US work visa in 2026: how a foreigner can get one

The specialty occupation visa, intracompany transfer, talent visa and seasonal work: conditions, fees, timelines and the path to a green card

You cannot get a US work visa on your own: in almost every category a US employer files the petition and the foreigner only attends the consular interview. So the search starts not with a form but with a company willing to take on the paperwork and fees.

There are three main routes. The specialty occupation visa is for jobs that require a degree, but it is capped and allocated by lottery once a year. An intracompany transfer is for managers and key specialists of international companies, with no cap. The talent visa is for people with recognised achievements, also uncapped.

In 2026 the rules are stricter: for a new hire who is outside the US the employer pays an additional $100,000 fee, and consuls check the employer and the role more closely. Below are all the options in one table, then the steps, fees, family, refusals and the path to a green card.

Work visas and permits for the US: comparison

Term is how long the status lasts. Every visa is tied to the employer that filed the petition: you cannot work for another company without a new petition.

The specialty occupation visa: lottery, salary and the $100,000 fee

The specialty occupation visa suits programmers, engineers, analysts, doctors, teachers and other occupations that require at least a bachelor's degree in the field of the job. A foreign degree is evaluated for US equivalence, and three years of experience can stand in for a year of study.

The employer registers the candidate in a lottery in March: 65,000 visas a year plus 20,000 for graduates of US master's programmes. Winners file a petition from 1 April and start work on 1 October. Universities, their affiliated non-profits and government research centres are exempt from the cap and file all year round.

The salary must be at least the prevailing wage for that occupation in that region: the employer confirms the level in a labour condition application to the Department of Labor. The visa is granted for 3 years and extended to 6, or longer if a green card case is already under way.

Since 21 September 2025 employers pay an extra $100,000 for a petition for a new worker who is outside the US. In September 2026 the fee was extended to 21 September 2027, but its legality is being challenged in court. It does not apply to a change of status inside the US, for example from a student visa, which is why many people reach the specialty occupation visa through study in the US.

Intracompany transfer

If you have worked for at least a year out of the last three as a manager or an employee with specialised knowledge at a foreign company that has a related company in the US, it can transfer you there. There is no cap or lottery, and the petition can be filed at any time. Managers get up to 7 years in total and specialists up to 5.

This route also lets you open a US office for your own company: the first visa is then issued for a year, and to extend it you must show that the office is operating and hiring. Managers have a short route to a green card with no labour market test.

The talent visa and visas for certain nationalities

The O-1 talent visa is for people of extraordinary ability in science, business, education, sport and the arts: you must meet at least 3 of 8 criteria of acclaim. There is no cap, the petition is filed by an employer or agent, and the visa lasts up to 3 years and can be extended. Details are in our guide to the O-1 visa.

Citizens of some countries have their own lottery-free work visas: a professional visa for Canadians and Mexicans in listed occupations, a separate visa for Australians and quotas for citizens of Chile and Singapore. For temporary and seasonal non-agricultural work there is a cap of 66,000 visas a year, but only for citizens of countries on a list the US government approves annually.

How to find an employer

There are three realistic routes. The first is an international company you already work for: a transfer to the US office does not depend on the lottery. The second is study in the US: a graduate may work for a year, plus 2 more years in science and technology fields, during which the employer can enter the lottery several times. The third is direct hiring from abroad, done by large technology, consulting and healthcare employers, universities and research centres.

By law the employer pays the main fees for a specialty occupation visa. If you are offered a lottery slot for sale or asked to pay all the employer's fees, it is a sign of fraud: the consul will refuse and the money will not come back.

Documents and degree recognition

• passport and visa application with a photo
• diploma with transcript and an evaluation of its US equivalence
• CV and letters from previous employers confirming experience
• the employer's approved petition and labour condition application
• a job offer stating the role, duties and salary
• a state licence if the profession is regulated: doctors, lawyers, engineers in construction

Documents not in English are filed with a certified translation. The degree evaluation is done by a specialist organisation accepted by the immigration service: we prepare the file for it and check that the field of study matches the role.

Step by step: from job offer to entry

An intracompany transfer and a talent visa involve no lottery: the employer files when the documents are ready, and with premium processing the whole route takes one and a half to three months.

Family

A spouse and unmarried children under 21 get dependent visas for the same period. Children may attend school and university. The spouse of a specialty occupation visa holder may work only once an immigrant petition has been approved for the main applicant. Spouses of intracompany transferees may work without a separate permit.

Changing employer

The visa is tied to the employer. To move to another company, the new employer files its own petition, and on a specialty occupation visa you can start the new job as soon as it is filed, without waiting for the decision. You do not go through the lottery again.

If you lose your job, you have up to 60 days to find a new employer, change status or leave. After that you cannot remain in the US without a new basis.

Fees and timelines: what a work visa for the US costs

Amounts are for 2026. The employer pays almost all the fees; the worker pays the visa application and the family's costs. Our consultant will work out the total for your family, with translations and the degree evaluation, in the chat.

Common reasons for refusal

• the registration was not selected in the lottery: there are fewer places than applicants
• the role was not accepted as one requiring a degree
• the degree does not match the role or is not backed by an evaluation
• the salary is below the prevailing wage for the occupation and region
• the consul doubts that the employer and the role are genuine
• past violations: overstays, unauthorised work, false statements on a form

We check the role, the degree and the employer before filing, and after a refusal we analyse the reason and prepare a new petition or another route.

Other routes without an employer

A green card can also be obtained without an employer by petitioning for yourself: for extraordinary ability or for work in the national interest. Investors can use the investor green card from $800,000, and start-up founders the International Entrepreneur Parole.

Every status for living in the country, including study and family, is covered on the page how to get residency in the US.

Restrictions for certain nationalities

There is no nationality ban on work visas as such: all the main categories are open. Where US consular services are limited, people apply in third countries; this is the usual route for Russian citizens, for example.

Some visas are open only to citizens of particular countries: the professional visa to Canadians and Mexicans, separate quotas to Australians, Chileans and Singaporeans, and seasonal work to citizens of countries on the annual list. Since June 2025 a presidential proclamation has fully or partly barred entry for nationals of a number of countries in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.

Path to permanent residence

A work visa is a temporary status, but it is the most common start of the path to a green card. The employer first proves to the Department of Labor that it found no US worker, then files an immigrant petition, after which you wait for a visa number that depends on your country of birth. Managers transferred within a company need no labour market test.

With a green card you can apply for citizenship after 5 years. More in our guide to US citizenship.

This topic in other countries

Work visas in other countries:

• Poland work visa in 2026: how a foreigner can get one
• China work visa in 2026: how a foreigner can get one
• Canada work visa in 2026: how a foreigner can get one

More on this country:

• How to get residency in the US: every route
• USA: all programmes and moving
• US citizenship: 5 years with a green card
• New US visa rules from September 2026
• Taxes in the US
• Cost of living in the US
• New York: districts and prices

Visas for strong professionals and founders - talent and start-up visas.

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