Are work visas permanent?
The answer to this question is yes and no at the same time. The work visa you get will determine whether you will live permanently in that country or live at the expiration of your visa except if you apply for an extension.
In this article, we shall explain more about the “Are work visas permanent” question using the United State model as a case sturdy.
Are Work Visas permanent?: A United States example
Whether temporarily or permanently, a lot of foreign people desire to work in the United States. Although the accessible jobs in the United States that qualify someone for a work visa typically start out as temporary jobs because it’s easier for employers to sponsor someone for temporary visas rather than lawful permanent U.S. residence, such U.S. employment can frequently lead to U.S. permanent residency (a green card).
To assist readers in determining which visa they may be eligible for, this article provides a summary of the most popular work visas. We’ll talk about both immigrant (work visas for permanent residence) and “nonimmigrant” visas (temporary employment work visas).
Please be conscious that the list below is not all-inclusive. You can visit the United States temporarily using a variedtion of work visa categories as well as other visa kinds (such as student or tourist visas).
Nonimmigrant Employment-Based Visas
If you have a nonimmigrant visa to enter the country, you must leave by the time the visa expires (unless you apply to extend your visa). The following are temporary work visas that can be used to work in the United States for a particular company.
O-1 Nonimmigrant Visa
People with excellent skills who are going over to the United States to work in their field of specialization are eligible for the O-1 nonimmigrant visa. You need to demonstrate your exceptionality in your vocation and have a job offer from a U.S. firm in order to be granted an O-1 visa.
You must satisfy three of the six criteria to demonstrate your extraordinaryness. These include gaining a large pay (remuneration), contributing new ideas to your area, winning honors, and playing a pivotal or lead role in your industry.
The U.S. employer must submit an I-129 petition on your behalf to USCIS together with a letter saying that the labor union representing your industry is in favor of your proposed U.S. employment.
The TN Visa
The NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) gave rise to the TN visa, which was maintained by the USMCA. Only citizens of Canada and Mexico are permitted to enter the country on the TN visa in order to work for an American employer for periods of three years.
You must demonstrate your Canadian or Mexican citizenship, the existence of an employment offer from a U.S. firm, and the eligibility of your position in order to be granted a TN visa. Accountants, engineers, attorneys, pharmacists, scientists, and teachers are a few examples.
L-1 Nonimmigrant Visa
Employees working for a foreign corporation that is an associate of a U.S. company are eligible for the L-1 nonimmigrant visa. L-1 workers are transferred from the branch of the foreign company to the branch of the American corporation. Alternately, the foreign corporation may transfer the L-1 employee to the United States in order to open an office there.
In either case, the L-1 employee must have spent a full year working for the foreign affiliate within the three years just before admission into the country. For instance, you must have worked for the foreign affiliate for at least a year during the years 2020 through 2022 if you want to enter the United States in L-1 status in 2022.
H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa
A very popular nonimmigrant visa is the H-1B. Due to annual supply constraints in most situations, there are more people who want them than can obtain them.
You need an employment invitation from a U.S. firm in order to get an H-1B visa. Your desired position must be in a speciality field, which typically means that a bachelor’s degree or higher is necessary to perform the duties of the post.
The U.S. employer must sponsor you for the H-1B visa by filing an I-129 petition with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) (USCIS). You (and your company) may want an attorney to assist you through the application process because this sort of visa is in great demand and many more people apply each year than can be awarded visas.
So, now that you have gotten the “no” answer to the “Are work Visas permanent” question, let us now proceed to the “yes” part of the question.
Immigrant Visas
If you successfully applied for an immigrant visa before traveling to the United States, you will be granted permanent residency upon arrival and your actual green card shortly after. The majority of the time, you need to have a job offer and your company must be eager to go through a difficult set of sponsorship procedures.
The following are immigrant work visas that enable individuals to permanently dwell and work in the United States (you might also be able to apply for these classifications while you are already in the U.S., in which case you would change your status to permanent resident instead of having to leave the United States).
See Employment-Based Green Cards – Application Process to learn about the common application steps.
EB-2 Advanced Degree Immigrant Visa
The employment-based second preference immigrant category includes the advanced degree category (EB-2). You must be sponsored by a U.S. employer in order to be eligible. It is necessary for your employer to complete the PERM certification procedure.
You must show that your offered work position requires at least a U.S. master’s degree and that you have earned at least a U.S. master’s degree (or its foreign equivalent). You will also need to demonstrate that this degree is necessary for your position.
If you work as an elementary school teacher and hold a master’s degree in education, for instance, you will not be eligible for the advanced degree category because your position does not require a master’s degree (elementary school teaching roles only require a bachelor’s degree).
However, as university lecturer positions necessitate at least a Master’s degree, you can be eligible for the advanced degree category if your desired position is in that field.
If you don’t have a master’s, you might still be eligible for EB-2 if you have a bachelor’s and five years of progressively more responsible work experience.
EB-1 Multinational Executive Immigrant Visa
The multinational executive visa, which is akin to an immigrant version of the L-1 nonimmigrant visa, is also a part of the employment-based 1st preference immigrant category (EB-1). You must meet the same requirements for the L-1A visa (previous employment in the past three years for the foreign affiliate and that you will work in a managerial or executive capacity) in order to be eligible for the status of multinational executive.
EB-1 Extraordinary Ability Immigrant Visa
The category for immigrants with first preference based on employment includes the outstanding ability visa (EB-1). Few foreign nationals are granted visas for outstanding ability because applicants must show that they are at the pinnacle of their professions and have consistently garnered both national and worldwide acclaim.
To do this, you must show that you can meet three out of ten requirements for outstanding talent. These consist of scholarly article publication, publications about you or your work, accolades, important roles for leading organizations, professional association membership, unique contributions, high pay, showcases or exhibitions of your work, judging of other people’s work, and financial success in the performing arts.
Are work visas permanent? By now, you should have gotten a fair knowledge on how to an der this question. Feel free to get more knowledge on work visas in the United States before applying for one.
