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E21
CATEGORYCategory Code on the Card

Professionals holding advanced degrees (consular admission)

Professionals holding advanced degrees (consular admission)

◌ Pending reviewPathway availableCode source confirmedAdmission as a permanent resident following consular immigrant visa processingPrincipal applicantPermanent resident
UNITED STATES OF AMERICAPERMANENT RESIDENTSurname—Given Name—USCIS#—Country of Birth—Date of Birth—Card Expires:—Resident Since—CategoryE21Sex—TEACHING SAMPLE · NOT A VALID DOCUMENT
Cartoon category illustration, not an actual document
01Immigrant Category
Employment-based immigration—EB-2—advanced-degree professionals (no longer subdivided)
02Method of Obtaining Status
Admission as a permanent resident following consular immigrant visa processing
03Applicant Role
Principal applicant
04Nature of Residency
Permanent resident

Code source:Code source confirmed

This code appears in an official code table or official announcement; this establishes only that the code exists, not that all fields have been verified or that applications are currently open.

Notes on Code and Data Sources

Availability status (code and pathway assessed separately)

Code status

Available in official code tables/announcements

The code's presence in official materials proves only that the code exists; it does not indicate whether the pathway is open.

Underlying pathway status

Pathway available

Both the current official eligibility page and the code-table row have been checked and confirm that applications may be made under this pathway; this does not mean that any individual qualifies or will be approved, and a visa number must still be available.

Pathway:EB-2 Second-Preference Employment-Based Immigration (Including NIW)。USCIS EB-2 page: Advanced-degree professionals, exceptional ability, and the national interest waiver remain current; spouses and children may derive status. Evidence valid through 2026-12-31.

Verification date2026-10-11; independent of the difficulty-of-obtaining-status score; the absence of a score does not affect this status.

Not all of the following working fields have completed legal review. See the newly added verification for the current status of the pathway; unverified fields, such as translated names and legal authorities, are not thereby elevated to verified status, nor does this constitute individualized legal advice.

02One-Sentence Status Summary

Professionals holding advanced degrees (consular admission)

05Pathway Family and Related Immigration Pathways

Pathway family (working classification):Employment-based immigration—EB-2—advanced-degree professionals (no longer subdivided)

Correspondence to specific subpathwaysUnsubstantiated / Pending Review: This edition retains only the working pathway-family classification provided by the source catalog.

Difficulty-of-Obtaining Scorev1

—/ 99
Difficulty Not yet assessedPathway available

This site has not yet established a vetted factual assessment for this pathway; no inference is made from the code number.

An assessment under this site's editorial rules, not a government score, probability of approval, or individualized legal conclusion.Scoring Methodology

06Applicant Role

Source catalog's working classification:Principal applicant

07Method of Obtaining Status

Source catalog's working classification:Admission as a permanent resident following consular immigrant visa processing

08Conditional Resident Status and Permanent Nature of Residence

Unsubstantiated / Pending Review：The source catalog does not specify conditional resident status for each entry.

Residence category (working classification):Permanent resident

09Principal Applicant / Derivative Relationship

Distinction Between EB-2 Advanced-Degree Professional Principal Applicants and Derivative Family Members

The four derivative definitions for E22/E27/E23/E28 all read “spouses/children of E21 or E26”; the source does not specify which particular principal applicant code the derivative status is based on.

Verification of a Newly Added Pathway:Pathway available

Both the current official eligibility page and the code-table row have been checked and confirm that applications may be made under this pathway; this does not mean that any individual qualifies or will be approved, and a visa number must still be available.

USCIS EB-2 page: Advanced-degree professionals, exceptional ability, and the national interest waiver remain current; spouses and children may derive status.

Verification2026-10-11· Valid through2026-12-31 · eb2

Limitations of the Original Relationship Snapshot

The source is the DHS/OHSS master COA table's directory of definitions and establishes only that the definition exists; OHSS does not provide an active status, and whether the status can still be newly obtained requires separate verification of the governing legal authority.(As of the original snapshot, not a current conclusion)

This code belongs to a “set of possible principal applicants”Source-linked · pending review (set of multiple principal applicants)

Derivative codeE22（Spouse) has a principal applicant who is one member of the following set; the source does not specify which one:

The official definition of E26 establishes only “Professionals holding advanced degrees, adjustments”. E26 alone does not establish whether the principal applicant pursued the PERM labor certification pathway, the NIW national interest waiver pathway, or another more specific subpathway.

This code belongs to a “set of possible principal applicants”Source-linked · pending review (set of multiple principal applicants)

Derivative codeE27（Spouse) has a principal applicant who is one member of the following set; the source does not specify which one:

The official definition of E26 establishes only “Professionals holding advanced degrees, adjustments”. E26 alone does not establish whether the principal applicant pursued the PERM labor certification pathway, the NIW national interest waiver pathway, or another more specific subpathway.

This code belongs to a “set of possible principal applicants”Source-linked · pending review (set of multiple principal applicants)

Derivative codeE23（Children) has a principal applicant who is one member of the following set; the source does not specify which one:

The official definition of E26 establishes only “Professionals holding advanced degrees, adjustments”. E26 alone does not establish whether the principal applicant pursued the PERM labor certification pathway, the NIW national interest waiver pathway, or another more specific subpathway.

This code belongs to a “set of possible principal applicants”Source-linked · pending review (set of multiple principal applicants)

Derivative codeE28（Children) has a principal applicant who is one member of the following set; the source does not specify which one:

The official definition of E26 establishes only “Professionals holding advanced degrees, adjustments”. E26 alone does not establish whether the principal applicant pursued the PERM labor certification pathway, the NIW national interest waiver pathway, or another more specific subpathway.

  • The relationships in this version come only from the verbatim definitions in the source text; no principal/derivative relationship is inferred from code prefixes or suffixes, numerical magnitude, or adjacent numbering.
  • “Principal applicant / derivative” describes only the classification in the source directory at the time permanent resident status is obtained; it does not mean that, after becoming an LPR, the principal applicant retains any ongoing control over family members' status.
  • The OHSS master table establishes only the existence of a definitions catalog; it does not automatically establish that status under the code can still be newly obtained today.
  • Relationships marked “Source-linked · pending review” have not yet undergone completed independent legal review and are listed solely according to the original source text.

04Time Period and Evidentiary Limits on “Whether It Can Still Be Newly Obtained Today”

Time-period notation:OHSS master table combining current and historical entries (status not identified by OHSS)

Verification of a Newly Added Pathway:Pathway available

Both the current official eligibility page and the code-table row have been checked and confirm that applications may be made under this pathway; this does not mean that any individual qualifies or will be approved, and a visa number must still be available.

USCIS EB-2 page: Advanced-degree professionals, exceptional ability, and the national interest waiver remain current; spouses and children may derive status.

Verification2026-10-11· Valid through2026-12-31 · eb2

Status recorded at the time of the original snapshot (not a conclusion about current status)
  • The source does not provide an active status; whether the status can still be newly obtained requires item-by-item verification of the governing legal authority.

Fields that were unverified at the time of the original snapshot remain unchanged. See the newly added pathway verification for current status; other fields are not thereby elevated to verified status.

03Official English and Chinese Working Translation

  • Professionals holding advanced degrees, new arrivals

    Working Chinese name (translated): Professionals holding advanced degrees (consular admission)

10Same-Code / Cross-Era Notice

The source does not flag any risk of cross-era confusion.

The same code may have different meanings in different eras. The source and era are preserved for each entry below; entries are not merged across eras, nor does their inclusion indicate current validity.

  • E21OHSS master table combining current and historical entries (status not identified by OHSS)OHSS-0137-E21

    Professionals holding advanced degrees, new arrivals

    Official Grouping
    Immigration for Employment
    Legal Authority
    INA 203(b)(2).
    Original Snapshot Notes (Not Current Status)

    The OHSS page does not provide an active/status field; the existence of a source does not mean the pathway is currently open; the same code also appears in the current consular immigrant visa table in 22 CFR 42.11.

11General Limitations for Existing Holders

  • Discontinuation of a code does not automatically revoke LPR status previously lawfully obtained; an individual's status still depends on subsequent facts.

This page compiles code reference materials. It does not constitute legal advice or determine any individual's current immigration status.

01Code and Original Source Notation

Normalized code:E21

The source contains no other notation differing from the normalized code.

12Sources, Dates, and Review Status (Entry by Entry)

  • OHSS-0137-E21

    DHS/OHSS COA master table · accessed 2026-08-12

    Original snapshot review status:Official English and working Chinese fields reviewed; whether the pathway is open remains subject to separate verification against legal sources(As recorded at the time; for current status, see the newly added pathway verification below)

    • ✓ Original English text：Verified as matching the official English original
    • · Chinese name：Working Chinese translation, not subjected to word-by-word legal review
    • ✓ Legal Authority：Legal authority checked against the official original text
    • · Status in the original snapshot：Current availability was not officially confirmed in the original snapshot only; see the added pathway verification for current status.
    • ✓ Applicant Role：Role supported by an official label
    • ✓ Method of Obtaining Status：Method of obtaining status supported by an official label
    • · Status category：Listed in the official LPR code table (conditional status not separately verified)

    Verification of a Newly Added Pathway:Pathway available

    Both the current official eligibility page and the code-table row have been checked and confirm that applications may be made under this pathway; this does not mean that any individual qualifies or will be approved, and a visa number must still be available.

    USCIS EB-2 page: Advanced-degree professionals, exceptional ability, and the national interest waiver remain current; spouses and children may derive status.

    Verification2026-10-11· Valid through2026-12-31 · eb2

READING NOTES / Scope of Reading

AboutE21, you may want to know

Green Card Knowledge Base / RELATED READING

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