Four Types of U.S. Work Visas
The American Dream is a goal that many non-american individuals living outside the U.S aim to turn into reality. The belief that anyone, regardless of race, gender, or social position, has the freedom to work hard and achieve their version of success is the spirit that built the foundation of the United States. As a powerful nation constructed by immigrants, today the U.S. has the world’s largest economy, which is predicted to reach USD 25.3 trillion in 2024.
Immigrants and their children are expected to add about 18 million people to the U.S. workforce between 2015 and 2035, offsetting the decline of Baby Boomers heading into retirement. However, you need to take practical steps to transform your vision of working in the United States into reality. At the top of the list is understanding what types of visas allow you to legally enter the country to work.
What Are the Four Types of U.S Work Visas?
There are four principal types of work visas that the U.S. government grants to immigrants. Each one differs according to the amount of time you would like to spend in the United States, your qualifications, and what type of work you wish to perform.
- Temporary nonimmigrant worker
- Temporary visitor for business
- Student and exchange visitor
- Permanent immigrant worker
Temporary Nonimmigrant Worker Visas
Temporary worker visas are for foreigners who want to enter the U.S. to work for a fixed period of time — not an indefinite or permanent duration. This type of visa usually requires the prospective employer to first file a petition with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The petition needs to be approved before you can apply for a work visa. A complete chart of all the classifications of temporary nonimmigrant workers can be found on the USCIS site.
- E Visas - The treaty trader and investor temporary visas promote economic interaction between the U.S. and other countries under a treaty of friendship, commerce, and navigation. Australian workers with specialty occupations also fall into the E category. Treaty traders conduct substantial trade in goods or services, while treaty investors develop and direct the operations of an enterprise in which they have invested a substantial amount of money.
- H Visas - The H nonimmigrant visa classification is for people who want to enter the U.S. to work for a specific period of time. There are several different types of visas in this category:
- H-1B: Person in a Specialty Occupation - This visa requires a high level of education or work experience, and it covers everything from government researchers to fashion models.
- H-1B1: Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Professional - This program provides temporary employment for 1,400 professionals from Chile and 5,400 from Singapore for a period of one year.
- H-2A: Temporary Agricultural Worker - U.S. employers and agents can petition to employ foreign workers for seasonal agricultural jobs if they can demonstrate there are not enough U.S. workers available to do the temporary work.
- H-2B: Temporary Non-agricultural Worker - Everyone from camp counselors to entertainers to ski instructors can work in the U.S. with this visa if they have a job offer first and can show it is for a temporary period of time and cannot be performed by a U.S. worker.
- H-3: This visa is to receive training not available in your own country (with the exception of graduate medical school) with plans to base your career outside the U.S. It also covers trainees in the special education of children with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities.
- I Visas - Members of the foreign media, press, and radio whose activities while in the U.S. are for a company headquartered in a foreign country can apply for this visa, including everyone working for film crews, journalists, editors, radio, and print.
- L Visas - Transferees who work at a management or executive level in a company located outside the United States can apply for this category, as well as those with specialized knowledge. This classification allows a foreign company to transfer an executive or specialist to one of its offices in the U.S., or companies without a U.S. affiliate to send an employee to establish one.
- O Visas - Individuals with extraordinary abilities or achievements in the sciences, education, business, or athletics may qualify for an O1-A visa, while extraordinary individuals in the motion picture or television industry can qualify for an O1-B visa. O visas can also be obtained for those who travel with or assist a person of extraordinary ability.
- P Visas - These are short-term visas for internationally recognized athletes, entertainers, and performers, usually for a specific event like a concert or a competition, and those who accompany the extraordinary individuals.
- Q Visas - The classification Q cultural exchange visitor visas are designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security. They are meant for those intending to engage in practical training and employment and to share the history, culture, and traditions of their home country with the United States.
- R Visas - For religious workers who come to the U.S. to work for a non-profit religious organization, this visa requires the minister or person in a religious vocation to work a minimum of 20 hours per week.
- TN NAFTA Professionals Visas - The TN North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) visa allows temporary entry to the U.S for qualified Canadian and Mexican citizens. About 60 different Canadian and Mexican professions fall into this category, from accountants to librarians to zoologists who can prove their qualifications and are not self-employed.
Temporary Visitor for Business Visas
To enter the United States to conduct very short-term business, visit friends, or for medical reasons, you may be eligible for these visas for temporary visitors, or you may not need a visa at all.
- B1/B2 Visas - You can visit the U.S. for business of a commercial or professional nature such as attending a conference or convention, settling an estate, or negotiating a contract (B1), or for pleasure to visit friends, tourism, or medical appointments (B2) with these visas.
- WB Temporary Business Visitor - You can travel to the United States for tourism or business without obtaining a visa under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) for a period of 90 days or less if you are a citizen of 39 participating countries. Tourism, recreational studies like cooking classes, and vacations fall into this category.
- GB Temporary Visitor to Guam - Covering Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, you can travel for business or pleasure on this visa if you have a return ticket and your stay does not exceed 45 days.
Student and Exchange Visitor Visas
You must have a student visa to study in the United States. The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) collects and maintains information so that only legitimate foreign students or exchange visitors gain entry. Those who wish to participate in full-time academic or vocational activities in the U.S. or enroll in a cultural exchange program may qualify for these visas.
- F1 Student Visas - If you wish to attend university, college, high school, private elementary school, seminary, conservatory, or a language school, you should apply for a category F visa. You must have a foreign residence and plan to return there after completing your studies.
- M1 Student Visas - If you wish to attend a vocational or technical school or non-academic institution, you should apply for a category M visa. You are not permitted to work during the course of your studies.
- J Visas - Exchange visitor visas are designated by the State Department. They are for nonimmigrants who are approved to participate in exchange programs in the U.S. and include au pairs, teachers, and short-term scholars.
Permanent Worker Visas
Only about 140,000 of these prized permanent immigrant visas are available each year for noncitizens and their families who wish to immigrate to the U.S. based on their job skills. If you possess the right amount of talent, ability, and education or experience that towers above the crowd, you may be one of the fortunate few who qualify to live and work permanently in the United States. There are five permanent immigrant visa preference categories that are employment-based (EB):
- First Preference - EB1 - For people of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, such as Pulitzer Prize, Academy Award, or Olympic Medal winners, outstanding professors or researchers, or multinational executives and managers.
- Second Preference - EB2 - For professionals holding advanced degrees or with exceptional ability in the arts, sciences, or business and have a job offer from a U.S. employer.
- Third Preference - EB3 - For professionals, skilled workers, and other workers that perform jobs for which qualified workers are not available in the U.S. and have a job offer from a U.S. employer.
- Fourth Preference - EB4 - For “special immigrants,” such as religious workers, broadcasters, employees of the U.S. government or military, neglected juveniles, and certain physicians. Iraqis and Afghans employed by the U.S. Government fall into this category.
- Fifth Preference - EB5 - For foreign business investors who make substantial financial contributions in new commercial enterprises that stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment.
Navigating the complex immigration system of the United States of America can be challenging, especially if your first language isn’t English. There are frequent changes in U.S. immigration laws and procedures. Contact the experienced professionals at Jude Law LLC to guide you through the process.











