Top Employment-Based Immigration Lawyers for Individuals.

U.S. employment immigration generally falls into two categories: temporary (nonimmigrant) work visas and employment-based Green Cards. Some options require employer sponsorship. Others allow you to self-petition based on your achievements and impact. Our work visa attorneys help you evaluate your eligibility, clarify your options, and build a strategy aligned with your goals—not just for today, but for the years ahead.

Temporary work visas, also known as nonimmigrant visas, allow foreign nationals to live and work in the United States for a defined period of time. Some visa categories require sponsorship from a U.S. employer, while others provide more flexibility depending on the applicant's qualifications and the nature of the work. For many skilled workers, a work visa is the first step in a longer employment-based immigration journey that may later lead to a green card or permanent resident status.

These employment-based immigrant visas allow certain foreign workers to apply for a green card without employer sponsorship. To qualify, applicants must meet a high evidentiary standard under U.S. immigration law. An employment visa attorney with experience in these categories can help you build a strong case that can stand up to USCIS scrutiny.

Employer-sponsored green cards offer a structured path to permanent resident status for many professionals. In most cases, the immigration process requires a permanent job offer from a U.S. employer and completion of the labor certification process (PERM) through the U.S. Department of Labor to confirm that no qualified U.S. workers are displaced. Employment-based immigrant visas, like the EB-2 visa and EB-3 visa, fall into preference categories based on the role, qualifications, and sponsoring business's structure.

No. Immigrant visas in the EB-1 category don't require employers to go through the labor certification process. The most common EB-1s that are sponsored by employers are the EB-1B and EB-1C. The EB-1B is for outstanding professors and researchers with international recognition in their academic field who are sponsored by a qualifying U.S. employer. The EB-1C is for multinational managers and executives transferring to a related U.S. entity after qualifying employment abroad.