then a green card through an employer, talent, family or investment. There are also direct routes to a green card from abroad: talent without an employer, investment, or marriage to a citizen.

In 2026 the rules have become noticeably stricter: employers pay a fee of up to $100,000 for new specialists hired from abroad, a new public charge rule applies from 18 September, and consuls look harder at income and the purpose of travel. Below are all the routes in one table, then each in turn, fees, common refusals, restrictions for certain nationalities and the path to citizenship.

We will work out online the investment or income your family needs and what the permit costs for each member.

Calculate online

Every way to get residency in the US: comparison

Route	Main condition	From	Processing time	Details
Specialty occupation visa	degree, employer and a lottery win	$215 registration, employer pays the fees	lottery in March, work from 1 October	our guide
Intracompany transfer	a year with a group company abroad in the last 3 years	employer pays the fees	from 15 working days with premium processing	-
O-1 talent visa	3 of 8 criteria of acclaim and an employer or agent	$1,055 petition	from 15 working days with premium processing	our guide
Extraordinary ability green card	extraordinary ability, self-petition	$715 plus a $300 fee	petition from 15 working days, then a visa queue	our guide
National interest green card	advanced degree or exceptional ability and an important project	$715 plus a $300 fee	petition from 45 working days with premium processing, then a queue	our guide
Investor green card	an investment that creates 10 jobs	$800,000 in a targeted area	from a year for the petition	our guide
Gold Card	a gift to the government and a source of funds check	$1,015,000	promised in weeks, longer in practice	our guide
Study	admission and funds for the first year	$350 fee plus $185 application	up to 2 months including the appointment	-
Family	spouse, children under 21 or parents of a US citizen	$675 petition	from a year	-

"From" is the petition fee or minimum investment per applicant. Processing time is for the petition; after it there is often a wait for a visa number and a consular interview.

Employment: the specialty occupation lottery and intracompany transfer

The specialty occupation visa is for working for a US employer in a role that requires a degree. The employer registers the candidate in an annual lottery in March: 65,000 visas a year plus 20,000 for graduates of US master's programmes. Registration costs $215; winners file a petition and start work on 1 October. The visa is issued for 3 years and extended for another 3, during which the employer can start a green card case.

Since 21 September 2025 employers pay an extra $100,000 for a petition for a new worker who is outside the US. In September 2026 the fee was extended to 21 September 2027, but its legality is being challenged in court: in July 2026 an appeals court barred the immigration service from collecting it. The fee does not apply to a change of status inside the US, for example from a student visa.

The second employment route is an intracompany transfer. If you have worked for at least a year out of the last three as a manager or key specialist at a foreign company in the same group, the US branch can transfer you. Managers get up to 7 years and specialists up to 5, and managers have a short route to a green card with no lottery and no labour market test.

Some nationalities have their own work visas: a professional visa for Canadians and Mexicans, a lottery-free equivalent of the specialty occupation visa for Australians and a separate quota for citizens of Chile and Singapore.

Talent: the O-1 visa and a green card without an employer

The O-1 visa is for people of extraordinary ability in science, business, education, sport and the arts. You must meet at least 3 of 8 criteria: awards, published material about you, membership of professional associations, high pay, judging the work of others, an original contribution to your field. An employer or agent files the petition; the fee is $1,055. The visa lasts up to 3 years and can be extended any number of times. Details are in our guide to the O-1 talent visa.

A talent-based green card can also be obtained without an employer by petitioning for yourself. The first category is for people with extraordinary ability recognised nationally or internationally. The second is for professionals with an advanced degree or exceptional ability whose work is in the US national interest: you must show the importance of the endeavour, that you are well placed to advance it and why the US benefits from waiving the labour market test.

The petition fee is $715 plus an asylum programme fee: $300 for self-petitioners and small employers, $600 for large ones. After approval you wait for a visa number, which depends on your country of birth and is published monthly in the State Department visa bulletin. Details: green card for extraordinary ability and national interest green card.

Investment: the investor green card and the Gold Card

The investor green card requires $800,000 in a project in a targeted employment area (rural or high-unemployment) or in infrastructure, or $1,050,000 in any other project. The investment must create 10 jobs. Most investors go through regional centres, whose programme runs until 30 September 2027. A conditional 2-year green card comes first, then the conditions are removed. The key check is the lawful source of funds along the whole chain. Details: investor green card.

The Gold Card has run since December 2025: the applicant gives the government $1 million and pays a $15,000 fee, while a company sponsoring an employee gives $2 million. An approved applicant receives a regular green card in the first or second employment category. On paper a decision takes weeks, but in spring 2026 only a handful of applications had been approved.

The treaty investor visa goes to citizens of countries that have a trade or investment treaty with the US, for a substantial investment in their own US business. It is a temporary status renewed as long as the business operates, but on its own it does not lead to a green card. Start-up founders also have the International Entrepreneur Parole for up to 5 years.

Study and exchange

A student visa is issued after admission to a US university or school, with proof of funds for the first year of study and living costs. Before the interview you pay a $350 student tracking system fee and $185 for the visa application. Students may work on campus up to 20 hours a week during term, and after graduating for a year in their field, plus 2 more years for graduates of science and technology programmes.

Exchange visas go to trainees, researchers, teachers and programme participants. Health insurance is mandatory for them, and some participants must spend 2 years in their home country after the programme before applying for a green card or work visa.

A rule limiting student status to 4 years instead of the whole course of study was due to take effect in September 2026, but on 14 September a court temporarily barred its application.

Family: marriage, children, parents

Immediate relatives of a US citizen - a spouse, unmarried children under 21 and parents if the citizen is 21 or older - get a green card with no quota. The citizen files a petition for $675. A relative already in the US legally files a green card application for $1,440; one abroad gets an immigrant visa at a consulate for $325.

Spouses and children of green card holders can also move but wait in a quota queue. A citizen's fiancé or fiancée can get a 90-day visa, within which they must marry and apply for a green card.

If the marriage is under two years old when the green card is granted, the card is conditional for 2 years and the couple then apply together to remove the conditions. The sponsor signs an affidavit of support: income must be at least 125% of the poverty line for the household.

Without a job or investment: what the US does not offer

The US has no retirement visa, no residence permit for people living on passive income and no digital nomad visa. Buying a flat or a house gives no status, whatever it costs.

A tourist visa allows stays of up to six months per entry but no work and no permanent residence. Consuls and border officers treat long back-to-back trips on it as an attempt to move and may refuse entry.

Health insurance for a residence permit

For most US visas the law does not require health insurance. The exceptions are exchange visas, where insurance is mandatory, and student visas: universities almost always require their own student plan or an equivalent policy.

For a green card or immigrant visa, insurance matters indirectly: since 18 September 2026, under the new public charge rule, consuls and the immigration service assess whether the state might end up paying for your medical care and living costs. Employees are usually insured by their employer, and treatment without insurance in the US is very expensive.

Fees and timelines: what residency in the US costs

Item	Amount
Visa application for a temporary visa	$185
Specialty occupation lottery registration	$215
O-1 talent visa petition	$1,055
Employment or talent green card petition	$715 plus a $300-600 fee
Petition for a relative	$675
Green card application inside the US	$1,440
Immigrant visa at a consulate	$325
Student tracking system fee	$350
Citizenship application	$760

Fees are in 2026, per applicant. The investment for an investor green card, employer fees, translations and lawyers come on top. Our consultant will work out the total for your family in the chat.

Support up to your US visa and green card

In the US the file decides: which criteria you meet, how the project is described, where the money comes from. We pick the route that fits your career and budget, assess your chances before filing, gather evidence and reference letters, prepare the petition and get your family ready for the consular interview.

Our consultant will quote the cost of support in the chat.

Get a quote for support

Common reasons for refusal

on a temporary visa, the consul concludes you intend to stay in the US permanently
under the new public charge rule, income, health or insurance are judged insufficient
for a talent visa, fewer than three criteria or reference letters without specifics
the lawful source of investment funds is not proven along the whole chain
the marriage is judged a sham
past violations: overstays, unauthorised work, false statements on a form
errors in forms and an incomplete file

A temporary visa refusal can be repeated at the next interview if nothing has changed. That is why we analyse the reason and prepare a new file before reapplying.

Restrictions for certain nationalities

Visa services in some countries are limited, and nationals apply elsewhere. For example, Russian citizens in Russia can get US visas only to a very limited extent: temporary visas are usually processed in third countries, and immigrant visas for citizens of Russia and Belarus are issued by the US embassy in Warsaw. From 21 January 2026 the State Department paused immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries, including Russia; on 21 August 2026 a court struck the pause down and issuance resumed, but the State Department is appealing.

The treaty investor visa is open only to citizens of treaty countries, such as Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Ukraine, and to people with a second citizenship of a treaty country; Russia and Belarus are not treaty countries.

Since June 2025 a presidential proclamation has fully or partly barred entry for nationals of a number of countries in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.

Path to permanent residence and citizenship in the US

A green card is issued for 10 years and renewed, but it can be lost if you live outside the US for more than a year without a re-entry permit. A green card holder pays US tax on worldwide income.

You can apply for citizenship after 5 years with a green card, or after 3 years if you live in marriage with a US citizen. You need continuous residence, physical presence for at least half the period, English and a civics test. The fee is $760 for a paper application.

The US does not prohibit dual citizenship. More in our guide to US citizenship.

This topic in other countries

How to get residency in other countries:

FAQ

How do I get residency in the US?

Get temporary status on a visa - work, student, talent or investor - or go straight for a green card: through an employer, through talent without an employer, through marriage to a citizen or through investment from $800,000.

Does the US have residence permits?

Not as such. Their role is played by temporary visa statuses that last while the basis exists, and by the green card - permanent residence with the right to citizenship after 5 years.

Can I get US residency by buying property?

No. Buying a home gives no status. A green card is granted for investing $800,000 or $1,050,000 in a project that creates 10 jobs, or for a $1 million gift to the government under the Gold Card.

How much does US residency cost?

Fees run from $185 for a visa application to $1,440 for a green card application inside the US. Investment routes are the most expensive, from $800,000. Employers pay most of the costs of work visas.

Can citizens of any country get US residency?

Most routes are open to every nationality, with exceptions: the treaty investor visa is only for citizens of treaty countries, and since June 2025 a proclamation fully or partly bars entry for nationals of several countries. Some nationals apply outside their home country; immigrant visas for citizens of Russia and Belarus, for example, are issued in Warsaw.

Can I move to the US without an employer?

Yes: with a green card for extraordinary ability or national interest, through investment, the Gold Card, study or marriage to a citizen. An O-1 talent visa does not require an employer either; an agent can file the petition.

How do I get a green card through marriage?

The citizen spouse files a petition for $675, then the spouse gets an immigrant visa at a consulate or applies inside the US for $1,440. If the marriage is under two years old, a conditional 2-year card comes first.

After how many years can I get US citizenship?

After 5 years with a green card or 3 years in marriage to a US citizen, with continuous residence, English and a test on US history and government.

Don’t want to figure this out alone?

We handle the whole process end to end: we check your documents, match a program to your situation and give you honest timelines and costs. Ask your question in the chat: the free consultation starts right here. Legal representation before authorities and courts is handled by Murblz specialists together with locally licensed partners.

The Murblz consultant replies straight away in the chat on this page. Describe your situation and we will work it out together.