Republic of Cabo Verde 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 Cabo Verde 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
- GOV.CV - Visa
Portal Unico, Government of Cabo Verde - 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 Cabo Verde
Cabo Verde publishes visa and border services through the GOV.CV Portal Unico and the EASE pre-registration platform. Official guidance covers visa-exempt entry with travel pre-registration, tourist and transit visas, temporary visas for business, professional, family or medical purposes, and residence visas for professional activity, investment, study lasting more than one year and family reunification with residents.
- Official portal
- Portal Unico, Government of Cabo Verde
- Languages
- Portuguese
- Currency
- Cape Verdean escudo
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 Cabo Verde and United States of America differ
| Dimension | Republic of Cabo Verde | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 9 | 14 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 5 | 5 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 4 | 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 | Residence Visa for Professional Activity | 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 | Portuguese | English (de facto) |
| Currency | Cape Verdean escudo | United States dollar |
| Primary regulator | OACV | State bars |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 1 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Republic of Cabo Verde
Residence Visa for Professional Activity
- 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 Cabo Verde
Routes unique to United States of America
Visa routes side by side
Republic of Cabo Verde (9)
Visa-Exempt Entry with EASE Pre-Registration
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Depends on the exemption category. GOV.CV lists limited visa-exempt stays from 30 to 180 days for different groups, and unlimited entry for people born in Cabo Verde and qualifying spouses or descendants when they prove the link.
Tourist Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Use within 60 days after issuance; stay up to 90 days, with one possible additional 90-day extension.
Transit Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 4 days, with the possibility of one extension.
Temporary Business or Professional Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Use within 180 days after issuance. Ordinary temporary visa: up to 180 days. Multiple-entry temporary visa: total stay of 90 days over one year.
Temporary Family or Medical Visit Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Ordinary temporary visa: up to 180 days. Multiple-entry temporary visa: total stay of 90 days over one year. The visa must be used within 180 days after issuance.
Residence Visa for Professional Activity
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · The residence visa allows a 6-month stay, extendable until a final decision on the residence permit application.
Residence Visa for Investment
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · The residence visa allows 6 months, extendable until the residence permit application receives a final decision.
Residence Visa for Study Over One Year
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · The residence visa allows 6 months, extendable until a final residence permit decision.
Residence Visa for Family Reunification
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · The residence visa allows 6 months, extendable until a final residence permit decision.
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 Cabo Verde or United States of America?+
Republic of Cabo Verde’s Residence Visa for Professional Activity 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.
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 Cabo Verde vs United States of America immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/cabo-verde/vs/us. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons
Underlying comparison sources (3)