Work Visas -United States Of America

Since September 11, it has become increasingly difficult to enter the United States making the US immigration and visa services incredibly complicated. However this does not mean that it is impossible to live and work in US. The most well known way of immigrating to the UK is via the US Green Card lotto. Unbeknownst to many the other several other legal ways to enter the US for work. It is often better to enter the US on a temporary work permit and proceed to permanent residency once in the country. This is perhaps the quickest and legal way to enter the country because the Green card does take several years to be issued which means not being able to live in the US while waiting for a response.

Global Visas has become an authority and a specialist in global immigration and visa obtaining. We have in -house immigration lawyers and our migration consultants are fully equipped to help you towards getting the best American visa.

Non-Immigrant Visas US

Many people apply as non-permanent employees and the US does offer visas to non-permanent employment applicants who are categorised as the H visas and L visas, the former for skilled migrants relocating to the USA, the latter for people transferring to USA firm from a foreign branch or subsidiary. In all cases, to obtain a work visa to enter the US, an offer of employment is a requirement before you can be allowed to relocate to the US.

H1 and H2 - US Employment Visas

H1-B Visa

Under the H1-B visa applicants are only granted this visa if they are skilled individuals in a speciality occupation. The maximum duration an applicant can stay in the US is 6 years with an initial grant of 3 years followed by an extension of 2 years and a final extension of 12 months. The H1-B is a non-immigrant visa; however this is one of the best ways to get into the US legally and affords applicants the chance to apply for an employment Green Card while in the country. There are many benefits to obtaining a Green Card ad it is generally favoured by employers; the only thing to take in consideration is that the process is long for a US Green card.

To be eligible for the H1-B visa applicants have to Candidates must have a qualification equivalent to a 4 years US bachelor degree, or a combination of a degree and relevant work experience. Under the H1-B visa applicants are allowed to have their spouses and dependent immigrate to the US but they will have to apply under the H4 visa which does not allow them to work until they obtain USA work authorisation.

H2-B Visa

The H2-B visa is created for applicants who do not fulfil a "speciality occupation" and it is still under the temporary working visa category. The For H2-B visa require its applicants to go through a strict labour market testing in the field of their choice to justify hiring a non-USA permanent resident or US citizen. The H2-B visas are awarded for a maximum period of 1 year, and candidates are able to ask for an extension for up to three years but only on a year-by-year basis. Regrettably these visas are meant for short term employment and visa holder must return home upon the expiry of their visa. Applicants may not use the H2-B visas as route to permanent residency within the US.

L1A and L1B - US Work Permits

L1 Visas

The US does business globally and has foreign and US companies who have employers within the US an outside. The L1 visas are sometimes called intra company transfers (visa) and it allows US companies to bring employees from their overseas bureaus to fulfil a number of different roles in the US. L1 visas, like H1-B visas are favoured by employers because the processing time is less than that of a full employment based USA Green Card. The L1 visa is awarded for a period of three years and applicants can extend to seven years. The L1 is also used a route potential towards the USA citizenship allowing applicants to begin Green Card proceedings once in the country.

Applicants may be issued with either an L1A visa or an L1B visa; the former category for those coming to the USA in an executive or managerial role, the latter for those with specific and crucial experience of the company's products and services. As with H1-B Visas, the spouse and/or dependent children are permitted to join the main applicant in the USA. These family members will be granted an L2 visa, however, they will not be permitted to work until they have successfully obtained US work authorisation.

US Permanent Settlement Visas, USA Green Cards

For any applicant applying for a US Employment Based Green or EB visas can only do so once they have a job offer from a US business organisation. Only in some categories of the EB-1 Green Card is this requirement unnecessary. Employment Based Green Cards are divided into five tiers:

EB-1 Visa

The EB-1 visa is aimed for permanent immigration and is designed for highly skilled migrants who will ultimately contribute towards the US economy. The US EB-1 visa is subdivided as follows:

Applicants with Extraordinary Ability and who have international acclaim in their fields can apply for this visa. The definition of 'remarkable' is crucial to this category and success will be based upon the candidate having received a major international award, or upon criteria including published scientific or artistic material, and evidence of contributions of key significance in their field.

Applicants who are outstanding Professors or Researchers and can demonstrate that they have a minimum of 3 years experience in teaching or research with evidence of outstanding contributions to their field are eligible to apply under the EB-1 visa. Their achievements can also be approved in the form of any major international award they may have received or if they are a member of achievement based on academic organisations or if their work is published and is respected by their peers in their field.

Applicants who are multinational Executives or Managers and are employed by the petitioning firm for more than a year and who's main duty is of a high-level managerial position within the United States. The managerial or executive position undertaken by the applicant must include running major components of eh business and must also have the power to dismiss or hire other employers.

EB-2 Visa

This visa is considered the second tier of the US Green Cards and requires all applicant have a job offer in place before applying under this visa. An EB-2 visa is subdivided as follows.

EB-2(A) - This is intended for applicants with "advanced degrees" or higher qualification i.e. applicants in possession of a Masters Degree, MBA or PHD.

EB-2(B) - This is for applicants who show 'exceptional' ability in business, the art or the sciences.

EB-2(C) - Applicants who can prove that their presence in the USA will ultimately benefit the national interest. All applicants must have either an advanced degree or evidence of exceptional ability.

EB-3 Visa

Applicants under the categories of 'professionals', 'skilled workers', and 'other workers' are eligible to apply for the US EB-3 visas. The US immigration system requires that all positions offered to non-US natives at this level must go through a labour market testing to prove that the job could not have been performed by a US permanent resident or citizen. The professional and skilled worker categories require relevant qualifications and experience however the other workers category does not. For applicants wishing to undertake this visa route must be informed that it does take a bit longer to process.

EB-4 Visa

Any applicant who is a religious worker and wishing to immigrate to the US can apply under the US EB-4 visas. Other applicants can apply under this visa if they are Foreign Medical Graduates, Returning Permanent US Residents and Former Employees of the U.S. Government or Armed Forces for any advice regarding your eligibility under this visa, please contact Global Visas today and we will be able to answer your question and help with your application.

EB-5 Visa

The USA EB-5 visa is a fairly new addition to the system of United States Green cards, and is often referred to as the US investor visa. Applicants under this visa are expected to make a significant investment in the US economy by starting a new venture. The requirements for this type of US Green Card visa are more adaptable than the other employment visas, however, applicants need to a minimum of 10 positions of employment and to invest a minimum of USD $1000, 000 to be eligible under the EB-5 visa.

The immigration system in the US caters for almost everyone, applicants must be clear about what they want to do in the US and Global Visa can help them with putting together their application. Visit our online assessment area today to begin your US visa application.