Work visas are among the fastest and most popular ways for immigrants to enter the United States. Skilled and educated Professionals in a variety of fields can seek jobs in the United States if employers agree to sponsor them for a visa.
A work visa gives someone the right to take a job in the United States and could eventually lead to their eligibility for a green card. Some people who enter the country for work stay for the rest of their lives. Obviously, work-based immigration can lead to life-changing opportunities.
Can someone share those opportunities with their closest family members?
Only immediate family can travel with a worker
It would be very difficult for domestic companies to attract the best and brightest international talent if workers had to agree to a multi-year separation from their closest loved ones to pursue those job opportunities. Successful professionals often have families to support.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) grants secondary visas to qualifying immediate family members of those with employment visas. Typically, only spouses and certain children are eligible for those visas. A child generally needs to be a minor and cannot have married yet to qualify for a visa based on a parent’s work visa.
The worker applying for an employment visa must submit medical records and undergo a thorough background check before they can secure a visa. Their spouse and children seeking visas must undergo the same process. The family members and the worker must remain eligible for visas by submitting proper paperwork and avoiding criminal convictions.
Although there are limits on using employment visas to help family members legally travel to the United States, the options that do exist can be beneficial for workers hoping to use their Career Success to make a major life change. The duration of family visas related to a work visa is usually the same number of years, and these secondary visas are typically eligible for the same number of renewals as the primary work visa.
Learning more about work visas and current immigration policies by seeking legal guidance may benefit those hoping to legally enter the United States. Employment visas can lead to green cards and even citizenship for some people.