For many people, the United States of America is an attractive country to live and work. Many people plan to start new career opportunities, increase their income level, and create a business. The political climate in the United States is quite favorable; it creates all the conditions for a quality life. Most people think that their children can have the same opportunities, especially for those children who are born in the United States. That is because a child born in the US automatically becomes a citizen.
Do you intend to work in the USA? Then you should remember that every Ukrainian must obtain a work visa for the United States. The first thing to start with is to look for an employer and get a job from them. To start the process, your prospective employer must have a Labor Certification, which must be obtained from the US Department of Labor.
The most important document that you must receive from your new employer in the US is the approved Form I-797. Having received it, you can properly submit your documents to the embassy. For the employer to be able to provide you with this form, he will need to file a petition for you on Form I-129. The employer submits this petition to the United States Immigration and Citizenship Service (USCIS).
How to apply for a work visa to the United States for Ukrainians?
Step 1. Search for an employer and have accepted a job offer.
Step 2. Your new employer files a petition for you.
Step 3. Wait until the petition is approved.
Step 4. After the petition is approved, you will be able to start the process of obtaining a work visa in the United States.
Step 5. Pay the visa fee to the US Embassy.
Step 6. Fill out the application form DS-160 .
Step 7. Collect the documents.
Step 8. Book a date for your interview at the US Embassy.
Step 9. Have an interview.
Step 10. Receive your US work visa.
When applying for a work visa in the United States, applicants are often faced with the question of which category of work visa to choose. Because there are a lot of types, you need to figure out which visa category is right for you. Whether you will be approved for a work visa in the USA will depend on the correctly chosen category of a visa. Before starting the registration process, we recommend that you consult with our visa specialists here at Avisa.
Categories of work visas in the United States:
The C1/D visa is a non-immigration visa, which allows crew members of ships or aircraft that are in the United States or transiting the territorial waters or airspace of the United States to legally work in the United States, but only within a ship or aircraft.
The B-1 visa – this visa allows you to work in the United States if you are a personal assistant or domestic staff of an employer who needs to be accompanied in the United States or who will temporarily live in the United States.
The R visa (religious visa in the USA) – is issued for people who intend to work for a religious organization in the United States in their religious vocation.
The I visa (US visa for journalists) – this visa is issued to employees of foreign media for temporary travel to the United States who will perform professional journalism activities in the United States.
The H-1B visa – with this visa you can work only if you are a narrow-profile specialist in any field of activity. You must have a university degree or equivalent in the field of work that you will be doing in the United States. The H-1B visa is issued for 3 years, with the possibility of extension to 6 years. If an extension is granted you will not have to leave the US.
The H-2A visa is a visa for temporary or seasonal agricultural work. US employers can hire foreigners for seasonal work if they cannot find enough US residents.
The H-2B visa is a visa for temporary or seasonal non-agricultural work.
The H-3 visa – for internship in the USA.
The H-4 visa – intended for family members of the main applicant who will work in the United States. If you have received an H visa, your relatives (spouse, children under 21) can accompany you to the United States. However, your family is not allowed to work in the United States.
The L-1 visa – issued for the transfer of an employee within a foreign company which has a branch or a subsidiary in the United States. An employee must occupy a high level position or a position that presupposes possession of unique knowledge. When transferring, the employee will have to take a similar position. It is also necessary that the applicant has continuously worked for at least 1 year during the last 3 years in this company outside the United States.
The L-2 visa – this visa in the United States is for the relatives of the applicant who has received an L-1 visa. It is for your spouse and children under 21 who can accompany you to the United States. Your spouse will be able to work in the United States. Upon arrival in the US, your spouse will need to submit an I-765 application to USCIS. Children will not have the right to work.
The O visa – this type of work visa in the United States is open to persons with special abilities, such as art, cinema, education, science, sports. Also, their assistants can apply for this category of visa.
The P visa – issued to cultural workers and athletes who, as part of their program, will temporarily work in the United States.
The Q visa is intended for participants in international cultural exchange programs who have substantial knowledge and experience in the culture and traditions of their country of citizenship. The purpose of the applicant's trip is to familiarize the host country with the history and cultural characteristics of the applicant’s country.
List of documents to obtain a work visa in the United States.
Unfortunately, there is no definite list of documents that would be suitable for each of the above categories of work visas in the United States; each case must be approached individually. But there are several documents that are required, except for categories C1 / D, B1, and I, for all visas. They are:
- An invitation from an employer, namely an approved petition – I-797.
- A diploma of higher education in your specialty (at least a bachelor's degree).
- Documents confirming your professional experience and skills.
- Your CV.
- Certificate from the place of work concerning the salary from your current employer or from the previous place of work.
- Full names, as well as contact details of HR departments of your current place of work or previous place of work.
When applying for a work visa in the USA in 2021, it is especially important to be extremely careful and understand all the requirements of the visa application process because the slightest mistake can lead to a visa refusal.
Therefore, we recommend using the services of our company, Avisa, so you can be highly confident in yourself and in your documents. Our experienced specialists will be able to provide the most complete information for your type of visa.
