Visa Types
Work Visas
H and L applicants MUST identify themselves as such to the call center in order to get a timely appointment.
For O and P visas (athletes, artists, or entertainers) please go to the page Visa types
Visa Type | Description |
H1A | Registered nurses for temporary employment |
H1B | Persons in specialty occupations that require a college or advanced degree; artists, entertainers, athletes and fashion models of distinguished merit and ability (may include persons assisting in their performances) |
H2A | Temporary or seasonal agricultural workers |
H2B | Persons filling temporary jobs that cannot be filled by US citizens or residents |
H3 | Professional job trainees in an American company or in the US office of a foreign company |
H4 | Spouse and children of H visa applicants. Work is not authorized for this visa type. |
L | Managers or executives of multinational corporations, transferred to the company's US office, that have a minimum of one years’ experience with the company
|
L2 | Spouse and children of L visa applicants. Work is authorized for this visa type. |
Q | Participants in an international cultural exchange program for the purpose of explaining or sharing their country's culture |
Procedures
For each of the above visa categories, you must have a valid job offer and, before any visa can be issued, your employer in the US must first file Form I-129 (Petition for Non-Immigrant Worker) with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Once approved, the employer is sent Form I-797, as no work visa can be issued without this approved petition form.
As of January 2008, DHS is requiring electronic confirmation of the I-129 petitions for the issuance of a worker visa. US Embassy Paris is currently experiencing between 2-5 business day delay in the receipt of electronic confirmations from DHS. Even longer delays have occurred for the renewal of existing petitions. Worker applicants may schedule and appear for visa interviews but the visa will not be issued without this electronic confirmation. Please do not make your travel reservations until you have received your visa.Forms
When you apply for your work visa, you must present:
- Passport
- DS-156
- DS-157 (males between 16 and 45 and all applicants born in/or citizens of Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Sudan, and Syria.)
- Original Form I-797. Form I-797. If your I-797 form was approved more than two months ago, please submit a current letter from your employer confirming your continued employment. The approval of a petition does not guarantee visa issuance to an applicant found ineligible under provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
- One photo
- Application and reciprocity fees
- Self-addressed Chronopost envelope
Family
Spouses and children (under 21 years old) of H and L visa holders are eligible to accompany the principal applicant as long as he/she demonstrates the means to support his/her family while in the US. Couples must be legally married to qualify for such derivative visas, as the status of "concubinage" is not recognized by US immigration law. In addition to the basic documentation (DS-156, photos, passport, mandat, etc.), spouse and children of an H or L visa holder, must submit marriage and birth certificates along with a copy of the I-797 approved for the visa holder.
For further information on petition based employment visas please visit U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services