USA Work Visas
The USA immigration and visa system is complex and though US visas are broadly divided into non-immigrant visas and immigrant visas, the United States offers a wealth of different routes based upon work and business. Many people will be familiar with the US Green Card, however, employment based Green Cards may be obtained in five categories, and in addition, the United States offers a range of temporary work visas and business immigration routes which in turn, may lead to permanent residency in the USA.
To take the first step towards living and working in the USA today, visit the Global Visas online assessment area. Out specialist USA immigration consultants are committed to ensuring that you obtain the right American visa for your needs. Simply complete one of our online forms and a consultant will contact you directly.
US Work Permits – H1, H2 and L1 Visas
In almost all cases, the USA requires non-US nationals who wish to live and work in the USA for any length of time to have a pre-arranged job offer from an American firm. This requirement is waived only in some circumstance when applying for an EB-1 US Green Card. For all other US visa services whether temporary or permanent applicants must have already obtained an offer of employment from a sponsoring US company.
USA H1-B Visa
The H1-B visa is an employer led visa which enables an American company to source skilled employees from outside the USA. H1-B candidates may qualify with a university degree which is equivalent to a USA 4 year degree, or a combination of qualifications and work experience and will be granted a maximum period of 6 years including two extension periods. The H1-B visa permits applicants to bring their spouse and/or dependents with them who will be issued with a derivative H4, though they will need to apply for separate work authorization.
USA H2-B Visa
Where the H1-B visa applies only to employees in speciality occupations, the H2-B visa for working in the USA is designed for applicants who are temporarily relocating to the USA in non specialist fields. Unlike the H1-B, H2-B visas although extendable to a maximum of three years do not constitute a route towards permanent residency and candidates must return to their country of residence when their visa expires. In addition, jobs must pass a strict market labour test to ensure that hiring an overseas national will not displace a USA citizen or permanent resident.
USA L1A and L1B Visas
In the USA visas of this kind effectively fulfil the role of intra company transfers, allowing a US firm to bring skilled employees from overseas branches and subsidiaries to live and work in the USA. US Work Permits are divided into the L1A visa for candidates fulfilling managerial and executive roles and L1B visas for those bringing crucial experience of the company. Like an H1-B visa, L1 visas are issued as temporary visa services, but they do provide a means to live and work in America whilst applying for permanent residency. Accordingly, the spouse and dependents of a US work permit holder may enter the USA with them on an L2 visa.
USA Green Cards – Permanent Residency in the USA
EB-1 Visa
The US EB-1 visa is the first of five employment based Green Card tiers and caters for highly skilled migrants. The EB-1 visa is further subdivided into three categories.
EB-1 Extraordinary Ability
This category applies to candidates with international recognition in their field of expertise and requires evidence of a major international award or other criteria including published works. The key requirement is that the term ‘extraordinary’ is justified in applications.
EB-1 Outstanding Professor or Researcher
In this category, applicants must have three years experience or more either teaching or in research, and must have made outstanding contributions to their field of expertise. Once again, applicants will be assessed on criteria such as the receipt of awards, membership of respected academic institutions and published works.
EB -1 Multinational Executive or Manager
The executive/manager category is for candidates who have been employed by the sponsor company for more than a year and who will be immigrating to the USA to fulfil a high level managerial role.
EB-2 Visa
Like the EB-1 visa, EB-2 visas for permanent relocation to America can be divided into three categories, the EB-2(A) visa, for candidates with advanced degrees, the EB2 (B) visa for candidates who show ‘exceptional’ ability in the arts, the sciences or business, and the EB2(C) visa for those candidates who can demonstrate that their presence in the US would benefit the national interest.
EB-3 Visa
The EB-3 Green Card visa for the USA encompasses a wide range of applicants who can be categorised as ‘professionals’, ‘skilled workers’ or ‘other workers’. Unlike the EB-1 and EB-2, all positions must pass labour market testing to justify employing an overseas national.
EB-4 Visa
EB-4 Green Cards provide a permanent employment based immigration service for a range of specific groups, including medical graduates, former US government employees and returning US residents. The most common use however is for religious workers. A Global Visas specialist US immigration consultant will be able to discuss the requirements of each group covered by the EB-4 visa.
EB-5 Visa
The EB-5 visa, or US investor visa is based upon an applicant’s ability to invest in the USA by starting a business. Although the requirements of this category or less defined than the other permanent US business visas, the category requires a candidate to invest a minimum of $1 million and create employment opportunities for at lest ten people.
Find out whether you qualify for a US work visa today by completing one of our online assessment forms. Just answer a few straightforward questions and a friendly immigration expert will respond o your enquiry.
