When people come to the United States, it is often because they want to create a better life. One of the things that is necessary to do is to find a job. In order for an immigrant to find a job, they must obtain a work visa. In order to get an employment-based visa, the person has to have skills that can benefit a company in the U.S. One important aspect of employment-based visas that our Texas readers should know is that there are five different categories for these visas.
The first category is for priority workers. This category gets 28.6 percent of visas approved each year. The groups within this category include professors and researchers who are considered outstanding, people who have extraordinary abilities in athletics, arts, business, science or education, and multinational executives and managers. Each group has a specific set of qualifications they must meet if they hope to be approved for a visa.
The second category is reserved for people who have advanced degrees and those who have exceptional abilities. As with the previous category, this category gets 28.6 percent of visas approved each year. Education level, skills and experience are all considered as part of the criteria for people seeking this type of visa.
The third category is for unskilled workers, skilled workers and professionals. This category also gets 28.6 percent of visa awarded each year. Each subgroup -- unskilled, skilled and professional -- each have its own criteria.
The fourth category is for other people who are considered special immigrants. This category accounts for 7.1 percent of visas. A wide variety of people can qualify for this type of visa. Ministers of religion, certain international organization members and their family members, certain interpreters and a host of other groups are included in this category.
The final category is reserved for immigrant investors. These are people who are coming into the country to build up commercial enterprises.
People who are interested in any of these types of visas have to ensure they meet the requirements. Knowing these requirements and knowing about the application procedures might help to make the application process easier.
Source: U,S, Department of State, "Employment-Based Immigrant Visa" Nov. 12, 2014