There are several types of immigrant visas available, but the majority of them fall in one of two categories: Family or Work.

Family based immigrant visas are those in which you are sponsored by a family member: a spouse, parent, child, sister or brother. Depending on the relationship and whether your family member is a U.S. Citizen or a Permanent Resident, will determine how long the process will take. Please call us for details.

Work based, or employment based immigrant visas are divided into two categories as well: Those that require an employer to sponsor you, and those that do not.

There are two self-sponsored application, the National Interest Waiver and the Extraordinary Ability application. Both depend on showing that you have made an impact on your field. Both are based upon your accomplishments and your ability to get others in your field to write letters on your behalf. See below for more detail on what exactly is needed for each application.

If you are sponsored by your employer, there are also two options open to you. First, they can advertise the position and see if there are any qualified U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents. If not, then you get what is called a labor certification. This process is detailed in the PERM page. The other process, while it requires your employer to sponsor you, it does not require the position to be advertised. It is called the Outstanding Researcher. This application can be very beneficial because it is easier than the EA or NIW, but much quicker than the Labor Certification. It is also current for those people from India and China (see the section on Visa Backlogs for more on this). See below for additional information on the requirements of this visa.

Please call us with any questions.