Domestically Processed Green Card Approvals by Category

Accounting for over half of all domestically processed cases, family sponsorships far outpace employment and humanitarian green card pathways

Source: Manifest Law analysis of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data | Image Credit: Manifest Law

Family sponsorship dominated domestically processed green card approvals in fiscal year 2025, reflecting the central role family reunification plays in the U.S. immigration system. Of the 744,933 green card approvals processed inside the United States, 433,071, or 58%, were family-based. Humanitarian pathways accounted for 177,848 approvals, employment-based pathways accounted for 107,945, and all other categories accounted for 26,069. In practical terms, that means USCIS approved roughly four family-based green cards for every one employment-based green card processed domestically. The gap reflects how the immigration system is currently structured: immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are not subject to annual visa caps, while family-sponsored preference categories are generally capped at 226,000 visas per year, compared with 140,000 for employment-based preference categories.

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Which U.S. Cities Have the Most Family Green Card Holders?
Which U.S. Cities Have the Most Family Green Card Holders?
A new analysis from Manifest Law found that pending family-based green card applications reached 543,486 in 2025—the highest level on record and up 180% since 2015. The timing is notable. Recent USCIS policy changes signal a major shift in how many family-based green card cases may be processed moving forward, raising questions about what happens to the hundreds of thousands of applicants currently waiting in the system. Under the new USCIS guidance, many family green card applicants may be required to leave the U.S. and complete processing through a consulate overseas. Researchers analyzed USCIS family-based immigration data to identify the states and field office regions with the most pending family green card cases. The report ranks locations by total pending Form I-485 family-based applications, and highlights the communities that could be most affected by changes to family green card processing. 1 min