Abstract
The paper re-ranks green card difficulty using two rulers — scarcity of the pathway and difficulty of satisfying its conditions. Private bills, S visas, Registry, and cancellation of removal under 42B occupy the true summit; EB-1A and EB-5 are merely high thresholds that can be planned toward.
What the paper argues
- 01Difficulty is two variables, not one: how few slots exist, and how uncontrollable the qualifying conditions are.
- 02A private bill requires an act of Congress, which makes it the least plannable path that exists.
- 03S visas depend on prosecutorial need, so the applicant cannot generate eligibility.
- 04Registry depends on a statutory date frozen since 1972, so difficulty grows every year without any rule change.
- 0542B cancellation requires exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to a qualifying relative — a condition largely outside the applicant's control.
- 06EB-1A and EB-5 feel hard but are constructible, which places them below the summit on this ranking.
This page is the abstract and outline. The full text is not published on this site.
Access
Full text is a paid publication
The full text — argument chains, cases, citations, and case-law review — is not published on this site. For individual reading, institutional subscription, or citation permission, describe your intended use through the contact form and you will receive a reply.
Request access / inquire →