A work visa authorizes an individual to be employed in the United States. All work visas are either temporary, meaning that the individual has a deadline that they must leave the country by, or permanent, leading to a green card and lawful permanent resident status.

There are 21 categories of temporary work visa. Each has their own set of qualifications and serves a different immigration niche. The 22 classifications are:
- CW-1 Visa: a temporary work visa for transitional workers from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
- E-1 Visa: a visa for treaty traders and qualified employees.
- E-2 Visa: a visa for treaty investors and qualified employees.
- E-2C Visa: a visa for long-term foreign investors in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
- E-3 Visa: a work visa for "specialty occupation" professionals from Australia.
- H-1B Visa: a visa for specialty workers with three subclassifications
- H-1B1 - Free Trade Agreement workers in a specialty occupation from Chile and Singapore.
- H-1B2 - Specialty occupations related to Department of Defense Cooperative Research and Development projects or Co-production projects.
- H-1B3 - Fashion models of distinguished merit and ability.
- H-1C2 Visa: a visa for registered nurses working in a health professional shortage area determined by the U.S. Department of Labor.
- H-2A Visa: a visa for temporary or seasonal agricultural workers.
- H-2B Visa: a work visa for temporary non-agricultural workers.
- H-3 Visa: a visa for trainees in non-medical, non-academic fields.
- I Visa: a visa for representatives of foreign press, radio, film or other information media.
- L-1A Visa: a visa for internal company transferees in managerial or executive positions.
- L-1B Visa: a work visa for internal company transferees in positions utilizing specialized knowledge.
- O-1 Visa: a visa for a person with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics and motion picture or TV production.
- O-2 Visa: a work visa for persons accompanying solely to assist an O-1 nonimmigrant.
- P-1A Visa: a visa for internationally recognized athletes.
- P-1B Visa: a visa for internationally recognized entertainers or members of internationally recognized entertainment groups.
- P-2 Visa: a work visa for an individual performer or part of a group entering to perform under an exchange program.
- P-3 Visa: a visa for artists or entertainers, either an individual or group, to perform, teach, or coach under a program that is culturally unique.
- Q-1 Visa: a visa for persons participating in an international cultural exchange program for the purpose of providing practical training, employment, and sharing the history, culture, and traditions of the noncitizen's home country.
- R-1 Visa: a work visa for Religious workers.
- TN Visa: a visa for North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) temporary professionals from Mexico and Canada.
The wait time for a temporary work visa depends on the classification, though most will have a non-refundable filing fee of approximately $190 USD.

The other major category of work visas are work-related green card. There are five, tiered categories of work-related green cards all with the designation EB-#. Each designation has its own qualifications and the lower the number, the higher the preference the U.S. places on the category.

The highest preference level is EB-1. EB-1 applicants have demonstrated “extraordinary ability” in the fields of science, art, education, business, or athletics. This category also includes multinational executives and managers. The second preference is EB-2 applicants. EB-2s are members of professions that hold advanced degrees or have “exceptional ability” in the arts, sciences, or business.

Third are EB-3 applicants. Eb-3 applicants are professionals or skilled workers. EB-4 applicants are part of a special category that includes religious workers, employees of U.S. foreign service posts, retired employees of international organizations, noncitizen minors who are wards of U.S. courts, and other classifications of noncitizens. Finally, EB-5 applicants are business investors who invest a certain amount of assets in a new commercial enterprise that creates jobs for U.S. workers.

If you are attempting to enter or remain in the United States on a work visa, you will need the help of an experienced immigration attorney. Using their years of experience, trial tactics, and expertise in U.S. immigration law, your immigration law attorney will be able to represent your case in the best possible way to give you the best chance to stay in the United States.

In order to achieve this best outcome, however, you will need an attorney who has the expertise and resources to take your case all the way. That’s why you should contact Attorney at Law. By partnering with AAL, you will be able to avoid slogging through the quagmire of unscrupulous lawyers looking to exploit your case.

At AAL, we only partner with the best firms in your area, helping you find the best attorney for your case. Don’t wait, contact AAL today for a free no-obligation consultation and begin your journey to justice.