Kingdom of Spain 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 Kingdom of Spain 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
- Ministerio de Inclusión — Portal de Inmigración
Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations (Spain) - verified
- USCIS — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services - verified
- Ministerio — Highly Qualified Professional
Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations - verified
- USCIS — H-1B Specialty Occupations
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services - verified
Kingdom of Spain
Spain offers residence permits through consulates abroad and Oficinas de Extranjería inside Spain, with headline routes including the Digital Nomad Visa introduced under the 2022 Startup Law, Non-Lucrative Visa for passive-income residents, and the Highly Qualified Professional permit.
- Languages
- Spanish
- 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 Kingdom of Spain and United States of America differ
| Dimension | Kingdom of Spain | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 7 | 14 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 5 | 5 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 6 | 6 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | Arrival → permanent residence (5 years) → citizenship (10 years for most nationalities; 2 for Latin American). | 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 | Highly Qualified Professional (HQP) permit | H-1B Specialty Occupation |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | €41,356/year | US$62,000/year |
| Skilled visa processing time | UGE-CE — Highly Qualified Professional does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route. | 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 | Spanish | English (de facto) |
| Currency | Euro | United States dollar |
| Primary regulator | CGAE | 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.
Kingdom of Spain
Highly Qualified Professional (HQP) permit
- Salary minimum
- €41,356/year
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- UGE-CE — Highly Qualified Professional 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
- 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 Kingdom of Spain
Routes unique to United States of America
Visa routes side by side
Kingdom of Spain (7)
Digital Nomad Visa (Spain)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial 1-year consular visa, extendable to 3-year residence permit, then renewable for further 2 years; counts toward permanent residence after 5 years.
Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial 1 year; renewable for 2-year periods; leads to permanent residence after 5 years.
Highly Qualified Professional (HQP) permit
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · 3 years; renewable for 2 years; leads to permanent residence after 5.
Entrepreneur Visa (Ley 14/2013)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial 3 years; renewable.
Spain Golden Visa (ending April 2025)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Closed to new property-based applications from 3 April 2025.
Spanish Student Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Programme length; annual renewal.
Family reunification (Spain)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Aligned with the sponsor’s permit; long-term residence is a separate eligibility route.
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
How long does permanent residence typically take in Kingdom of Spain vs United States of America?+
Kingdom of Spain: Arrival → permanent residence (5 years) → citizenship (10 years for most nationalities; 2 for Latin American).. United States of America: 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.. Both timelines are route-dependent — see each country’s settlement page for the breakdown per visa.
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Kingdom of Spain or United States of America?+
Kingdom of Spain’s Highly Qualified Professional (HQP) permit requires a salary of at least €41,356/year; 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, "Kingdom of Spain vs United States of America immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/spain/vs/us. Last verified 22 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons