US visa types
The United States runs a separate visa for each kind of applicant: skilled professionals, founders, researchers, artists and investors. Find the routes your record already supports.
What are the main US visa types?
US work and residence visas fall into four groups. Talent visas rest on a personal record of achievement. Work visas rest on a US employer sponsoring the role. Investment visas rest on capital and an active business. Green cards grant permanent residence outright.
Which US visas let you work?
Every employment and investment route carries work permission. Temporary visas such as the H-1B, L-1 and O-1 permit work only for the sponsoring employer named in the petition. Employment-based green cards carry permanent residence and unrestricted work permission once issued.
Do you need a job offer to get a US visa?
No, not for every route. The EB-1A, the EB-2 NIW and the EB-5 are self-petitioned, so no employer and no job offer is required. The H-1B, L-1, EB-1C, EB-2 and EB-3 all require a US employer to file the petition. The O-1 needs a US petitioner, which can be an employer or an agent.
Which US visas lead to a green card?
The EB categories are green cards in themselves. Among the temporary visas, the H-1B, L-1A, L-1B, O-1A and O-1B allow dual intent, so a green card petition can run alongside them. The E-1 and E-2 do not allow dual intent, so reaching permanent residence from either means changing category.
Start with what you can prove.
The four groups below sort every US visa by what qualifies you: your own record, an employer, your capital, or permanent residence itself. Find yours and the field narrows to a handful.
How does the US visa process work?
Almost every route on this page starts with a petition: a filing that shows you meet the category's requirements. USCIS decides it. Your employer files it on the sponsored routes, and you file it yourself on the self-petitioned ones.
The last step depends on where you are when the petition clears. From abroad, a US consulate issues the visa. From inside the US, many applicants change status instead and skip the consulate.
What is the difference between an immigrant and a non-immigrant visa?
A non-immigrant visa gives you permission to be in the US for a set period, tied to one role or business. An immigrant visa is the green card: permanent residence, no employer attached, no end date.
Dual intent connects the two. Where a non-immigrant visa allows it, you can hold that visa while a green card petition runs. The H-1B, L-1 and O-1 allow it. The E-1 and E-2 do not, so reaching permanent residence from either means changing category.
Every US visa, in four groups.
Each group opens with what it asks of you, then lists the routes inside it. Every route on this page carries work permission.
US Talent Visas
These run on your own record: awards, published work, press coverage, judging roles, proof that your work changed something in your field. Immigration officers check that evidence against a fixed list of criteria, and you have to meet a set number of them. Most applicants spend a year or two building the record before they file.
USATalentO-1A Visa
For people with extraordinary ability in the sciences, business, or athletics.
- Documented extraordinary ability in the field
- Sustained national or international acclaim
- Evidence meeting at least 3 of 8 USCIS criteria
4–12 months
$9,000–$13,000
USATalentO-1B Visa
For people with extraordinary ability in the arts, film, or TV.
- Distinction in the arts, or film and TV
- Evidence meeting at least 3 of 6 USCIS criteria
- A peer group or union consultation
4–12 months$9,000–$13,000US Work Visas
Your employer files the petition, pays most of the government fees, and the permission you receive covers the role described in it. The bar sits lower than on the talent routes, because the case turns on the job and your qualifications for it. The routes differ in what the employer has to prove before filing, from a wage attestation up to a full recruitment test of the US labour market.
USAWorkH-1B Visa
For professionals in specialty roles that require a degree.
- A specialty occupation tied to a degree
- A bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in that field
- Employer sponsorship, and the lottery for most
2–6 months$8,000–$12,000USAWorkL-1A Visa
For executives and managers transferring to a US office.
- One year of qualifying employment abroad
- Executive or managerial role
- Qualifying relationship between the two companies
2–6 months$10,000–$13,500USAWorkL-1B Visa
For specialized-knowledge employees transferring to a US office.
- One year of qualifying employment abroad
- Specialized or advanced knowledge
- Qualifying relationship between the two companies
2–6 months$10,000–$13,500US Investment Visas
Both routes need a treaty between the US and your country of nationality, so check your passport before anything else. You also need capital at risk in a business that trades, and these visas renew for as long as the business does. Neither allows dual intent, so a green card plan on either one means changing category.
USAInvestmentE-2 Visa
For entrepreneurs investing in and operating US businesses.
- Citizenship from a treaty country
- Substantial committed investment
- Real, operational business
3–10 months$10,000–$14,000USAInvestmentE-1 Visa
For traders in substantial, ongoing trade with the US.
- Citizenship from a treaty country
- Substantial, ongoing trade with the US
- 50%+ of trade between US and treaty country
3–9 months$10,000–$14,000US Green Cards
These are permanent residence, not permission for a period: no end date, and no employer to stay tied to. Talent, work or investment still qualifies you underneath, which is why the same names appear here. Three of them you file for yourself. Your category and country of birth decide whether you wait for a number before the final step.
USATalentGreen cardEB-1A
For individuals with extraordinary ability.
- Extraordinary ability in field
- Sustained national or international acclaim
- At least 3 of 10 criteria met
6–12 months$12,500–$17,500USATalentGreen cardEB-1B
For outstanding professors and researchers.
- International recognition as outstanding
- 3+ years of teaching or research
- A permanent academic job offer
6–12 months$12,000–$17,000USAWorkGreen cardEB-1C
For multinational managers and executives.
- A qualifying US-foreign company relationship
- 1 year abroad as a manager or executive
- A managerial or executive role in the US
6–12 months$12,500–$17,500USAWorkGreen cardEB-2
For professionals with an advanced degree or exceptional ability.
- An advanced degree or exceptional ability
- A permanent US job that requires it
- PERM labor certification cleared
2–3 years$12,000–$19,500USATalentGreen cardEB-2 NIW
For researchers and founders serving the US national interest.
- An advanced degree or exceptional ability
- A proposed endeavor of national importance
- The three-prong Dhanasar test met
6–12 months$12,500–$17,500USAWorkGreen cardEB-3
For professionals, skilled workers, and unskilled workers.
- A degree, experience, or an unskilled role
- A permanent US job offer
- PERM labor certification cleared
2–4 years$12,000–$19,500USAInvestmentGreen cardEB-5
For investors making a major US investment.
- $800K (targeted area) or $1.05M invested
- Capital lawfully sourced and at risk
- At least 10 full-time US jobs created
2–5 years$30,000–$40,000
ComparisonsO-1 vs EB-1A: Which is right for you?
USA
EB-1A vs EB-2 NIW: Which Green Card to Choose
USA
O-1 vs H-1B Visa: Key Differences and How to Choose
USA
EB-1A vs EB-1B: Self-Petition or Employer Sponsor
USA
L-1 vs H-1B Visa: Which Is Better, and for Whom?
USA
NewsDHS Ends F-1 Duration of Status: New 4-Year Limit
USA
USCIS Made Adjustment of Status Discretionary
USA
Federal Court Vacates USCIS Pause for 39 Countries
USA
Federal Court Strikes Down Trump's $100k H-1B Fee
USA
DHS Proposes to End the 60-Day Grace Period for Work Visas
USA
New $103,265 H-1B Fee Would Hit Workers Already in the US
USAQuestions, answered.
No US visa is easy, and the least difficult route is the one your evidence already supports. A researcher with published work and citations has a shorter path through the EB-2 NIW than through the H-1B, which turns on a wage-weighted selection nobody controls. Fit decides difficulty more than the category does.
Yes, and many people qualify for several routes at once. A founder with a strong record can hold an O-1A while an EB-1A petition runs, and a sponsored employee can sit in an EB-2 queue while working on an H-1B. Whether to file in parallel is worth settling with a licensed attorney before anything goes in.
Processing runs from a few weeks to several years depending on the route. Premium processing shortens the decision on many petitions to 15 or 45 business days. It does not shorten the wait for a green card number, which depends on your category and country of birth. Each route page carries its own current timeline.
Total cost depends on the route, the size of the employer and whether premium processing is used. Government fees alone range from several hundred dollars to several thousand, before legal fees. Each route page carries a full breakdown, including the reduced fees that apply to employers with 25 or fewer staff.
It depends on the route. Spouses of L-1 and E visa holders can work. Spouses of H-1B holders can work only in limited circumstances. Spouses of O-1 holders cannot. Once a green card is issued, a spouse who is also a permanent resident has unrestricted work permission.
A denial ends that petition. The case can continue: depending on the category and the reason, you can refile with stronger evidence, appeal, or move to a route your record supports better. Immigration officers state their reasons in the decision, and those reasons tell you which of the three is worth doing.
A lawyer is not required by law, but every employer-sponsored and evidence-based route involves filings where an error costs months. imigos runs a free eligibility check first, so you see which routes fit before spending anything, then connects you with a licensed attorney when a route is worth pursuing.
USCIS · US Department of State · US Department of Labor · Updated August 2026
This page contains general information for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and Imigos Inc. Immigration laws, policies, and fees change frequently, and the information here may not reflect the most current legal developments. You should not act or refrain from acting based on this information without seeking professional counsel from an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction. Imigos Inc. expressly disclaims all liability for actions taken or not taken based on any of its contents.
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