Legal permanent residents can sponsor spouses, parents and unmarried children. Spouses and children of U.S. citizens are considered immediate relatives. Immediate relative are eligible for immediate immigration to the United States. Family members of legal permanent residents and siblings of U.S. citizens must often wait several years before they can live and work in the United States. You may also be eligible for legal permanent residency through your employment.
Employers often look abroad for the talent needed to help their businesses succeed.
Foreign-born people with extraordinary or exceptional ability in science, art, education, business, and athletics, and outstanding professors or researchers are highly desirable in the United States. They contribute to U.S. economy and society, and their contributions bring prestige to the nation. To qualify to sponsor a worker, an employer must show that there are no U.S. citizens or legal permanent resident workers who are ready, willing and able to perform the job for which the foreign-born worker has been hired. When the INS approves a visa petition for you, or the Department of Labor approves a labor certification for you, this simply means that you are eligible to apply for permanent residency. It does not mean that you are automatically a permanent resident.