US Visas
If you wish to move to the US either as a tourist or for business for a short-term period and your country of nationality is not a participant in the USA visa waiver program, you will need to apply for a B-1 business visa or a B-2 tourist visa.
Alternatively, if you wish to enter the country for a longer temporary period to live and work in the USA, your employer must file a petition on your behalf for a US work visa. These include H-1B visas for many professional occupations, L-1A and L-1B visas for certain transferee personnel, TN visas for Canadian and Mexican professionals, E-3 visas for Australian professionals, I visas for journalists, and R-1 visas for religious workers.
If you would like to invest in your own US-based business, the E-1 and E-2 visas are available to nationals of many countries. These America visas have a validity period of 5 years and are renewable indefinitely for the duration of the business.
Academic students can live in the country on a USA study visa. The F-1 visa and M-1 visa allow non-academic/vocational students to undertake a course of study in the USA. For post-graduation training and work experience, the J-1 visa is often an excellent option.
Other specialty America visas are available for athletes, members of entertainment groups, on-the-job trainees, government officials and diplomats, and individuals of “extraordinary ability” in the fields of science, art, education, business, athletics, and entertainment.
A USA migration consultant at Global Visas will be happy to provide more detailed information on specific classes of USA visa.
US Immigration Solutions
For those wishing to permanently immigrate to the US, there are several options available to gain lawful permanent residence in the US – commonly referred to as a “Green Card”. The routes available are based upon family ties, employment, investment, and an annual lottery called the Diversity Visa Lottery.
Eligible family members include fiancé(e)s (USA Fiance Visa), spouses (USA Spouse Visa), widows (under certain circumstances), parents, children, adult sons/daughters, and brothers and sisters of US citizens. Spouses, children, and unmarried adult sons/daughters of US permanent residents are also eligible for a USA Green Card.
Whether you need to permanently migrate to the USA or apply for a temporary United States visa, contact Global Visas to determine your best option.
Green Card USA
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, often called the US Green Card Lottery, makes available up to 55,000 diversity visas for America (DVs) annually, drawn from random selection from among entries to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from countries with low rates of immigration to the US. This annual lottery is conducted by the US Department of State and the application period usually runs from the beginning of October through the end of November.
Work Visa USA
For anyone interested in working in America, there are a number of US work visas for employment-based USA immigration.
EB-1 visas: Individuals with “extraordinary ability”, outstanding professors/researchers, and multinational executives and managers qualify for the EB-1 visa first preference category of US work visa.
EB-2 visas and EB-3 visas: Workers with advanced degrees qualify for the EB-2 visa second preference category, while workers with bachelor’s degrees or at least two years of experience qualify for the EB-3 visa third preference category. Workers with lesser qualifications fall into the “Other Workers” category. The process of applying for permanent residency in the USA under these categories often takes a long time—several years in many cases. It is a common practice, therefore, for a worker to first enter the country with a non-immigrant visa for the USA, such as an H-1B visa, whenever possible and then begin the permanent immigration process.
EB-4 visas: The EB-4 visa fourth preference category is reserved for religious workers and certain other special immigrants.
EB-5 visas: The final category—the EB-5 visa fifth preference category—is for foreign entrepreneurs who invest at least $1,000,000 USD (or $500,000 under certain circumstances) in a new commercial enterprise which will create at least 10 new jobs for US workers within the first two years.
Applying to permanently live and work in the US can be quite daunting for the uninitiated. In some cases it requires up to three different applications with three different government agencies stretched out over several years. However, the experts at Global Visas can help you successfully negotiate this intricate and often byzantine process to get your working visa USA.
Immigrate to the USA
Permanent residents who have continuously lived in the USA for at least five years (or three years if a spouse of a US citizen) may obtain US citizenship through a process called naturalization. Naturalization applicants must also demonstrate a basic understanding of English and US government and history (under most circumstances). The USA recognizes dual citizenship and the act of naturalizing will not revoke prior citizenship unless expressly prohibited by the laws of the prior country.
To find out which category of visa USA is right for you, fill in our online Assessment now!
