Employment Immigrant Visas
You may also be eligible for an immigrant visa if you are going to be employed in the United States. Like family immigrant visas, employment immigrant visas are divided into categories depending on the job you will be performing and your credentials. The visa category and the country where you were born will determine when a visa will be available. Please refer to the visa bulletin on the U.S. State Department website.
The first employment preference is for foreign nationals with extraordinary ability in the areas of business, science, the arts, and athletics who have gained professional notoriety and sustained international acclaim. This category is also available for multinational executives and managers.
The second preference category is for those who are professionals who hold advanced degree or the equivalent of an advanced degree. This category is also for those foreign nationals of extraordinary abilities whose work will benefit the national interest of the United States.
The third preference category is reserved for professional, skilled, and other workers. A professional worker is someone who fills a job in which at least a bachelor degree is required. A skilled worker is someone who fills a job in which at least two years of experience is required. This visa category is also available for those who have no degree and less than two years experience.
The third preference visa is typically used for nurses who want to work in the United States who are not coming from Canada. This is because nurses in the United States do not always require advanced degrees but are skilled workers. If you are a nurse who is a Canadian national, you may enter the United States under NAFTA. A Canadian nurse can come to the United States to work with a TN visa as part of NAFTA.