April 16, 2024
Are you looking to come to the United States with a work visa? Learn about the most common visas used for work in the United States.
Some visas are work permits that the government of the United States provides to employers to meet companies’ labor needs. There are different types of work visas, but here we will talk about temporary H-2 visas, which are the most common:
H-2A Visa: Only for the planting and harvesting of fruits and vegetables in the United States. There is not a specific number or limit of visas that are processed per year, it depends on the companies in the United States and the amount of visas that they need and apply for.
H-2B Visa: Is for different kinds of non-agricultural work, like: construction, hotels, restaurants, nurseries, the planting of Christmas trees, chemical application and protein processing in poultry, beef and pork plants. The government only allows 66,000 H-2B visas to be processed per year.
Temporary H-2 visas are the most common because of their characteristics:
They are non-transferable; you can only work with the employer that sponsors you and that appears on your visa.
They are temporary visas, not lasting longer than 11 months
They are assigned for non-specialized work, so you do not need to prove a certain education level to apply for or receive one of these visas.
To obtain one of these visas, it’s necessary to have a job offer from an employer or company authorized by the government of the United States. It is essential to have a valid passport when filling out the DS-160 (visa) application. H-2 visas have some rights and guarantees for the people that work with them, and it is important to know the rights and guarantees of each type, because they vary. More information about Rights and guarantees working with visas H-2A and H-2B here.
To avoid fraud, do not pay anyone who offers to process a work visa for you, make sure to verify all of the information and ensure that the job offer is real. Learn more about the details of the process and the expenses to apply for a visa that should possibly be covered by clicking here.
Do you have a question about a situation at work in the United States? We invite you to share your questions through SOL, or contact Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. (CDM) directly by calling the following numbers, Monday through Friday between 9am-5:00pm Central Standard Time (Mexico City):
. 800.590.1773 (free call from Mexico)
. 1.855.234.9699 (free call from the United States)
. 55.52.11.93.97 (direct call from Mexico)
. 953.554.0517 (to receive information in Mixtec or Spanish)
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