I arrived in the USA 3 years ago. I got in the country legal. I started working in a gas station as a casheir, now I'm the main manager. The owner trust me and I do everything for him, he travels a lot and I do all work from ordering merchancise, going to banks, opening, closing. Now he thinks to apply me to become a permanent resident , is it possible? He's 55 and has no kids, he consider me his as his son because I never let him down while working for him. And how long does the process take?
Thanks

Eligibility

There are four categories for granting permanent residence to foreign nationals based upon employment:



EB-1 Priority workers

* Foreign nationals of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics
* Foreign national that are outstanding professors or researchers
* Foreign nationals that are managers and executives subject to international transfer to the United States


EB-2 Professionals with advanced degrees or persons with exceptional ability

* Foreign nationals of exceptional ability in the sciences, arts or business
* Foreign nationals that are advanced degree professionals
* Qualified alien physicians who will practice medicine in an area of the U.S. which is underserved. Read more about this particular program.


EB-3 Skilled or professional workers

* Foreign national professionals with bachelor's degrees (not qualifying for a higher preference category)
* Foreign national skilled workers (minimum two years training and experience)
* Foreign national unskilled workers


EB-4 Special Immigrants

* Foreign national religious workers
* Employees and former employees of the U.S. Government abroad


How to Apply

If you are an employer wishing to sponsor (or petition) for a foreign national to work in the United States on a permanent basis, you must file Form I-140, Petition for Alien Worker. Detailed information is provided in the instructions for Form I-140. Filing requirements differ for each of the five categories.

The Department of State is responsible for providing visa numbers to foreign nationals interested in immigrating to the United States. To find out more about the Department of State's visa process visit the Department of State website for specific information on how to get an immigrant visa number.

To check the status of a visa number you can review the Department of State's visa bulletin.



Where do I apply

If you are an employer wishing to sponsor (or petition) a foreign national to work in the United States, a Form I-140, Petition for Alien Worker must be filed at the USCIS Service Center. Detailed filing information is provided in the instructions for Form I-140.

For EB-4 special workers, the foreign national or employer must file Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, with the CIS Service Center. Detailed filing information is provided in the instructions for Form I-360.


I'm not sure what your whole situation is, but you should visit this site.


Permanent Resident (Green Card)

Yeah I have read this before, but I'm not sure in which category I would be .

What did you enter the country as? Do you have a work permit?