What visa do I need to work in the USA?
- U.S. Green Card Holder
- Exchange Visitor Visa
- Temporary Work Visas (Non-Agricultural)
- Temporary Worker Visas (Skilled Workers)
- Seasonal Agricultural Worker Visas
Is it easy to get a work visa in the USA?
Obtaining a US Work Visa
- Have a job offer from a US-based employer. Before you even start the process of a work visa application, you need to have had a concrete offer from a US-based ...
- An approved petition by the USCIS. ...
- There are some types of visas that require additional approval from the Department of Labour (DoL). ...
How to obtain a working visa in the USA?
- Valid passport – which needs to be valid for the entire duration of your stay in the US and an additional six months after you return
- US visa photo – which you need to upload when you fill out the online application form.
- The Receipt Number, which you can find on your approved Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (I-129 Form) which your employer filed.
How do you get a work visa for the US?
- A valid passport for more than 6 months after your stay in the US is completed
- The DS-160 confirmation page
- One US Visa photograph
- Receipts that prove you have paid your fees
- A letter from your employer which states you have a job in the US with the following details: The occupation in which you will work Job description Contract length Educational ...
Which visa allows you to work in USA?
Visa Classifications That Allow You To Work In The United StatesVisa ClassificationDefinitionF-1Foreign academic student, when certain conditions are metH-1B, H-1C, H-2A, H-2B, H-3Temporary workerIForeign information media representativeJ-1Exchange visitor, when certain conditions are met10 more rows
How many types of work visas are there in the US?
The employment based category is divided into five sections: EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-4, and EB-5. If you are interested in working in the US, you may be eligible to obtain a Green Card under one of these categories.
What is B1 and B2 US visa?
B1 and B2 visas are generally referred to as “B visas”, and they are the most common types of visa issued for a wide range of uses in the United States. The B1 visa is issued mainly for short-term business trips, while the B2 visa is issued mainly traveling for tourism purposes.
What are the 4 types of visa?
Probably one of the four main types: tourist, immigration, student, or work.
What are the 5 categories for the permanent work visas?
There are five key types of employment-based visas:First Preference EB-1. EB-1 covers those with “extraordinary ability” such as business professionals, academics and researchers, scientists, the arts, or athletics. ... Second Preference EB-2. ... Third Preference EB-3. ... Fourth Preference EB-4. ... Fifth Preference EB-5.
What is l1 visa in USA?
L-1A and L-1B visas may be issued when an employer files a petition to obtain authorization for qualified employees to be allowed to work and live in the United States. The L-1A visa is for intracompany transferees who work in managerial or executive positions in a company that is located outside the United States.
How many types of work permits are there?
There are seven main types of work permits: Hot Work Permits, Cold Work Permits, Confined Spaces Work Permits, Chemical Work Permits, Height Work Permit, and Excavation Permit. Each work permit is categorized depending on the nature of the job and the hazard involved in it.
Who qualifies for eb3 visa?
EB-3: Employment-Based Immigration – Skilled Workers - Professionals and Other Unskilled Workers. You may be eligible to be classified as a skilled worker, professional, or other worker depending upon your education, skills and work experience.
What is a temporary worker visa?
Temporary worker visas are for persons who want to enter the United States for employment lasting a fixed period of time, and are not considered permanent or indefinite. Each of these visas requires the prospective employer to first file a petition with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
What is a visa for a foreigner?
A visa allows a foreign citizen to travel to a U.S. port-of-entry (generally an airport) and request permission to enter the United States. A visa does not guarantee entry into the United States. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials at the port-of-entry have authority to permit or deny admission to the United States. If you are allowed to enter the United States, the CBP official will provide an admission stamp or paper Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record. Learn more about admissions and entry requirements, restrictions about bringing food, agricultural products, and other restricted/prohibited goods, and more by reviewing the CBP website.
What form do I need to bring for an L visa?
L Visa Applicants – If you are included in an L blanket petition, you must bring Form I-129S, Nonimmigrant Petition Based on Blanket L Petition, to your interview.
What is the purpose of a visa interview?
During your visa interview, a consular officer will determine whether you are qualified to receive a visa, and if so, which visa category is appropriate based on your purpose of travel. You will need to establish that you meet the requirements under U.S. law to receive the category of visa for which you are applying.
What form do I need to file for a temporary worker visa?
Some temporary worker visa categories require your prospective employer to obtain a labor certification or other approval from the Department of Labor on your behalf before filing the Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Form I-129, with USCIS. Your prospective employer should review the Instructions for Form I-129 on the USCIS website to determine whether labor certification is required for you.
How long does a passport need to be valid for a visa interview?
Gather and prepare the following required documents before your visa interview: Passport valid for travel to the United States - Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your period of stay in the United States (unless exempt by country-specific agreements ).
What form do I need to schedule an interview?
You will need to provide the receipt number that is printed on your approved Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Form I-129, or Notice of Action, Form I-797, to schedule an interview.
What is a business visitor visa?
This business visitor visa is known as a nonimmigrant visa which is available for individuals approved to participate in work and study-based exchange visitor programs, including by business sponsors. This permit allows visitors to experience life in the US before returning to their home countries.
When will the US suspend work visas?
On June 22, President Trump signed an Executive Order on suspending some US Work Visas until December 31, 2020.
Do You Need a US Work Visa?
If you want to ensure your best chances at getting an approval on your US work visa application , then we recommend you book a consultation with us to understand your options. We have helped thousands and thousands of workers successfully enter the US on a work permit, and we can help you too!
What do you need to demonstrate at an immigrant visa interview?
Financial Support. At your immigrant visa interview, you must demonstrate to the consular officer that you will not become a public charge in the United States.
What is a permanent resident?
Permanent residents, other known as green card holders, are non-US citizens who are authorized to live and work permanently in the United States. Many people obtain their green card through a family based green card or employment based green card. Each year many applicants are awarded green cards in employment based categories.
How many sections are there in the green card?
The employment based category is divided into five sections: EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-4, and EB-5. If you are interested in working in the US, you may be eligible to obtain a Green Card under one of these categories.
Why is a work permit necessary?
Working in the U.S. is a sought-after goal for people from across the globe. In most cases, foreign nationals wishing to work in the United States will be required to apply for a U.S. work visa.
What is a work visa?
A work visa is a type of employment permit that gives someone permission to take a job in a different country. An employee may need an employment visa as well as an additional work permit that allows them to pursue a career in a specific country.
How many types of work visas are there?
Here is an overview of 10 different types of work visas, including both nonimmigrant and immigrant visas:
What is a nonimmigrant visa?
This nonimmigrant visa is for people who have extraordinary skills within their field. To demonstrate that they are extraordinary at their job, they need to be able to show that they're at the top of their field and known nationally or internationally for their achievements.
What are the criteria for an immigrant visa?
These include awards, membership in associations, a high salary, publications about you or your work, publication in scholarly journals, original contributions to your field, exhibitions of your work and judging the work of others, among other criteria.
How long do you have to work for a foreign company to get a visa?
In order for the employee to qualify, they need to have worked for the foreign company for one continuous year within a three-year period prior to entering the U.S. It's important to note that there are two categories for this type of visa: L-1A and L-1B.
What is the age limit for a visa to Australia?
This visa applies only to foreign nationals from Australia, their spouses and any children who are under the age of 21. The applicant must be going to the U.S. to work within a specialty occupation. There are a limited number of these visas issued each year, although the spouse and children of the applicant do not count toward that number. Applicants must have a bachelor's degree or the foreign equivalent, have a special skill set that's required to fill a specialty position and have a job offer from a U.S. company.
How to get a work visa in the US?
A foreign national who seeks to enter the US on a work visa must obtain a US visa stamp from a U.S. Embassy or Consulate, which is placed on the applicant’s passport . The US visa allows the foreign national to travel to a US port of entry, airport or land border crossing and request permission to enter the US. While the US visa does not guarantee entry to the US, it does indicate that a consular officer at a US Embassy or Consulate abroad has determined that the foreign is eligible to seek entry into the US for a specific purpose.
What are the different types of work visas?
There are many types of US work visa, each suited for a specific purpose of travel and/or nature of employment. The most common types are: 1 H-1B Visa for Specialty Occupations workers 2 H-1B1 Visa for Specialty Occupations workers from Chile or Singapore 3 H-2A Visa for Temporary Agricultural workers 4 H-2B Visa for Temporary Non-agricultural workers 5 E-1 Visa for Treaty Traders 6 E-2 Visa for Treaty Investors 7 E-3 Visa for Specialty Occupation workers from Australia 8 TN Visa for NAFTA professional workers from Canada and Mexico 9 P Visa for Athletes, Artists, Entertainers 10 Visa for Extraordinary Artists, Teachers, Scientists and Businesspersons 11 J visa for Exchange Visitors 12 R Visa for Religious workers
How to apply for a work permit?
Employment Authorization Document (Work Permit) is applied for by using USCIS Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. The application is submitted, together with supporting documentation, to the office with jurisdiction over the category that you qualify for. This could include one of the USCIS Service Centers, the National Benefits Center, or in some cases with the US State Department (who will then forward the application to the USCIS).
What is a temporary visa?
A temporary US work visa allows an individual to enter the US to take up employment as opposed to, for example, a US visitor visa, which is issued for the purpose of visiting the US.
What form do I need to file to get a work permit?
In order to obtain the work permit, the eligible foreign national must file the Form I-765 with USCIS while present in the U.S.
Do you need an EAD for a work visa?
are authorized to work incident to their status. That means they are authorized to work because they hold the particular work visa status and do not need a separate EAD or work permit.
Can Susan work in the US?
Susan’s visa does not allow her to just start working in the US. However, as an E-2 dependent spouse of an E-2 employee, she is eligible for a work permit. She will have to apply for and receive the Employment Authorization Document (EAD) before she can work.
How to apply for an immigrant visa?
To be considered for an immigrant visa under some of the employment-based categories below, the applicant's prospective employer or agent must first obtain a labor certification approval from the Department of Labor. Once received (if required), the employer then files an Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, Form I-140, with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for the appropriate employment-based preference category. (NOTE: Persons with extraordinary abilities in the Employment First preference category are able to file their own petitions.) When filing the Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, Form I-140, see the detailed form instructions, as well as more detailed requirements information on the USCIS Permanent Workers webpage.
How long do you have to wait to get an immigration visa?
Immigrant visas cannot be issued until an applicant's priority date is reached. In certain heavily oversubscribed categories, there may be a waiting period of several years before a priority date is reached. Check the Visa Bulletin for the latest priority dates.
Why do immigration cases take so long?
Employment based immigrant visa cases take additional time because they are in numerically limited visa categories. The length of time varies from case to case and cannot be predicted for individual cases with any accuracy. Some cases are delayed because applicants do not follow instructions carefully. Some visa applications require further administrative processing, which takes additional time after the consular officer interviews the applicant.
Where does the NVC send the visa application?
NVC then sends the file, containing the applicant’s petition and the documents listed above, to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where the applicant will be interviewed for a visa. The applicant, attorney, and third-party agent, if applicable, will receive appointment emails, or letters (if no email address is available), containing the date and time of the applicant's visa interview along with instructions, including guidance for obtaining a medical examination.
What form do I need to file for an alien worker?
The prospective employer must provide a job offer and file an Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, Form I-140, with the USCIS.
What is an unskilled worker?
Unskilled workers (Other workers) are persons capable of filling positions that require less than two years training or experience that are not temporary or seasonal.
How long does it take to become a skilled worker?
Skilled workers are persons whose jobs require a minimum of 2 years training or work experience that are not temporary or seasonal.
What is a U.S. Visa?
A citizen of a foreign country who seeks to enter the United States generally must first obtain a U.S. visa, which is placed in the traveler’s passport, a travel document issued by the traveler’s country of citizenship.
Find out what visa type is appropriate for you
The type of visa you must obtain is defined by U.S. immigration law, and relates to the purpose of your travel.
Visa Appointment Wait Time
A wait time listed as "999 calendar days" indicates that the Consular Section is only providing that service to emergency cases. Please check the Embassy or Consulate website for further information.
