United States visa guideYour uncle got a green card in the nineties. Your path looks nothing like his.
Many families in Punjab have a relative who moved to the United States decades ago and later became a citizen. That story shapes what people expect. But the rules, the queues and the numbers have changed so much that the old story can lead you into a wait of many years without knowing it.
A green card is US permanent residence. It lets you live and work in the United States without time limit and, later, apply for citizenship. This page explains the real routes for a person in India, which ones we file, and where the queues are so long that you should know before you pay anyone.
The routes, and the ones we file
Family routes — we file these
If you are the spouse, the parent, or the unmarried child under 21 of a US citizen, you fall into the immediate relative group. This group has no annual cap. That means no queue for a visa number, though the application still takes time to process.
Other family groups, such as brothers and sisters of US citizens, have annual limits and wait many years. We will tell you which group you are in before you file, so you know what you are signing up for.
For an applicant living in India, the final step is consular processing. That means an interview at the US consulate. The Mumbai consulate handles immigrant visas for India. We prepare you for it. See dependent and family visas.
EB-5 investor green card — we file this
The EB-5 route gives a green card in return for an investment of US$800,000 in a project in a rural area or a targeted employment area. There are set-aside categories for rural, high-unemployment and infrastructure projects. As of the September 2026 Visa Bulletin, those set-aside categories are current for India. Current means a visa number is available now, so an Indian investor is not stuck in a queue the way other employment categories are.
We file the investor petition and the immigrant visa. We do not choose your project for you and we are not investment advisers; you must do your own due diligence on the project and its regional centre. Details are on our EB-5 page. Money sent from India falls under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme, so involve your bank and a tax adviser early.
EB-2 National Interest Waiver and EB-1A — self-petition routes with a long queue
Two employment-based routes do not need a US employer:
- EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) is for professionals with an advanced degree whose work has national importance to the United States. You petition for yourself.
- EB-1A is for people of extraordinary ability, shown by sustained recognition in their field.
Here is the fact that matters more than any brochure. In the September 2026 Visa Bulletin, the EB-2 category for India was unavailable, and the EB-1 India final action date was 15 October 2022. Check the current month's bulletin before you file. In plain words, even an approved petition waits many years for a visa number if you were born in India. Anyone selling you a “fast” green card through these routes is not telling you about the queue.
We can assess whether you fit EB-1A or NIW and file the petition, but we will not pretend the wait is short.
Employer routes — work visas we do not file
H-1B, L-1 and employer-sponsored green cards (PERM, EB-2, EB-3 sponsorship) all depend on a US employer. These are work visas. Lifeset Overseas does not source jobs, does not file work visas, and does not deal with employers. If someone promises a US job plus visa for a fee, treat it as a warning. If you already hold a sponsored job, your employer’s attorney will handle it. We can file for your family members when the time comes.
Where Indians lose years and money
- Filing in a category that is unavailable. An approved petition in a backlogged category is a ticket to a very long line, not a green card.
- Believing a visitor visa is a shortcut. Entering as a visitor and trying to stay creates problems that follow you for years.
- Weak family evidence. A marriage that looks arranged for immigration is examined hard. Real couples still get refused when the paperwork is thin.
- Unclear source of funds for EB-5. The investment must be traced to lawful sources with documents. Gaps here delay or sink the case.
- Mistakes at the consular interview. The Mumbai interview is the last gate. Answers that do not match the file cause refusals.
After the green card: citizenship and your Indian passport
A green card holder can apply for US citizenship after five years of permanent residence. Before you do, understand one thing that surprises many families. The United States allows dual citizenship. India does not. Under section 9 of the Citizenship Act 1955, your Indian citizenship ends when you take another citizenship. You would then apply for an OCI card, which gives lifelong entry to India but is not citizenship. Some people decide to keep the green card and not naturalise. That is a personal choice; we only make sure you know it in advance.
If you were refused
US refusals come in many forms: a petition denial, a consular refusal under a specific section, or a request for more evidence that was not answered well. Each needs a different response. We read the notice, explain what it means in simple words, and tell you whether a new filing has a real chance. See visa refusal help.
Keeping the green card once you have it
Permanent residence is not a passport. A green card holder who lives mostly in India and visits the United States now and then can be treated as having given up residence. If your plan is to keep a business in Punjab and spend long stretches here, tell us before you file. We will explain what long absences mean for your status and how families usually handle it.
Fees
Our fees are all-in with GST included. US government filing fees and consular fees are paid at cost. See pricing.
Talk to us
One call settles which category you are in, whether a visa number is available for that category right now, and what the first filing costs. If the honest answer is a very long wait, you will hear it from us before you spend anything. Call or WhatsApp +91 91155 80911. We file family and investor immigrant petitions and self-petitions; we do not arrange jobs or work visas.
Official sources
- U.S. Department of State — U.S. visas: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas.html
Fees and rules change; the official page always prevails. The guide above was written from our filing experience for Indian applicants; check the current requirements on the authority’s site before you book.
