Work Permit (Nonimmigrant Visa)

PLEASE NOTE: All visa options listed on this page are different types of non-immigrant visas. In general, they authorize you to live in the US for a limited period only. If you are interested in permanent residence in the U.S. you will, sooner or later, need to apply for the "green card".

C-1/D Visa (Combined transit and Crewman Visa)

The transit visa (C-1/D Visa) is for foreign nationals who work for an airline or a shipping company and regularly travel to the U.S. by plane or ship, or transit through the U.S. to a third country.

The C-1/D visa is not interchangeable with the B-1/B-2 category. MORE

E-1 Visa (Treaty Trader)

The E-1 Treaty Trader category dates back to the time before alliances like the European Union or NAFTA existed and countries entered bilateral treaties so their citizens could trade across borders. In some countries, the E-visa has been in existence for more than 100 years already. MORE

E-2 Visa (Treaty Investor)

This visa is for companies or individuals who want to invest capital in the US and is – similar to the E-1 visa – also based on bilateral treaties. Currently, about 60 countries have such treaties with the U.S.

The investor visa is available to nationals of those countries, that have invested in a U.S. company or are about to do so. MORE

H-1B Visa (Specialty Occupation)

The H-1B visa is a visa for foreign workers from different qualified professions, among them engineers, scientists, computer scientists etc. The H-1B visa is probably the best known temporary work visa. Eligible for this category are persons with an academic degree (or its equivalent). MORE

I-Visa (Foreign News Media)

Over the past years, there has been an increasing number of reports concerning various incidents and difficulties at the US borders and quite frequently, those reports were about journalists being interrogated, arrested, or even deported. MORE

L-Visa (Intra-company Transfers)

This visa was especially designed for transfers within international companies. The intra-company category, that is a residence permit as well as a work permit for the U.S., allows the transfer of employees to an office, a subsidiary or branch in the US. MORE

O-1 Visa (Extraordinary Ability)

US immigration law is designed to offer people with extraordinary abilities an incentive to live and work in the U.S. and make valuable contributions to U.S. society or economy.

PLEASE NOTE: The O-1 visa may be especially interesting for executive employees, in case no L-, E-, or H-1B work visas are available, or the employee is not eligible for either of those categories. MORE

P-Visa (Athletes and Entertainers)

It is still a dream for many artists to once get a job or be on stage in the land of opportunity. This is, however, only possible under certain conditions. The P-visa category is for athletes, artists, and entertainers who want to work in the U.S. individually or as members of a team or group for a limited period of time. MORE