Green Card Knowledge Base /Other Green Card Pathways
HUMANITARIAN & OTHER
Other Green Card Pathways
Asylum and refugee status, diversity visas, special immigrants and special legislative categories, and the distinction between historical codes and currently available pathways.
- Asylum / Refugees
- Diversity Visa
- Special Immigrants and Special Legislation
- Historical Codes
Recommended Reading Order
Read in numerical order;4articles will give you a complete framework.
- 01Asylum and Refugees: Two Different Routes to Permanent ResidenceBoth require at least 1 year of actual physical presence in the United States, but their starting points, legal obligations, and codes differ; neither is related to investment-based immigration.AsylumRefugeesAS6RE6
- 02Diversity Visa (DV) Basics: The Lottery, Annual Eligibility, and Filing TimingUp to 50,000 visas each year, with random selection; country eligibility is determined under each year's rules, and selection does not mean approval.Diversity VisaDVLotteryDV1
- 03Overview of Special Immigrant, Humanitarian, and Special Legislation CategoriesEB-4 special immigrants, T/U, VAWA, the Cuban Adjustment Act, LRIF, and others fall into different groupings; they cannot all be classified as EB-4.Special ImmigrantsEB-4VAWAT Visa
- 04Historical Codes and Current Pathways: Do Not Mistake Archival Records for Options Available TodayCodes in historical tables show that people obtained status in those ways in the past. They do not mean that applications can be filed today, nor do they mean that previously acquired status has been revoked.Historical CodesArchivesXB3Registry