A work visa — more precisely a temporary, or nonimmigrant, work visa — lets a foreign national work in the United States for a defined period and a specific purpose. Each category has its own eligibility rules, and most are tied to a particular employer who files a petition; a few are based instead on a treaty or trade agreement. Unlike an employment-based green card, a work visa is temporary: the holder works for the authorized time, then extends, changes status, or leaves. Several of these visas, though, can serve as a first step toward permanent residence.
Status as of July 2026. A $100,000 fee now applies to certain new H-1B petitions under a 2025 presidential proclamation — currently the subject of litigation — which has made some employers more cautious about sponsoring certain roles. Across categories, applicants face heightened screening, and practitioners report increased scrutiny in categories such as the O-1 and E-2; a Visa Integrity Fee of at least $250 applies at visa issuance as that requirement is implemented. Entry restrictions announced in 2025 also affect nationals of certain countries. The underlying visa categories and their core rules remain in place.
How temporary work visas work
Most temporary work visas begin with an employer filing Form I-129, the petition for a nonimmigrant worker, with USCIS; in these categories the worker generally cannot self-petition, and the job and the sponsor are built into the case. A few categories are exceptions: the treaty visas (E-1, E-2, and E-3) and the TN do not require a USCIS petition, and the applicant applies at a U.S. consulate directly — and Canadian TN applicants can apply at a port of entry. Each category has its own validity period and renewal rules, and most let a spouse and children come along as dependents, sometimes with their own work authorization. Premium processing is available for many I-129 categories for a faster decision, for an added fee. These categories sit within the broader set of nonimmigrant visas.
The main work visa categories
Several categories carry most of the workload, each aimed at a different kind of worker. The H-1B is for specialty occupations that require at least a bachelor's degree; it is capped and selected through an annual registration, and is the most common professional route. The L-1 is for intracompany transferees moving from a foreign office to a U.S. office of the same employer — L-1A for executives and managers, L-1B for workers with specialized knowledge. The O-1 is for people with extraordinary ability or achievement, split into O-1A (sciences, business, education, athletics) and O-1B (the arts, film, and television). The TN is for Canadian and Mexican professionals under the USMCA trade agreement, limited to a set list of professions — such as engineers, accountants, scientists, and management consultants — and renewable in three-year increments. The E-1, E-2, and E-3 are treaty categories: a treaty trader, a treaty investor making a substantial investment, and Australian specialty workers, respectively. The H-2A and H-2B cover seasonal agricultural and seasonal non-agricultural labor, the latter capped each year. The P is for athletes, artists, and entertainers, and the R is for religious workers.
Dual intent and the path to a green card
One concept ties the temporary and permanent systems together: dual intent — whether someone can pursue a green card while holding the visa without undermining their temporary status. The H-1B and L-1 clearly allow dual intent, which is why they are such common starting points for a worker who plans to become a permanent resident. Other categories, such as the TN and E-2, are treated as more strictly temporary, so pursuing permanent residence on them calls for careful handling to avoid questions about intent. The O-1 sits in between: it is not formally a dual-intent category, but a pending or approved green card does not by itself bar it. Many careers run through both worlds: a worker enters on a temporary visa and later moves into an employment-based category once they qualify. That permanent side, and how the categories connect, is covered under the green card topic.
What is the difference between an H-1B and an L-1 visa?
The H-1B is for specialty-occupation workers hired from any employer, requires at least a bachelor's degree, and is subject to an annual cap and lottery. The L-1 is for employees transferring within the same multinational company from a foreign office to a U.S. office, generally after working abroad for that company, and has no annual cap. Both allow dual intent, so both are common bridges to an employment-based green card.
What are the requirements for an O-1 visa?
The O-1 is for individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement who can show sustained national or international acclaim and recognition at the top of their field. O-1A covers the sciences, business, education, and athletics; O-1B covers the arts and the film and television industry. The case is documented through evidence such as major awards, published material, leading roles, and high remuneration, and it is filed by an employer or agent rather than self-petitioned.
Which professions qualify for a TN visa?
The TN is limited to a fixed list of professions set out under the USMCA, and it is open only to citizens of Canada and Mexico. The list includes roles such as engineers, scientists, accountants, economists, lawyers, teachers, and management consultants, among others, and the applicant must have a U.S. job offer in a listed profession and the credentials that profession requires. TN status is granted in three-year increments with no set maximum, but it does not allow dual intent.
Most do. The H-1B, L-1, O-1, and P categories all require an employer or agent to file a petition with USCIS. The main exceptions are the treaty categories (E-1, E-2, E-3), where eligibility is based on treaty nationality and, for the E-2, on the applicant's own qualifying enterprise and investment rather than an outside employer, and the TN, which requires a U.S. job offer but no USCIS petition. Even in the exception categories, though, a qualifying job or business is required.
What is dual intent?
Dual intent is the ability to hold a temporary work visa while also pursuing lawful permanent residence, without the green card plan being treated as evidence of an improper intent to stay. The H-1B and L-1 are the clearest dual-intent categories. Visas without it, such as the TN and E-2, require the holder to maintain a genuine temporary purpose, so a green card strategy on those categories has to be planned carefully.
How does a work visa lead to a green card?
A temporary work visa does not become a green card on its own; the worker must separately qualify for and be granted an immigrant category, usually an employment-based one. In practice, many people enter on a dual-intent visa such as the H-1B or L-1, and while working, an employer sponsors them for permanent residence, or they self-petition in a category that allows it. The temporary visa buys time and flexibility while that longer process runs.
Sources we track: USCIS, DHS, EOIR, the Federal Register, and federal courts.