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Many people are thinking about immigrating to the USA and gaining a legal status there. Today, winning a green card is far from being the only way to live in the USA legally. The ability to earn money and invest it plays a big role. Meanwhile, the high potential of young professionals is also considered.

Today, let’s talk about 3 ways to acquire legal status in the USA. Please keep in mind that none of these methods are quick or fail-safe. Living legally in the US is a tough challenge.

1. Get An Immigrant Visa

As top New York immigration lawyers notice, getting an immigrant visa is hard but possible. About 600,000 to 700,000 immigrant visas are issued in the United States every year. However, the majority of them are created for non-employment purposes. For example, they are given to relatives of the U.S. citizens. About 140,000 – 1,500 visas are reserved for immigrants who want to get a job in the USA.
There are several immigrant visa types which can allow you to work in the US, thus helping you get a legal status:

  • EB-2 – to have a chance of getting this visa, you must have a degree (advanced or bachelor) and at least five years of working experience. Lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers, computer programmers, and architects are among the majority of people getting this visa.
  • EB -1 – these visas are reserved for people with extraordinary abilities. Usually, these people are athletes with impressive awards. Some visas are also given to Pulitzer, Nobel, and Academy Awards winners.
  • EB – 1C – these visas can be issued to people who already have a job at a company with branches in the USA. They can get it in order to come and work in the American branch of the company.

2. Become An Investor

EB-5 is a visa which is issued to foreign investors. You can get EB-5 with real estate investment and other investment projects. The minimum amount you have to invest is $500,000. EB-5 visa gives you an opportunity to live legally in the USA while applying for a green card.

The advantages of getting an EB-5 visa are:

  • The investor and his or her family get a legal right to live in the USA
  • There are only a few requirements to getting such a visa
  • Two years after acquiring EB-5, the investor and his or her family can become permanent residents. In five years, they can become US citizens
  • EB-5 program members and their families can get an education in the USA

3. Get A Non-Immigrant Visa

A non-immigrant visa allows you to live legally in the USA for a limited period of time. Unlike the visas described above, it doesn’t give a person an opportunity to become a permanent resident and a citizen.

  • H-1B program – allows US employers to invite foreign specialists to complete a certain project. In 2018, the number of such visas is capped at about 95,000.
  • L-1A visa – an alternative to EB-1C allows people from foreign branches to transfer to the company in the USA.
  • O -1 – the non-immigrant version of EB-1 for people with extraordinary abilities