Visa Types
E-1/E-2 Treaty Trader and Investor Visas
H-1B Specialty Occupation (Professionals) Visas
J-1 and Q-1 Exchange Visitor Visas
L-1 Intracompany Transfer Visas
O-1 Extraordinary Ability Workers Visas
TN Status Under the North American Free Trade Agreement
B-1/B-2 Visitor Visas
Available to visitors coming to the U.S. for business (B-1) or pleasure (B-2). The B-1 business visitor visa is for a short duration and does not allow for local employment. The B-2 visitor visa allows for tourists to visit the U.S. for a short duration.
E-1/E-2 Treaty Trader and Investor Visas
Investors, traders, and their employees may receive visas to carry on their businesses in the U.S. if their home country has a commercial treaty with the US conferring visa eligibility.
F-1 and M-1 Student Visas
Persons seeking to pursue a full course of study at a school in the United States may be eligible for a visa for the course of their study plus, in some cases, a period for practical training in their field of study.
H-1B Specialty Occupation (Professionals) Visas
Professional workers with at least a bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent work experience) may be eligible for a non-immigrant visa if their employers can demonstrate that they are to be paid at least the prevailing wage for the position.
H-2A/H-2B Visas
Allows the entry of foreign workers into the United States on a temporary basis when qualified U.S. workers are not available and when the employment of those foreign workers will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers. The H-2B program is limited to 66,000 visas per fiscal year. H-2A visas are available only to temporary agricultural workers and there is no yearly visa limit.
J-1 and Q-1 Exchange Visitor Visas
Persons coming to the U.S. in an approved exchange program may be eligible for the J-1 Exchange Visitor’s visa. J-1 programs often cover students, short-term scholars, business trainees, teachers, professors and research scholars, specialists, international visitors, government visitors, camp counselors and au pairs. In some cases, participation in a J-1 program will be coupled with the requirement that the beneficiary spend at least two years outside of the U.S. before being permitted to switch to a different non-immigrant visa or to permanent residency.
K-1 Fiancee Visas
A Fiance(e) of a U.S. citizen is eligible for a non-immigrant visa conditioned on the conclusion of the marriage within 90 days.
L-1 Intracompany Transfer Visas
L-1 visas are available to executives, managers and specialized knowledge employees transferring to their employer’s U.S. affiliate. Executives and managers holding L-1 visas may be eligible for permanent residency without the need for a labor certification.
O-1 Extraordinary Ability Worker Visas
The O-1 category is set aside for foreign nationals who have demonstrated “extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics.”
It is also available to those who have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in the motion picture and television industry.
R-1 Religious Worker Visas
Religious workers seeking to temporarily enter the US to pursue work in their field are likely to enter using the R nonimmigrant visa.
TN Status Under the North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) of 1993 created the TN (Trade NAFTA) professional visa for Canadian and Mexican nationals. Foreigners in specific professional occupations may qualify for TN visa status and work in the United States.
U Visas for Victims of Specific Crimes
The U Visa allows temporary immigration benefits to crime victims willing to assist law enforcement with criminal investigations.
DACA
On June 15, 2012, the secretary of Homeland Security announced that certain people who came to the United States as children and meet several guidelines may request consideration of deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal. They are also eligible for work authorization. Deferred action is a use of prosecutorial discretion to defer removal action against an individual for a certain period of time. Deferred action does not provide lawful status.
Contact the Immigration Lawyers, P.C. Today
Ready to get your temporary visa? Call the Immigration Lawyers at (773) 775-1717 or send us a message.