US Work Permit – To be legally employed in the US as an alien or a foreigner, you need to have the legal authorization to work. However the excluded category includes the diplomats and the Green Card holders who are lawful permanent citizens and they are legally authorized to work just like they get nearly all of the benefits as the US citizens. While the diplomats are authorized to work in US by their own governments, they do not require a us work permit to be in US.
Although the most common US work permit is considered to be the L-1 visa or the H-1B visa, it is not that only the white-collar executives get the authorization to work in US. There are many other ways of getting the work permit which is legally known as the Employment Authorization Document. It can be issued by the employer, in a visa lottery program. If you are an asylum seeker or a refugee, by a close family member’s sponsorship program or as an investment.
Let’s get into the details and see how these different methods of getting a US work visa really work. When an employer sponsors you as a foreign citizen to come and work in US. It is considered to be a non-immigration visa petition. Which can be further used to get a green card after fulfilling certain conditions. Usually the time bound US work visa that an employee can sponsor include the H1-B which is for 3 years with a maximum extension of 6 years. While the L-1 visa/the intra-company transfer visa is only provided to those that are moved to the US office, within the company.
Considered to be the investor visa. The E category investor and trade visa is the stepping stone to the green card. The US treaties allow investors from foreign countries to engage in trade and investments in US. They are granted E-visa which is another US work visa and allow the foreign nationals to work and create employment. Another way to get the US work visa is through the much publicized visa lottery program. Wherein citizens from countries with low US immigration can apply. While the Department of State randomly picks and selects 50,000 immigrants for the work visa. But the eligibility is no criminal or drug records and convictions. All of the selected 50,000 are approved for green card to live and work in US.
When a blood-relation family member sponsors the close family members on the immigrant visa petition. It can lead to a green card, if the visa is approved. According to the prevalent laws, while the family member is awaiting the green card. They can file for employment authorization or US work permit. Similarly, asylum seekers and refugees are allowed to obtain the US work permit to live and work there if their case is pending.
You can talk with an immigration attorney for all information and options. That you have to be eligible for the work visa. The lawyer would be able to assist you with the procedures and intensive documentation that will be required.