Employment Visas: What Are My Options?
Looking for A Specific Post? Search Below
Obtaining an employment-based visa requires proper planning and coordination between the foreign worker and the U.S. employer. Our experienced immigration lawyers at Kriezelman Burton & Associates, LLC have years of experience helping both the employers in the Chicago area and their prospective foreign-born employees in applying and securing employment-based visas. We also help employers seeking immigration law services in Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
One of the decisions an employer or foreign worker must make, or both must make is whether to pursue a temporary work visa or a permanent one. The decision will make a difference in what needs to be done and how long it will take for the visa to be issued.
Immigrant Work Visa
Before an employer petitions to have a foreign worker be authorized to work for them on a permanent immigrant visa, the employer must first obtain labor certification approval from the U.S. Department of Labor. Once the labor certification is obtained, the employer can then submit their petition to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to have that agency approve the petition, and then only after that can the prospective employee apply for their immigrant visa.
There are five categories under which a U.S. employer can petition to have a foreign worker obtain an immigrant visa through employment, and these are:
- Employment First Preference (E1): Priority Worker and Persons of Extraordinary Ability. There are three sub-groups within this category, and these are:
- -Those with extraordinary ability in the sciences, athletics, education, arts, or business
- -Outstanding professors and researchers who are recognized internationally and have experience of at least three years
- -Multinational executives or managers who have worked overseas for at least one year for a branch, affiliate, parent, or subsidiary of the U.S. company
- Employment Second Preference (E2): Professionals who hold advanced degrees or have exceptional ability in their respective professional fields.
- Employment Third Preference (E3): Skilled, professional, and other workers with the requisite minimum training and education
- Employment Fourth Preference (E4): This is a category for special immigrants who meet the criteria for that category.
Non-Immigrant Visas
A non-immigrant visa is issued to an individual who is interested in coming to work in the United States but on a temporary or fixed period. There are several of these types of non-immigrant temporary work visas, but the most common are:
- H Visa. These visas are for those coming to the U.S. to work in an occupation that requires specialized education or knowledge.
- L-1 Visa. This is a visa for an individual to come and work for their employer in the United States at a branch, affiliate, parent, or subsidiary office of the current employer in a qualifying position.
- O Visas. The O-1 visa is a category for individuals who have extraordinary ability in the sciences, athletics, arts, education, or business or who have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in their field.
For superb representation in seeking and obtaining any of these temporary or permanent employment-based visas, contact our office and talk to one of our experienced employment-based immigration attorneys. Although we are based in Chicago, we also take cases in Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
Lo que dicen nuestras clientas
Calificación de 5 estrellas | Basado en 200+ reseñas de clientes satisfechos en Google
Kevin Raica literally saved my life. He helped me out of a dangerous situation that my previous attorney had put me in. After 17 years without status and 6.5 years of working with my previous attorney, I had experienced so many denials that I had completely lost hope. When I met Kevin, everything changed. He genuinely cared about my situation and gave me hope when I couldn’t see any for…
We sincerely thank the entire team for the professionalism, responsiveness, patience, and dedication shown throughout our case. From our very first visit, Justin reassured us that everything would be all right. Thank you, Khiabett, for your expertise, professionalism, and calm guidance before and during the interview, which greatly reduced our stress and gave us confidence. We also deeply appreciate Kamila's hard work, patience, and responsiveness throughout the process. For sorting…
I would like to sincerely thank Attorney Justin Burton and PL Kamila Lada for support with my adjustment of status case. I have been working with the firm for over a year now, and I have received nothing short of exceptional services and support throughout various cases for myself and family members. Highly recommend consulting and retaining this firm.
We have been in the dark with our case for over 2 decades, while working with other big firms who just kept me in the dark and sat on our case without making any effort to move it forward until I met the wonderful team at Kriezelman & Burton. AO and JP are truly God-sent angels who with their knowledge, collaboration, sense of direction and outside the box thinking, managed…
Highly recommend attorney Kevin Raica and attorney Agata Bigdanowicz. They were super helpful, responded on time, and won my case in record time. It took about a month and half in total for me to get my approval after filing!
Brittni Rivera and her team (Carina Lopez) are fantastic! They are responsive, efficient and beyond compassionate. Brittni Rivera and her team treated me with dignity and respect as they patiently answered all of my questions. They didn't move on without making sure I understood each step. Their work ethic was impressive. It felt like they were an extension of my personal team. I can't say enough to convey my gratitude…
Kevin Raica and his team handled my immigration application and i can other recommend them enough. They made a stressful process very easy. They are very knowledgeable in this area and helped us at every stage from beginning to end.
Brittni Rivera. She is my Attorney from 2017. Thank you so, so much. This truly wouldn’t have been possible without you, Brittni. Can’t wait to file for the green cards.
We hoped and prayed for this day, not knowing if it would ever come. Deportations are incredibly scary and overwhelming. We wanted to give a very special thank you to Jennifer Peyton of Chicago for securing this victory for us! With Jennifer on our side we were able to get our loved one back. On behalf of our family, thank you. When we started this journey, we had hoped and…
Matthew Kriezelman, first of all, thank you very much; you and your team are the best immigration lawyers in Chicago. I had a great experience—your professionalism was outstanding, and you were always there whenever needed. I give you five stars for the wonderful work you and your team did. Thanks again.
¡Programe una consulta!
Publicidad de abogados. Esta información está diseñada solo para información general. La información presentada no debe interpretarse como asesoramiento legal formal ni como la formación de una relación abogado/cliente. Los resultados y testimonios anteriores no son garantía ni predicción del resultado de su caso, y no deben interpretarse como tales. Los resultados pasados no pueden garantizar el rendimiento futuro. Cualquier resultado en un solo caso no pretende crear una expectativa de resultados similares en asuntos futuros porque cada caso involucra muchos factores diferentes, por lo tanto, los resultados diferirán caso por caso. Al proporcionar información de contacto, los usuarios reconocen y dan su consentimiento explícito para ser contactados a través de los métodos de comunicación proporcionados, incluido SMS. Se pueden aplicar tarifas por mensajes y datos. La frecuencia de los mensajes puede variar. Responda STOP para optar por no participar.
NUVEW | Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved | Accessibility Notice | privacy policy