The processing time for an employment-based green card varies depending on the category (EB-1, EB-2, EB-3), the applicant's country of origin, and whether a labor certification (PERM) is required. On average, it can take 1 to 3 years, but for applicants from countries with high demand, like India or China, it may take several additional years due to visa backlogs.

Generally, the green card timeline includes several steps: PERM labor certification (4–8 months), I-140 immigrant petition (6–9 months), and I-485 adjustment of status or consular processing (8–14 months). These steps may overlap or be delayed depending on case specifics, making the total process range from 1 year to more than a decade.

If you're applying under the EB-1 category (for individuals with extraordinary ability, outstanding professors/researchers, or multinational executives), you may receive your green card in as little as 6 to 12 months, provided there’s no visa backlog and premium processing is used for the I-140.