How do we get a green card and US citizenship?
Most British people arrive on a temporary visa. A green card (lawful permanent residence) lets you live and work in the US indefinitely and is the step before citizenship. Here are the usual routes, and the rules that catch people out.
In 30 seconds
- Common routes are an employer sponsoring you, your own petition if you’re exceptional or your work is in the national interest, or marriage to a US citizen. Waits depend on the category and can be long
- A green card can be lost if you live abroad. Trips of over a year normally need a reentry permit before you leave
- You can apply for citizenship after 5 years as a green card holder, or 3 if married to a US citizen. The fee is $710 online, and the UK lets you keep British citizenship
Citizenship5 yearsAs a green card holder (3 if married to a citizen)
Time in the US30 monthsAt least, in those 5 years
N-400 fee$710About £526 online; $760 on paper
Civics test12 of 20Correct answers needed, 2025 test
Routes to a green card
| Route | How it works |
|---|---|
| Employer sponsorship (EB-2 or EB-3) | Usually your employer first proves to the Department of Labor that no suitable US worker is available (PERM labour certification), then files an I-140 petition. It often takes 1 to 3 years or more, depending on your category and the queue |
| Extraordinary ability (EB-1A) | For people with sustained national or international acclaim. You can petition for yourself, with no employer |
| Multinational manager (EB-1C) | For many L-1A managers and executives transferred by a multinational. No labour certification needed |
| National interest waiver (EB-2 NIW) | For people with an advanced degree or exceptional ability whose work benefits the US. You can petition for yourself |
| Family | A US citizen can sponsor a spouse, parent (if the citizen is 21 or over), child or sibling. A green card holder can sponsor a spouse and unmarried children. Spouses of citizens don’t wait in a queue |
| Diversity Visa lottery | People born in Great Britain usually can’t enter, but people born in Northern Ireland can. Check each year’s rules |
Each category has a queue set by your country of birth, published monthly in the State Department’s Visa Bulletin. British-born applicants usually fall in the shortest “all other countries” queues, but some categories still have waits. If you married within 2 years of getting your green card, it’s a 2-year conditional card, and you file Form I-751 to remove the conditions. Policies and processing change often: check USCIS, and use an immigration attorney.
What a green card gives you
- Live and work in the US indefinitely, for any employer or for yourself
- Sponsor your spouse and unmarried children
- Count time towards citizenship
- You can’t vote in federal elections, and some government jobs need citizenship
- The card itself must be renewed every 10 years on Form I-90: $415 online or $465 on paper
- Men aged 18 to 25 living in the US, including green card holders, must register with the Selective Service System
Travelling as a green card holder
The US expects you to live here. Short trips are fine, but a long absence can lead officials to decide you’ve given up your residence.
- Trips of under a year: your green card and passport are enough to return, but border officers can ask about your ties, such as work, home and filing US taxes as a resident
- More than a year away: apply for a reentry permit on Form I-131 before you leave. You must file from inside the US, and it’s usually valid for 2 years
- If you stay away longer than the permit allows, you may need a returning resident (SB-1) visa or to start again
- For citizenship, a trip of over 6 months may break your “continuous residence”, and one of a year or more usually does
Becoming a US citizen
- Eligibility: 5 years as a green card holder, or 3 years if you’ve been married to and living with a US citizen for that time. You can file up to 90 days early
- Time in the US: at least 30 months physically present in the 5 years (18 months in the 3-year route), and 3 months living in your state or USCIS district before you apply
- Apply on Form N-400. The fee is $710 online or $760 on paper (a reduced $380 fee is available on paper for lower incomes). Biometrics are included
- Interview and tests: an English test (reading, writing and speaking) and an oral civics test. Since 20 October 2025, applicants take the 2025 test: up to 20 questions from a list of 128, and you need 12 correct
- Oath: if you’re approved, you become a citizen at an oath ceremony
A June 2026 proposal would raise naturalisation fees and end the reduced fee and fee waivers. It wasn’t final on 8 October 2026: check the current fee before you file. Fees may change
Dual citizenship, tax and children
- The UK lets you keep British citizenship when you become a US citizen, and the US doesn’t ask you to give it up in practice
- US citizens must enter and leave the US on a US passport
- US citizens are taxed on their worldwide income wherever they live, for life, unless they formally give up citizenship. This matters if you might return to the UK. See UK tax and property while in the US
- A child born in the US has long been a US citizen at birth. A January 2025 executive order sought to change this for some children of parents on temporary visas; it has been challenged in the courts, so check the current position
- A child born in the US to a British parent may also be British. Check on GOV.UK before applying for a British passport
Get advice from the right person. Only immigration attorneys and accredited representatives at recognised organisations can lawfully give US immigration advice. Beware of “notarios” and consultants who aren’t qualified.
What to do next
- Ask your employer whether and when it will sponsor your green card
- Keep a log of every trip abroad, with dates
- Diary your citizenship date: 5 years from your green card date, minus 90 days
Keep going
Sources
- USCIS: I am a lawful permanent resident of 5 years
- USCIS: Continuous residence and physical presence requirements for naturalization
- USCIS Policy Manual: Spouses of US citizens residing in the United States
- USCIS: International travel as a permanent resident
- USCIS: I-131, Application for travel documents
- USCIS: I-90, Application to replace permanent resident card
- USCIS: N-400, Application for Naturalization
- USCIS: Form G-1055 fee schedule (edition 10/01/26)
- USCIS: Form N-400 filing fees fact sheet
- Federal Register: Naturalization application fee adjustments, proposed rule (23 Jun 2026)
- USCIS: 2025 civics test
- USCIS: The naturalization interview and test
- GOV.UK: Dual citizenship