If you are an immigrant looking to enter the United States on a permanent worker visa, there are a variety of different worker visas that you may be able to apply for. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is a branch of the Department of Homeland Security, have created five different visa options for potential permanent workers.
There are about 140,000 immigrant visas that are available each year for aliens and their spouses and children. These are specifically set for people who need to immigrate based on their jobs skills. If you have the right level of skills, work experience, and the specific education and qualifications needed, you may be able to under the United States and live permanently in the country without fear of deportation.
Some immigrant visas require that you already have a job offer from a U.S. employer. For example, if you are the foreign head of a multi-branch company, and are given an offer to come take over a branch of that company in the U.S. you can use this job offer as a method to apply for your permanent worker visa. The employer in these situations is considered your sponsor when you apply. In some visa categories, the employer must obtain an approved labor certification from the U.S. Department of Labor on your behalf before you can be granted access into the country.
The Department of Labor Certification is a paper that certifies that there are insufficient U.S. workers that could fill the position that you are being asked to complete at the wage that is being offered. Normally, the labor certification admits that there are not any qualified and willing U.S. workers who can take the position. The certification will also determine that hiring a foreign worker for the specific position will not adversely affect the wages or working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers in the company. If you are granted to enter the United States on permanent worker visa, you will be required to pay the federal taxes as if you were a resident.
The first visa you may be able to apply for is a First Preference EB-1 visa. This is a visa that is reserved for a person of extraordinary ability in education, business, athletics, arts, or sciences. Also, professors or researchers with outstanding achievements and the executives of multinational businesses can often use this visa. In some cases, managers can also use this visa in order to gain access to the United States. Those who are admitted on a first preference visa won't be required to get a labor certification.
A second-preference EB-2 visa is one that does require a labor certification. This visa is reserved for members of professions that hold advanced degrees. Also, those who have exceptional abilities in the arts, sciences, and business can use this visa in order to apply. In some cases, an applicant may be able to obtain a national interest waiver, which will exempt them from labor certification. If you would like to explore this option then you will want to contact an attorney for more information.
A third-preference EB-3 visa is one that is reserved for professionals, skilled workers, and other workers that have a labor certification. There are many intricate job classifications that are dealt with under this requirement, so you will want to discuss your options with an attorney today for more information. A fourth-preference EB-4 is a visa that is reserved for special immigrants that work in particular places of employment. An EB-4 is normally used for religious workers, employees of the U.S. foreign service posts, retired employees of international organizations, and alien minors that are wards of the court in the United States.
These individuals do not need a labor certification to enter the United States. Also, some immigrants can enter the U.S. if they use a fifth-preference EB-5. This is for immigrants that have invested $1million in a business that will employ at least 10 full-time U.S. workers. Sometimes, immigrants can invest $500,000 instead, as long as the investment is made in a targeted employment area. If you want more information about visas and how they affect your ability to immigrate to the United States as a future employee or employer, contact a local immigration lawyer.