Republic of Bulgaria vs United States of America
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Republic of Bulgaria and United States of America government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- Migration Directorate, Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Interior (Bulgaria) - verified
- USCIS — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services - verified
- USCIS — H-1B Specialty Occupations
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services - verified
Republic of Bulgaria
Bulgaria - an EU member that joined the Schengen area in 2025 and adopted the euro on 1 January 2026 - administers third-country residence through the Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Interior. Headline routes include the single work-and-residence permit, the EU Blue Card, income- and investment-based continuous residence, and permanent residence after five years. The former citizenship-by-investment route has been discontinued.
- Official portal
- Ministry of Interior (Bulgaria)
- Languages
- Bulgarian
- Currency
- Euro
United States of America
The US issues nonimmigrant visas (H-1B, L-1, O-1, F-1, J-1) and immigrant visas (employment-based EB-1 through EB-5, family-based, diversity). Policy touchpoints span USCIS, DOS consulates, DOL (for PERM/LCA), and executive-branch proclamations that can shift overnight.
- Official portal
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Languages
- English (de facto)
- Currency
- United States dollar
How Republic of Bulgaria and United States of America differ
| Dimension | Republic of Bulgaria | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 7 | 14 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 4 | 5 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 6 | 6 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | — | Arrival on H-1B (3 years) → PERM + I-140 (1-2 years) → I-485 / Green Card (current for most categories, 7-15+ years for India EB-2) → citizenship at PR+5 years. |
| Dominant skilled visa | Single Permit for Residence and Work | H-1B Specialty Occupation |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | — | US$62,000/year |
| Skilled visa processing time | — | USCIS — Case Processing Times does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route. |
| Skilled visa government fees | — | A single initial H-1B petition costs around $3,600 in USCIS filing fees for a standard employer, excluding premium processing and the separate consular visa fee. |
| Official languages | Bulgarian | English (de facto) |
| Currency | Euro | United States dollar |
| Primary regulator | MoJ | State bars |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 1 | 1 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Republic of Bulgaria
Single Permit for Residence and Work
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
United States of America
H-1B Specialty Occupation
- Salary minimum
- US$62,000/year
- Government fees
- A single initial H-1B petition costs around $3,600 in USCIS filing fees for a standard employer, excluding premium processing and the separate consular visa fee.
- Processing time
- USCIS — Case Processing Times does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- No
Routes unique to Republic of Bulgaria
Routes unique to United States of America
Visa routes side by side
Republic of Bulgaria (7)
Single Permit for Residence and Work
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Usually granted for one to three years and renewable while you keep the qualifying job - confirm current validity on the official page.
EU Blue Card (Bulgaria)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Issued for a fixed validity tied to your contract and renewable; confirm current validity on the official page.
Continuous (Long-Term) Residence Permit
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Generally up to one year at a time and renewable each year while your qualifying ground continues - confirm current validity on the official page.
Residence by Investment
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · A continuous residence card is generally issued first and can convert to permanent residence at higher tiers; confirm current rules on the official page.
Residence Permit for Study (Bulgaria)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Tied to your course and renewable while you remain enrolled - confirm current validity on the official page.
Family Reunification Residence (Bulgaria)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Generally aligned to the sponsor's permit and renewable - confirm current validity on the official page.
Permanent Residence (Bulgaria)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Indefinite status, subject to conditions on continued residence - confirm current rules on the official page.
United States of America (14)
H-1B Specialty Occupation
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Initial 3 years; extendable to 6 years (longer with approved I-140).
L-1A Intracompany Transferee (Executive or Manager)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Initial 3 years (1 year for new-office L-1A); extendable to 7 years total.
L-1B Intracompany Transferee (Specialised Knowledge)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Initial 3 years (1 year for new-office L-1B); extendable to 5 years total.
O-1 Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 3 years initially; 1-year extensions available indefinitely.
EB-1A Extraordinary Ability (Immigrant)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence (green card).
EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
EB-3 Skilled, Professional, and Other Workers
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Conditional 2-year residence leading to unconditional permanent residence.
E-2 Treaty Investor
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Initial up to 2 years at port of entry (5-year visa stamp for many nationalities); renewable indefinitely.
F-1 Student Visa (with OPT and STEM OPT)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Duration of study (D/S); OPT up to 12 months; STEM OPT extension up to 24 additional months.
J-1 Exchange Visitor
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Program-dependent: from weeks (intern) to up to 5 years (research scholar).
TN USMCA Professionals (Canada & Mexico)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 3 years; renewable indefinitely while activity continues.
K-1 Fiancé(e) of US Citizen
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Single-entry 6 months; must marry within 90 days of entry.
Spouse of US Citizen or Green Card Holder (IR1/CR1 & F2A)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence (conditional 2-year CR1 converts to 10-year card via I-751).
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Republic of Bulgaria or United States of America?+
Republic of Bulgaria’s Single Permit for Residence and Work is the dominant skilled route; United States of America’s H-1B Specialty Occupation requires US$62,000/year. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Does Republic of Bulgaria or United States of America have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
United States of America has more: 5 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 4 for Republic of Bulgaria. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Republic of Bulgaria vs United States of America immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/bulgaria/vs/us. Last verified 2 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons
Underlying comparison sources (3)