U.S. immigration policy recognizes the important contributions non-citizen professionals make to the American economy by providing special visa opportunities for people with professional training and skills.
However, the process of obtaining a professional visa can be confusing, and minor errors in selecting a visa category and completing the application can have major consequences. There are non-immigrant employment based visas and immigrant employment based visas for many types of jobs, including engineers, architects, doctors, professors, athletes, and business professionals.
The most common non-immigrant visa for professionals is the H-1B visa. However, depending on your situation, other visas such as the O-1 visa may be more appropriate. J-1, TN or an H3 visa may be more appropriate visa choices for you. A knowledgeable immigration lawyer can help you determine the best visa for you.
Professionals also have the option of seeking lawful permanent residency (LPR), commonly known as a green card based on employment. People seeking to immigrate on the basis of employment can apply for labor certification through the Program Electronic Review Management (PERM) system or pursue admission under an employment-based preference.
The process of applying for a green card based on employment is a very complicated process. Hiring an experienced immigration lawyer can help ensure that the application is prepared correctly and avoid issues that may lead to a denial.