Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng has landed at Newark airport to begin a new life in the United States.
The blind human rights lawyer caused a diplomatic crisis when he escaped house arrest to arrive at the US embassy in Beijing last month.
He and his family were taken from a Beijing hospital, were he was being treated for a foot injury, to the capital's airport on Saturday.
Mr Chen has been offered a fellowship at New York University.
After weeks of uncertainty, the activist, his wife and their two children were handed passports at Beijing airport on Saturday evening local time and allowed to fly to Newark, New Jersey.
A White House spokesman has welcomed news of Mr Chen's departure.
Chen Guangcheng recently spent six days in the US embassy in Beijing after escaping house arrest in north-east China, sparking a diplomatic spat between the US and China.
The self-taught lawyer has campaigned against forced abortions under China's one-child policy and was jailed for four years in 2006 for disrupting traffic and damaging property. He was placed under house arrest after his release in 2010.
He will now take up a fellowship at the US-Asia Law Institute at the New York University School of Law.
Bob Fu, president of the US activist group China Aid and a key supporter of Mr Chen, told the BBC that the dissident was planning to stay in New York for two to three years.
However, Mr Chen has warned that the rest of his family and supporters may face reprisals after his departure.
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