Table 1

Description and typical occupations of common nonimmigrant visa classifications that authorize employment

Visa classification Description Typical occupations and activities
A-3 Attendants, servants, or personal employees of diplomats, embassy workers, and foreign government officials Domestic workers
B-1 Business visitors (cannot receive remuneration from a U.S. source) Attending business meetings; maintenance of goods purchased by U.S. company from home country; B-1 in lieu of J-1, or H-1B, or H-3; personal servants of B-1 business visitors
F-1 Optional Practical Training Foreign university students Any occupation related to the degree earned; information technology occupations are common
G-5 Attendants, servants, or personal employees of representatives and staffers of international organizations Domestic workers
E-1 Treaty traders, must be citizens of countries with which the United States maintains treaties of commerce and navigation, and spouses and children of treaty traders Engaging in substantial trade, including trade in services or technology, in qualifying activities, principally between the United States and the treaty country
E-2 Treaty investors, must be citizens of countries with which the United States maintains treaties of commerce and navigation, and spouses and children of treaty investors Developing and directing the operations of an enterprise in which the nonimmigrant has invested a substantial amount of capital
E-3 Australian specialty occupation professional Computer and information technology occupations, accountants, physicians, nurses, teachers
H-1B Specialty occupations that require a college degree or its equivalent Computer and information technology occupations, accountants, physicians, nurses, teachers
H-2A Seasonal and temporary agricultural occupations Fruit and vegetable crop farming, tobacco farming, sheepherding
H-2B Seasonal and temporary nonagricultural occupations that do not require a college degree Landscaping and groundskeeping, forestry, housekeeping, construction, seafood processing, restaurant occupations
H-4 Spouses of principal nonimmigrants with H visas N/A; H-4 visa holders with employment authorization documents may work for any employer
J-1 Exchange visitors Various programs—such as Summer Work Travel, Intern/Trainee, Camp Counselors, Alien Physicians, and Teachers—permit a wide range of occupations and varying skill levels, including amusement and recreation park workers, lifeguards, housekeepers, teachers, camp counselors, physicians, and farmworkers
J-2 Spouses of principal nonimmigrants with J visas N/A; J-2 visa holders with employment authorization documents may work for any employer
L-1 Intracompany transfers, either managers and executives or employees with “specialized knowledge” Corporate managers and executives, information technology occupations
L-2 Spouses of principal nonimmigrants with L visas N/A; L-2 visa holders with employment authorization documents may work for any employer
O-1 Persons with extraordinary ability in the sciences, art, education, business, or athletics Computer and scientific occupations
P-1 Internationally recognized athletes or members of entertainment groups; essential support personnel Professional athletes, professional and well-known entertainers, circus performers and their staff, other support staff
TN Canadian and Mexican professionals (visa created by North American Free Trade Agreement) Accountants, architects, economists, lawyers, pharmacists, teachers

Notes: List of typical occupations is not meant to be exhaustive.

Source: Author’s analysis of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website, accessed August 2020; Bureau of Consular Affairs website, U.S. Department of State, accessed August 2020; and Immigration and Nationality Act § 101(a)(15).

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