United States · long-stay visa routes and official sources
6 routes tracked · last reviewed · every route links to its official government source
Long-term visa difficulty for United States: Hard (66/100, lower is easier). Most practical route: F-1 student visa / employer lottery work route.
Common questions
What is the most practical long-term visa route to United States?
Based on our July 2026 review, the most practical route is usually: F-1 student visa / employer lottery work route. Overall difficulty is rated "Hard" (66/100, lower is easier).
Can I move to United States without a local job offer?
Yes — 1 of the 6 tracked routes do not require a local employer: F-1 student visa. Each has its own income, funds, or admission requirements.
For quality schools and long-term career planning; interview and funds story matter, while visa-service locations and screening procedures can change.
Typical timeline / duration: 2-6 months
Apply to and be accepted by a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-approved school for an eligible academic or vocational programme.
Receive the school's Form I-20, register in SEVIS, and pay the required I-901 SEVIS fee before applying for the student visa.
Submit the visa application and required identity documents, then attend the consular interview with the Form I-20 and evidence supporting the study plan and ability to fund the programme and stay.
For specialty roles, but lottery and employer dependence make it uncertain; check cap rules, consular procedures, and the Visa Bulletin at the time of application.
Typical timeline / duration: 6-12 months
Have a qualifying U.S. job in a specialty occupation that normally requires a bachelor's degree or equivalent in a directly related field.
A U.S. employer or qualifying petitioner must file the required H-1B petition, with the certified labour-condition information and evidence that the role and beneficiary meet the specialty-occupation rules.
If the role is cap-subject, complete the applicable electronic registration and selection process before filing the full petition; cap-exempt cases follow different rules.
After petition approval, complete the visa or change-of-status process and work only in the approved employer, role, locations, and validity period unless a lawful portability or amended-petition rule applies.
For strong tech, arts, founder, or academic profiles; consular service and additional screening policies can affect timing.
Typical timeline / duration: 3-8 months
Show extraordinary ability in the sciences, education, business, or athletics, or extraordinary achievement in the arts, motion picture, or television, with evidence meeting the applicable USCIS standard.
Have a U.S. employer or qualifying U.S. agent file Form I-129 with the petition evidence, consultation or advisory material where required, and the proposed employment or itinerary.
Provide a credible work plan and evidence that the proposed U.S. activity is in the field in which the applicant has extraordinary ability or achievement.
After approval, complete the visa or change-of-status process and work only within the approved petition and validity period; an O-1 is not a general open work permit.
Investment, job creation, and conditional Green Card
An immigrant investor route requiring qualifying capital investment and at least 10 permanent full-time U.S. jobs. Mainland-born applicants must distinguish reserved set-asides from the heavily backlogged unreserved category.
Typical timeline / duration: Conditional residence for 2 years, then I-829 removes conditions
Investment amount: $800,000 in a targeted employment area or qualifying infrastructure project, otherwise $1,050,000; verify the amount and project classification before filing.
Reserved categories include rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure projects. Mainland-born applicants should compare the relevant set-aside category with the current Visa Bulletin before filing.
China-born queue: the unreserved category can have a long final-action-date backlog, so do not treat the ordinary category as immediately available.
File Form I-526E with evidence of the investment, the commercial enterprise, the job-creation plan, and the lawful source and path of funds.
After conditional residence, file Form I-829 during the required filing window and prove that the investment was sustained and the jobs were created or will be created within the permitted period.
A spouse and unmarried children under 21 can generally be included as derivative applicants; the filing must include each family member and satisfy the age and relationship rules at the relevant filing stage.
The route can lead to a Green Card, but it is not a passive purchase: project risk, source-of-funds tracing, job creation, visa availability, and immigration filings all matter.
Treaty-country nationality plus an operating U.S. business
A renewable nonimmigrant investor visa for nationals of a U.S. treaty country who invest in and direct a real operating enterprise. Mainland Chinese passport holders generally cannot apply directly because mainland China is not an E-2 treaty nationality.
Typical timeline / duration: Visa and admission period depend on nationality reciprocity and case; renewable while qualifying
Chinese passport question: mainland Chinese nationals do not ordinarily qualify as principal E-2 applicants because mainland China is not listed as an E-2 treaty country; Taiwan is listed separately, subject to its own nationality rules.
Treaty-country nationality issue: the principal applicant must be a national of a qualifying treaty country, and the U.S. enterprise must generally be at least 50% owned by treaty-country nationals.
Investment requirement: the capital must be substantial in proportion to the enterprise, committed and at risk, and already placed into the business or in the process of being placed irrevocably at risk.
Business requirements: the enterprise must be a real, operating commercial business and must not be marginal; it should generate more than a livelihood for the applicant and family or have significant economic impact.
The applicant must develop and direct the business, normally through ownership and control, or qualify as an executive, supervisor, or essential employee.
Renewability: E-2 is temporary but can be renewed while the treaty nationality, investment, business, and intent-to-depart requirements continue to be met; it is not a direct Green Card route.
Alternative citizenship route: obtaining a second nationality may solve the treaty-country requirement only if the nationality is genuine and the investment and business requirements are independently met; nationality-by-investment programmes require careful legal and due-diligence advice.
Startup parole for founders with a central and active role
A discretionary parole route for founders who play a central and active role in a recently formed U.S. startup with significant potential for rapid growth and job creation. It is not a visa and does not itself provide permanent residence.
Typical timeline / duration: Up to 30 months initial parole; up to 5 years total in two periods
Who qualifies: the entrepreneur must have a central and active role in a U.S. startup and be well positioned by knowledge, skills, or experience to help it grow.
Ownership: the founder must generally hold at least 10% of the startup at initial adjudication and at least 5% during the initial parole period.
Startup requirements: the entity must be a U.S. business formed within the previous five years, lawfully operating, and have substantial potential for rapid growth and job creation.
Investment/funding requirements: the startup generally needs at least $311,071 in qualified investment within the previous 18 months, or at least $124,429 in qualifying U.S. government awards or grants; alternative compelling evidence may sometimes be considered.
Only investment from qualified U.S. investors counts toward the investment threshold; founder funds may support the business but do not automatically satisfy the qualified-investment test.
Parole duration: initial parole may be granted for up to 30 months, with re-parole potentially available for another period if the startup continues to meet the growth and job-creation criteria; no more than three entrepreneurs may receive parole through one startup.
Work is authorised only for the qualifying startup. This is discretionary parole, not a conventional visa or automatic Green Card route.
Visa rules change frequently. Figures and requirements above were reviewed on the dates shown; always confirm against the linked official source before applying.