Are you a British citizen wanting to alive and piece of work in the U.s.?

Visa options for British citizens to alive and work in the USA

The USA remains a land of opportunity with great appeal for Britons, whether its to relocate for an existing job, carry out a fixed term assignment in the The states or to set up or expand a business in the US market place. But before you buy your ticket and jump on the plane, you will first need to make sure y'all hold the relevant permission for entry into the USA.

If yous are a British denizen wanting to live and work in United states, you lot will need to consider which United states of america visa options are available to you based on how long you would like to stay and on what ground.

What type of US visa do I need as a British denizen?

The type of visa y'all volition demand will depend on whether you are planning to travel to the United states of america on a temporary footing, in which case you lot would look at the nonimmigrant visa classifications, or whether yous are looking to settle permanently, which are the immigrant visas.

US nonimmigrant visas for temporary stay

Equally a British citizen wanting to live and work in U.s. on a temporary basis, you will need a nonimmigrant visa. Some of the main options here include:

  • E-one & E-two visas for the treaty trader or investor
  • L-1A & L-1B visas for intra-company transfers
  • H-1B visas for speciality occupation workers
  • O-1A & O-1B visas for those possessing extraordinary ability or achievement
  • F or K visas for study
  • I visa for journalists, bloggers, product teams and other media professionals on consignment

Treaty trader or investor visas

If you are travelling to the USA to either engage in merchandise or invest in a concern, you should consider the E-i or Eastward-2 treaty trader or investor visas.

These are nonimmigrant work visas for citizens of countries with which the United States maintains a treaty of commerce and navigation, including the Great britain, and will permit treaty traders and investors to enter the Us for the purpose of carrying out "substantial trade" or investing a "substantial corporeality" of majuscule.

For those of you who already have established trade links with the United States, to qualify for a treaty trader visa over 50% of your international trade must exist with America.

If y'all are instead looking to invest in a United states of america business, typically the minimum effigy for a treaty investor visa is U.s.$100,000, although in exceptional cases amounts as low as U.s.a.$fifty,000 may exist considered.

Visas for intra-visitor transfers

If you are currently employed in the Uk but accept been asked to transfer to an affiliated office in the United states, you will need to consider an L-1 visa.

The L-one visa is a nonimmigrant work visa for an employee of an international visitor who is being temporarily transferred to a parent, branch, affiliate or subsidiary of the same company in the Us.

The L-1A visa is for those of y'all in a managerial or executive part, while the L-1B visa is for employees with specialised knowledge virtually the organisation in which you piece of work, for instance, about the products and/or procedures.

To authorize for this type of visa y'all must have worked for your employer in your current role for at to the lowest degree a twelvemonth out of the previous 3, equally well as have an offer to work in a similar capacity for a branch of the same company, organization or employer in the U.s..

Visas for workers in speciality occupations

The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant piece of work visa for graduate level workers wanting to undertake a job role in a speciality occupation that requires theoretical or technical expertise.

Whatsoever professional level job that requires y'all to have a bachelors degree or college tin potentially qualify as a specialty occupation. That said, you may be able to show caste equivalence through work experience and/or other qualifications.

To qualify you will demand to have been offered a speciality occupation job to work in the United States, where your Usa sponsor will beginning petition the US Citizen and Immigration Services on your behalf.

Extraordinary power & achievement visas

This visa category is for those of you who are recognised for your extraordinary power, or have a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement, in i of several fields.

The O-1A visa is for individuals with an extraordinary ability in the sciences, education, business or athletics, where yous take risen to the top of your field.

The O-1B visa is either for those with an extraordinary ability in the arts, or extraordinary achievement in motion picture or television manufacture and you possess a degree of skill and recognition substantially to a higher place that ordinarily encountered.

To qualify for either type of visa, you must have national or international acclaim in your field, and be coming to the US to continue work in this area.

Immigrant visas

At that place are several ways to authorize for permanent residence in the United States, not least through family, employment or by investment, although you would need at least The states $500,000 to put into a Us venture to become a light-green card as an investor.

In many cases, where yous have close family ties in the US, the easiest path to permanent residence can exist to have a relative sponsor you. This could be a spouse, for example, although they must be a Usa citizen or lawful permanent resident.

Alternatively, if yous are a British citizen wanting to live and work in Us on a long-term basis merely you have no family-ties, you can apply for a light-green card nether diverse different employment-based routes.

This includes individuals with extraordinary abilities in specific fields such as the sciences or arts, distinguished academics or researchers, equally well as multinational managers and executives.

It also encompasses skilled workers, professionals and other workers, although typically a petition for a green card under whatever ane of these categories must be supported by an offer of a chore, as well as an canonical labor certification to testify that there are no qualified Americans available to make full that position.

Although a green card will grant you what'due south known as permanent lawful residence, it will not let you lot stay in the U.s. indefinitely. You will need to renew your green card every ten years.

Nonetheless, y'all may exist able to apply for U.s.a. citizenship after a set number of years as a lawful permanent resident.

What are 'dual intent' visas?

In some cases nonimmigrant work visas can provide a pathway to permanent residence. These are known every bit dual intent visas. Both the Fifty and O visas, for example, are dual intent visas.

A dual intent visa volition permit you to lawfully enter the United States on a time-limited ground, albeit with immigrant intent. This means that you tin utilize for a green card while in the U.s. under a temporary work visa.

Alternatively, if you are simply looking to extend your stay in the United States for a further temporary menstruum, you again may be able to do this without returning to the Britain.

What are the general grounds of inadmissibility?

The visa category-specific criteria for both nonimmigrant and immigrant visas must exist satisfied for y'all to exist eligible to travel to the U.s., whether this be on a temporary or permanent basis.

Additionally, to gain entry clearance to the US you must also not fall foul of the general grounds of inadmissibility.

These include, simply are not limited to, where yous have been bedevilled of certain crimes or where you lot take a serious catching affliction.

Practice I need a visa?

The The states Visa Waiver Program (VWP) permits eligible citizens of 38 countries to travel to the US for business or tourism for upward to 90 days without a United states visa.

However, visa-free travel to the United states cannot exist used if your purpose of travel is for employment or to take up permanent residence.

As such, for a British citizen wanting to alive and work in USA on either a temporary or more long-term footing, the VWP would not be suitable.

Likewise, the B tourist visa – while it permits business-related activity, gainful employment is non allowed, and the relevant visa would be needed for the relevant permissible action.

This commodity does non constitute direct legal advice and is for informational purposes only.