Speed is the one thing most people ask about first and check last. A route that decides in weeks is no use if you do not meet its salary floor, and a route that takes a year can still be the quickest way to stay for good. So this page ranks processing times, then shows what each fast route asks of you.
The 12 Fastest Residence Routes
These are the routes open to any nationality with the shortest official processing windows. Study and working-holiday routes are left out, since they are for students and young travellers rather than people settling.
| # | Programme | Processing | Job offer | Salary floor | Permanent residence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Non-Immigrant Visa "B" (Business and Work)Thailand | 0–1 months | Required | None set | About 3 years |
| 2 | S PassSingapore | 0–1 months | Required | SGD 3,300/mo (≈ $30,975/yr) | About 2 years |
| 3 | Employment PassSingapore | 0–1 months | Required | SGD 5,600/mo (≈ $52,564/yr) | About 2 years |
| 4 | Destination Thailand VisaThailand | 0–1 months | Not required | None set | No direct path |
| 5 | Global Talent StreamCanada | 1 month | Required | None set | No direct path |
| 6 | Digital Nomad VisaSpain | 1–2 months | Not required | EUR 34,188/yr (≈ $37,504/yr) | About 5 years |
| 7 | Italia Startup VisaItaly | 1–2 months | Not required | None set | About 5 years |
| 8 | Long-Stay Visitor VisaFrance | 1–2 months | Not required | None set | About 5 years |
| 9 | Tech VisaPortugal | 1–2 months | Required | EUR 1,342.83/mo (≈ $18,467/yr) | About 5 years |
| 10 | Highly Qualified ProfessionalSpain | 1–2 months | Required | EUR 41,356.36/yr (≈ $47,394/yr) | About 5 years |
| 11 | Orientation Year (Zoekjaar)Netherlands | 1–2 months | Not required | None set | About 5 years |
| 12 | Personalised Employment PassSingapore | 1–2 months | Not required | SGD 22,500/mo (≈ $211,194/yr) | About 2 years |
Which residence visa is processed fastest?
Why the Fastest Routes Need an Employer
Of the 12 quickest routes, 6 require a job offer. That is not a coincidence. When an employer has already tested the market and committed to a salary, the immigration office has less to check, so the decision is quicker.
The practical result is that the visa is rarely the slow part. Finding the sponsoring employer is. If you do not have an offer yet, the honest comparison is the fastest route you can lodge on your own, below.
Fastest Routes Without a Job Offer
These routes can be filed without an employer. Most of them ask for something else instead: savings, remote income, or a points score.
| # | Programme | Processing | Salary floor | Education floor | Permanent residence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Destination Thailand VisaThailand | 0–1 months | None set | None recorded | No direct path |
| 2 | Digital Nomad VisaSpain | 1–2 months | EUR 34,188/yr (≈ $37,504/yr) | Bachelor's degree | About 5 years |
| 3 | Italia Startup VisaItaly | 1–2 months | None set | None recorded | About 5 years |
| 4 | Long-Stay Visitor VisaFrance | 1–2 months | None set | None recorded | About 5 years |
| 5 | Orientation Year (Zoekjaar)Netherlands | 1–2 months | None set | Master's degree | About 5 years |
| 6 | Personalised Employment PassSingapore | 1–2 months | SGD 22,500/mo (≈ $211,194/yr) | None recorded | About 2 years |
| 7 | Overseas Networks & Expertise PassSingapore | 1–2 months | SGD 30,000/mo (≈ $281,592/yr) | None recorded | About 2 years |
| 8 | EntrePassSingapore | 1–2 months | None set | None recorded | About 2 years |
For the full list, including the routes that take longer, see our guide to countries you can move to without a job offer.
Quickest Route in Each Country
If you already know where you want to go, this is the floor: the fastest route that destination offers to any nationality, before any job offer or document wait is added.
| Country | Fastest route | Processing | Job offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | Non-Immigrant Visa "B" (Business and Work) | 0–1 months | Required |
| Singapore | S Pass | 0–1 months | Required |
| Canada | Global Talent Stream | 1 month | Required |
| Spain | Digital Nomad Visa | 1–2 months | Not required |
| Italy | Italia Startup Visa | 1–2 months | Not required |
| France | Long-Stay Visitor Visa | 1–2 months | Not required |
| Portugal | Tech Visa | 1–2 months | Required |
| Netherlands | Orientation Year (Zoekjaar) | 1–2 months | Not required |
| United Arab Emirates | Standard Work Visa (Employer-Sponsored) | 1–2 months | Required |
| Germany | Research Visa (§18d AufenthG) | 1–3 months | Required |
| United Kingdom | Health and Care Worker Visa | 1–3 months | Required |
| United States | L-1A Intracompany Transferee (Manager) | 1–3 months | Required |
| New Zealand | Straight to Residence | 1–3 months | Required |
| Switzerland | L Permit (Short-Term Residents) for Third-State Nationals | 2–4 months | Required |
| Ireland | Critical Skills Employment Permit | 2–4 months | Required |
| Australia | Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) | 2–5 months | Required |
The Slowest Routes
At the other end sit the routes that decide permanent status up front. Most of them are slow because the decision is final: once approved, there is no temporary permit to convert later.
| Programme | Processing | Permanent residence |
|---|---|---|
| EB-3 Skilled Worker (Green Card)United States | 18–60 months | Permanent on grant |
| EB-2 National Interest WaiverUnited States | 12–36 months | Permanent on grant |
| Start-up VisaCanada | 12–36 months | Permanent on grant |
| Québec Skilled Worker ProgramCanada | 12–24 months | About 3 years |
| EB-1A Extraordinary Ability (Green Card)United States | 8–24 months | Permanent on grant |
| Skilled Nominated (subclass 190)Australia | 9–18 months | Permanent on grant |
The EB-3 Skilled Worker (Green Card) is the slowest in the data at 18–60 months. If you are weighing speed against permanence, our guide to the fastest permanent residency ranks the same routes by years to PR instead.
What Slows an Application Down
Published processing times assume a complete file. The common delays are the ones you control: a missing police certificate, an untranslated degree, or a skills assessment started too late. Credential checks for regulated jobs (nursing, medicine, teaching) can take longer than the visa itself.
The figures above are estimates read from each government's own pages. Check the official source linked on every programme page before you book flights or hand in notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country processes residence visas the fastest in 2026?
On official processing times, the quickest route open to any nationality in Transita's data is the Non-Immigrant Visa "B" (Business and Work) in Thailand, at 0–1 months. Most of the fastest routes are employer-sponsored, so the clock only starts once you have a job offer.
What is the fastest residency without a job offer?
The quickest route that does not need a job offer is the Destination Thailand Visa in Thailand (0–1 months), followed by the Digital Nomad Visa in Spain (1–2 months). These usually ask for proof of income or savings instead.
Which visas take the longest to process?
The slowest route in the data is the EB-3 Skilled Worker (Green Card) in the United States, at 18–60 months. Permanent-residence and green card routes are usually the slowest because they decide permanent status up front.
Is a fast visa the same as fast permanent residence?
No. A fast temporary permit can still leave you years from permanent residence, and some slow routes grant permanent residence on approval. Compare both columns before you pick a route.
Are these processing times fixed?
No. They are the official published estimates we hold for each route, re-verified against the government source. Real waits move with application volume, missing documents and security checks.
Related guides
Fast only helps if you qualify
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Build my workspaceofficial sources: Non-B · mfa.go.th·S Pass · mom.gov.sg·EP · mom.gov.sg·DTV · thaievisa.go.th·GTS · canada.ca·Ley de Startups (Art. 74-78) · exteriores.gob.es·ISV · italiastartupvisa.mise.gov.it·VLS-TS visiteur · france-visas.gouv.fr·Tech Visa · iapmei.pt·HQP · inclusion.gob.es·Zoekjaar Highly Educated Persons · ind.nl·PEP · mom.gov.sg