Ordinarily, many non-American citizens want to travel to America to seek for job. However, a every citizen of a foreign country, who wishes to work in the U.S. must first of all acquire the right visa. Meanwhile most jobs in the United State are for fix period, therefore the applicant can acquire a temporary employment visa which includes approved petitions in some cases.
Annually, there is approximately 140,000 employment-based immigrant visas made available to all the qualified applicants as enshrined in the U.S. immigration law.
In a related development, the employment-based immigrants visas are usually segmented into five categories namely:
- Priority worker and person’s extraordinary ability
- Professionals holding advanced degrees and persons of exceptional ability.
- Skilled workers, professionals and unskilled workers otherwise known as other workers
- Certain special immigrants
- Immigrants’ investors.
However, as long as it is the ambition of many professionals across the world to work in U.S. it is paramount to note that one cannot work in USA without an employment visa.
Historically, the immigrants make up about 18% of the U.S workforce and are given employment across all sectors in all types of occupations.
In USA, industries employ a higher number of immigrants such as the construction, hospitals, agricultural and administrative sector.
Specifically, there are jobs that are commonly reserved for immigrants such as manicurists, sorters for agricultural products, sewing machine operators, house keepers and plasters.
In a related development, computer science is also on of the popular occupations among immigrants in the U.S. owing to the high demand for talented tech gurus in some tech-orientated cities like San Francisco.
Furthermore, there is industrial growth in the united state such as healthcare and social assistance, electronics, construction, IT, hospitality, retail, real estate and financial services and these have contributed to the growth of the U.S economy which has made them possess the biggest and powerful economy in the world.
Again, Amy Heine (2023) opined that finding job in the U.S is tied to three determinant areas which includes:
- sponsorship
- temporary visa
- green card.
In sponsorship, we talk about the practice of employer guaranteeing you a status as a legal working resident. Again, it is not possible to verify your job title without first of all obtaining a sponsor after which you take a responsibility for both the applicants and their actions.
To obtain a sponsorship, there are processes that must be followed.
They include:
- prepare your application documents: here, you apply for the job first in your home country.
- Search for job online: in searching for job online, you will look for the position that suits your qualifications by surfing through the website that hosted the job.
- Finally, online interview: here, there is always a scheduled online interview through teleconferencing software etc.
Away from sponsorship, temporary visa is another inevitable process of getting a job in the united state as an immigrant. Temporary visa deals with a regular renewal. It is worthy to note that work visas are employer-driven most times thereby requiring your employer to submit an application for you in the United States citizenship and immigration services (USCIS) lottery.
The USCIS is the federal agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States. It began operations on march, 2003 as part of the newly established U.S. department of homeland security (DHS).
To obtain a temporary visa there are steps that must be followed
They include:
- File a petition if necessary
- Wait for your employee’s petition approval.
- Apply for a temporary visa
- Interview with the U.S embassy or consulate
- Get your visa.
The green card as the name implies is a document that authorizes a foreign nation to live or work in USA permanently. It is not possible to live in USA permanently without a green card no matter the nature of your job.
Annually, the USA distributes over 50,000 green cards for applicants through the completion of 1-140 form which is seen as an immigrant petition. It is also important to ask for your priority date. This date usually come as a notice from USCIS alongside the priority date. Again, applicant must get a medical exam, fill out and submission of application interview and biometric etc.
Getting a USA work visa most time can be so confusing. Nevertheless, you cannot enter USA legally without a visa.
There are two kinds of visa for a foreigner seeking for work.
They include:
Nonimmigrant visa and immigrant visa
A nonimmigrant visa can be easy to get and can allow a foreigner to study or work in America for anywhere from 1 to 6 years.
An immigrant visa is more difficult to obtain but can grant you a “green card” which allows your lawful permanent residence in the USA. Application processing times can take up to several months, so you should always plan your journey and apply for your visa up to a year in advance. Not every visa can fetch you a job, there are specific visa that provides job, they include career, student, entry-level, highly-skilled specialist, multinational executive, professor or researcher, family of a US resident.
The share of immigrants in the U.S. labor force has steadily increased for more than a decade, and that growth is poised to continue – a trend economists say benefits the American work force and economy.
Applicants who believe they are entitled to immigrant’s status based in proposed employment in the United States must have their prospective employer file petition form.
Above all, immigration to the United States has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of its history. Some research suggests that immigration is beneficial to the United States economy. With few exceptions, the evidence suggests that on average, immigration has positive economic effects on the native population, but it is mixed as to whether low-skilled immigration adversely affects low-skilled natives. Therefore, even as immigrants seeks job in USA it is wise to bear in that there are laws that hovers over immigrants and citizenship.