Twenty-eight percent of the total yearly limit of employment-based immigrant visas is given to priority workers. There are three groups of workers in the priority workers’ category. These are:
— People with abilities considered extraordinary. The abilities are in the arts, sciences, business, education or athletics. International or national recognition and acclaim must be documented. These applicants don’t need to have a job offer if they are entering the U.S. in order to use their extraordinary abilities in the same field. These individuals file the Immigrant Petitions for Alien Worker, Form I-140 with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service on their own.
— Outstanding researchers and professors. These professionals must be recognized internationally and have at least three years’ experience in research or teaching. To qualify, the applicants have to be pursuing tenure or seeking a comparable research position at a higher education institution. A job offer must be made and the employer making the offer must file an Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, Form I-140 with the USCIS.
— Multinational executives or managers. This group consists of executives or managers who have been employed overseas for one of the three previous years by the employer offering them a job. The employer must have been a parent, overseas affiliate, branch or subsidiary of the same employer. The applicant must have been in an executive or managerial role while employed with the company and he or she must be filling a similar role in the U.S. The employer must file an Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, Form I-140 with the USCIS.
As you can see, these three groups alone can be complicated, so it pays to speak with an experienced Florida immigration lawyer to ensure you are meeting all the requirements.
Source: U.S. Department of State, “Employment-Based Immigrant Visa,” accessed Jan. 26, 2016
