General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: So the new immigration bill would increase visas for high tech jobs. How will this help us again? [View all]WilmywoodNCparalegal
(2,654 posts)All employment based visas require employer sponsorship. All of them are at the whim of the employer. The one exception is for those who are athletes, extraordinary ability aliens in the arts, etc. who can have their agents serve as petitioners. Even so, they are bound by the contracts with their teams, modeling agency, movie, etc.
This is the way the U.S. immigration system is set up. There are three ways to immigrate to the U.S. legally:
1. Family - as spouse, fiance(e), parent, child (biological or adopted) or close relative of U.S. citizen or LPR. The time it takes is anywhere between a few months to decades.
2. Employment - the great majority of these visas are dependent on the employer. The visa holder is at the mercy of the employer.
3. Special situations: asylum, refugee, victims of violence, terrorism, informants, winners of diversity visa lottery, private bill beneficiaries, etc.