Work Visas for Professionals & Employers

It depends on your profession, your credentials, and who is sponsoring you. A professional in a degree-requiring role usually looks first at the H-1B. Someone transferring within a multinational company looks at the L-1. A person at the top of their field looks at the O-1. Canadian and Mexican professionals often qualify for the TN. There is no single "best" work visa, only the one that fits your facts. We match the category to your case at the consultation.

Not exactly. A work visa is a specific nonimmigrant category (H-1B, L-1, O-1, and so on) that authorizes employment for a defined purpose. A "work permit" usually means an Employment Authorization Document (EAD, Form I-765), which is a card that proves someone is allowed to work, often issued to people in other statuses, such as pending green-card applicants or certain humanitarian categories. Different tools, different situations. We can tell you which one applies to you.

For most work visas, yes: H-1B, L-1, TN, and H-2 all require a US employer to petition or provide a qualifying job offer. The O-1 is more flexible: it can be filed through an employer or, in many fields, through an agent. If you do not yet have an employer sponsor, we can talk through the categories that give you the most room to work with.

Each category has its own clock. The H-1B is generally granted for up to three years and can be extended to a total of six, with exceptions. L-1A managers and executives can reach seven years and L-1B specialized-knowledge employees five. The O-1 is typically granted for up to three years with extensions in one-year increments. The TN is issued in periods of up to three years and can be renewed. We map the timeline for your specific case so renewals never sneak up on you.

Usually, yes. Most work-visa categories have a dependent visa for a spouse and unmarried children under 21: for example, H-4 for H-1B families and L-2 for L-1 families. Some dependents may qualify for their own work authorization; the rules differ by category and change over time. We handle the family side of the case alongside the primary petition.

Yes, for many people it does. H-1B professionals often move to an employment-based green card; L-1A managers frequently qualify for the EB-1C; O-1 holders can pursue the EB-1A. The key is planning early, because some nonimmigrant categories tolerate immigrant intent and others do not. We build the first filing with the eventual green card in mind. See our employment green cards page for the permanent-residency side.

A nonimmigrant visa is temporary and purpose-specific: you enter to do a defined thing (work a job, transfer within a company, perform) and are expected to maintain your home-country ties. An immigrant visa leads to permanent residency (a green card). Work visas are nonimmigrant categories, but several of them connect to immigrant paths, which is why choosing and sequencing them well matters so much.

Both. We represent employees pursuing work visas and the employers who sponsor them, including compliance work like Labor Condition Applications, prevailing wage, and I-9 and E-Verify readiness. One of our founding attorneys served as in-house counsel to a company recruiting J-1 and H-2B workers, so we understand sponsorship from the employer's side as well as the worker's.

It depends on the category, the complexity, and whether the filing is for an individual or an employer. Government filing fees are set by USCIS and the Department of Labor and change periodically; attorney fees are scoped to the work involved. We give you a real number at the consultation, not a guess. A 30-minute consultation is $100 by phone or video, or $250 in person, and if you retain us that fee is credited to your case.