There are five distinct employment based visa categories (EB1-EB5).

 

Priority Workers (EB-1): This is known as the "Employment First Preference" category and is divided into three groups:

1. Persons with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics. Applicants must have extensive documentation proving that they are nationally or internationally recognized in the particular field of expertise. These applicants do not require a specific job offer but they must be entering the US to continue working in their area of expertise for which they are recognized;

2. Outstanding professors and researchers who have at least three years experience in teaching or research and are internationally recognized. They must have a job offer and be coming to the US to pursue tenure, tenure track teaching, or a comparable research position at a university or other institution of higher education;

3. Multinational managers or executives who have been employed in a managerial or executive capacity for at least one of the three preceding years by the overseas a affiliate, parent, subsidiary, or branch of the US employer. The applicant must have a job offer from the US employer and be coming to the US to work in a managerial or executive capacity.

 

Professionals With Advanced Degrees and Persons of Exceptional Ability (EB-2): Otherwise known as the "Employment Second Preference Category" is a visa issued to individuals who have an advanced degree or have an exceptional ability in
the sciences, arts, or business. Applicants in this category typically require a labor certification by the Department of labor and a job offer from a US employer, unless they qualify for a National Interest Waiver (NIW).

​

Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Unskilled Workers (EB-3): This "Employment Third Preference" category visa is issued to workers who do not fall under the EB-1 or EB-2 categories. "Skilled workers" are those whose jobs require at least two years of
training or work experience. The work experience must not be of a seasonal or temporary nature. "Professionals" are individuals whose jobs requires at least a bachelor's degree from a US university or college or its foreign equivalent degree. "Unskilled workers" refers to individuals who are capable of filling positions that require less than two years of training or experience (not temporary or seasonal). Applicants in this visa category require a Department of Labor certification and a sponsoring US employer.

​

Certain Special Immigrants (EB-4): This "Employment Fourth Preference" comprises certain applicants that have been specifically designated. The applicants that fall under this category are quite numerous and varied. For instance, this category
includes ministers of religion and certain religious workers, certain employees or former employees of the US government, certain Iraqi and Afghan interpreters and translators, certain foreign medical graduates, and some retired employees of international organizations. Applicants for the fourth preference category don't require a Labor Department certification.

​

Immigrant Investors (EB-5): This "Employment Fifth Preference" immigrant visa category is for foreign investors who make a capital investment and create or preserve a certain number of jobs in the United States. The minimum amount of investment is $800,000 (US Dollars) in a targeted employment area, or $1,050,000 in other areas. This capital investment must create at least ten jobs for US citizens, lawful permanent residents, or other immigrants authorized to work in the US. The jobs must last over a two year period and cannot include the investor, the investor's spouse, or the investor's children.