The five keys to America: which routes really exist?
There is no general emigration route to the United States. You need a specific key: an employer, a business of your own, extraordinary talent, family, or luck in the lottery. This is what each route demands — and why ESTA is none of them.
5 min read
Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
As a Dutch citizen you have five ways to go and live in America. America has no points system and no general emigration route: you enter through a specific category or you do not enter.
The five keys:
- your own business (E-2);
- an American employer (H-1B);
- a transfer within your company (L-1);
- extraordinary ability (O-1);
- the green card, the proof of permanent residence, through family, employer or lottery.
ESTA, the travel authorisation for a short visit, is not one of them. That is ninety days for business or tourism, and nothing more.
1. Your own business: the E-2 (the Dutch route)
Thanks to the 1957 treaty of friendship, Dutch citizens can obtain an E-2 visa by investing substantially in an American business they run themselves, with at least 50% ownership or operational control. You need no employer, and there is no quota and no lottery. The spouse may work incident to the status itself. There is no fixed minimum amount. What matters is the ratio to what the enterprise costs. The downside: it is a temporary visa that hangs on your business and offers no path to a green card.
2. An American employer: the H-1B
The classic route for specialists: an employer sponsors you for a position that requires at least a bachelor's degree in that specific specialty. The problem is access. There is an annual cap of 65,000 places plus 20,000 for holders of an American master's degree. When there are more registrations than places, USCIS, the American immigration service, draws lots. Since 2026 a higher wage level gives more chance in that draw. You first get at most three years, extendable to six.
And since 21 September 2025 certain H-1B petitions (the request the employer files for you) require a payment of 100,000 dollars. That payment has been challenged in federal court, and in September 2026 it was extended to September 2027. Do not count on today's conditions still applying in two years.
3. A transfer within your company: the L-1
The quietest route, if you have it. If you work for a group with an American branch, you can be transferred: as an executive or manager (L-1A, up to seven years) or as someone with specialised knowledge (L-1B, up to five years). No quota, no draw. The spouse of an L-1 holder may work incident to the status itself.
4. Extraordinary ability: the O-1
For those who demonstrably belong to the top of their field: sciences, arts, education, business or athletics. The bar is high. USCIS speaks of the small percentage who have risen to the very top of the field. A written advisory opinion from a peer group or labor organization is required. There is no quota. You first get at most three years, then it is extendable per year.
| Route | Quota | Term | Spouse may work |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-2 (treaty investor) | none | up to 2 years at a time, unlimited extensions | yes, incident to status |
| H-1B (employer) | 65,000 + 20,000 a year, lottery | 3 years, up to 6 | not automatically |
| L-1A / L-1B (transfer) | none | up to 7 / 5 years | yes, incident to status |
| O-1 (ability) | none | 3 years, extendable per year | not automatically |
| Green card through work | about 140,000 a year | permanent | yes |
| Diversity Visa lottery | 55,000 a year by law, fewer after deductions (DV-2026: about 51,850) | permanent | yes |
| ESTA (not a route) | — | 90 days, no work | — |
5. Family and the lottery: the green card routes
The routes above all yield a temporary visa. Permanent residence, the green card, runs through a limited number of paths:
- immediate family with an American passport;
- an employer who starts a green card track: about 140,000 visas a year in five preference categories, for the second and third usually with a labor certification from the Department of Labor first;
- the Diversity Visa lottery, which each year raffles permanent visas among countries with low immigration to the US. The law sets 55,000 a year, but part of that goes to other programmes. For DV-2026 about 51,850 were left.
Two practical things. USCIS itself warns: never send money to anyone who tells you by letter or e-mail that you have won the lottery. And if you win? Since May 2024 the consulate in Amsterdam no longer handles immigrant visas. For residents of the Netherlands that track therefore runs through Frankfurt.
Note: the registration for DV-2027 has been deferred. No new registration period has been announced yet (as of October 2026).
And what about ESTA?
ESTA is not a sixth route. The Visa Waiver Program admits Dutch citizens for at most ninety days for business or tourism. The embassy adds a list of who still needs a visa: whoever wants to stay longer, and whoever comes as a temporary worker, intra-company transferee, treaty trader or student. Arriving on ESTA and "sorting it out there" does not exist.
Which key fits you?
If you have entrepreneurial money and spirit, look at the E-2: the door that stands open specifically for Dutch citizens. If you work for an international group, ask about the L-1. If you are a specialist with an American employer in prospect, the H-1B is the way, with the draw as the uncertainty. If you are at the top of your field, look into the O-1. And meanwhile enter the lottery, as soon as a round is open again. It is the only route where you can win a green card without an employer or investment.
What you should not do: plan a move before one of these keys is actually in the lock.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 1 of 5 of the journey, step 1.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to United States or go straight to step 1.1 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- USCIS — E-2 Treaty Investors — uscis.gov
- USCIS — H-1B specialty occupations and the annual cap — uscis.gov
- Federal Register — weighted selection in the H-1B lottery (from fiscal year 2027) — federalregister.gov
- Federal Register — Proclamation 11069, the 100,000-dollar payment extended to 21 September 2027 — federalregister.gov
- Federal Register — new rule for the DV lottery, DV-2027 registration deferred — federalregister.gov
- USCIS — L-1A intracompany transferee — uscis.gov
- USCIS — permanent immigration through work (green card) — uscis.gov
- US Embassy — ESTA and the Visa Waiver Program — nl.usembassy.gov
- USCIS — O-1 extraordinary ability — uscis.gov
- USCIS — green card through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program — uscis.gov
- State Department — DV-2026: 55,000 visas by law, about 51,850 after deductions — travel.state.gov
- US Embassy — immigrant visas processed in Frankfurt since May 2024 — nl.usembassy.gov
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