Many education professionals are looking to grow professionally in the United States. Although, it is a wonderful opportunity, for this to become a reality you have to take the right path towards that dream.
The american Government has available four types of visa that allow immigrants to work legally in the country.
The first step is to have a sponsoring company, this means, to have a school, college or university which is interested in making you part of their team.
Once you have it, the next step is to obtain the approval of one of the four visa options.
The H-1B is the most popular and requested, but the most difficult to achieve. This visa category is available to Individuals employed in the US in a “specialty occupation.” 
A specialty occupation requires a bachelor’s degree or higher in a specialized field of knowledge. Some specialty occupations include: accounting, engineering, law, architecture, scientific research and many other job types.
One advantage of this visa is that after some time you can file a green card.
This visa is another good option to work in US universities or colleges.
The J-1 visa is designed to Provide Cultural and educational exchange programs, and was created in order to promote the sharing of Individuals, knowledge and skills in education, arts and sciences between country clubs.
But the J-1 visa has some limitations, for example, the short period of time allowed to remain in the country, because it is only one exchange visa.
Like the H-1B Visa, this permit is requested by those immigrants who wish to serve as teachers in a college or university in this country.
The O-1 visa is a temporary work visa available to foreign Nationals who Have “extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics”. To establish eligibility, you must demonstrate sustained national or international acclaim.
It is available to those who had worked in motion pictures and television and can demonstrate a record of “extraordinary achievement.”
This permit is valid for up to three years.
These visa also allow you to get a job in this country, but it has it’s limits.
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) of 1993 created the TN professional visa for Canadian and Mexican Nationals. The TN Visa Allows qualifying Canadian and Mexican Citizens to temporarily work in US
Please Remember:
To achieve a satisfactory procedure it is best to have a fully qualified immigration attorney.
If you are a professional in education or are successful in other areas and you want to expand your opportunities in the United States, in Beltran Brito LLP we can guide you in the process of getting your work visa. Visit us here