Visa Eligibility Pre-Screener

The US immigration system offers dozens of visa pathways, each with its own eligibility criteria, quotas, and processing timelines. Visas fall into two broad buckets: non-immigrant visas (temporary stays for work, study, tourism, or investment) and immigrant visas (pathways to permanent residency—the green card). Understanding which bucket you fit into is the first step in choosing a strategy.

Employment-based visas

The H-1B is the most common skilled-worker visa. It requires a US employer sponsor, a job in a "specialty occupation" that typically requires a bachelor's degree, and the worker to hold that degree (or equivalent experience). H-1B is subject to an annual cap of 65,000 plus 20,000 for US master's degree holders, with a lottery when applications exceed the cap. The L-1 is for intracompany transferees—executives, managers, or specialized-knowledge workers moving from a foreign office to a US office of the same company, requiring at least one year of qualifying employment abroad.

Talent and extraordinary-ability visas

The O-1 non-immigrant visa covers individuals with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics—measured by national or international recognition. The EB-1A immigrant visa (employment-based first preference) has a similar but stricter standard and the major advantage of being self-petitionable: no employer sponsor is required. EB-1A applicants must meet at least 3 of 8 evidentiary criteria (awards, publications, judging, original contributions, etc.) or show a one-time major international award like a Nobel Prize or Pulitzer.

Investor visas

The E-2 treaty investor visa is a non-immigrant option for nationals of countries with a qualifying investment treaty with the US. It requires a "substantial" investment in a US business (often cited as $100,000+, though no fixed minimum exists) that is not marginal. The EB-5 immigrant investor program grants a green card in exchange for a minimum investment of $800,000 in a Targeted Employment Area (rural or high-unemployment) or $1,050,000 elsewhere, plus the creation of at least 10 full-time US jobs. EB-5 is capital-intensive but has no job-offer or family-relationship requirements.

Family-sponsored immigration

US citizens can sponsor spouses, unmarried minor children, and parents as immediate relatives—these visas are uncapped, meaning no backlog. Citizens can also sponsor married children, adult unmarried children, and siblings under family preference categories, which are subject to annual caps and long backlogs (siblings often wait 15+ years). Lawful permanent residents can sponsor spouses and unmarried children under F2A/F2B preferences, also subject to caps.

The Diversity Visa (DV) lottery

The DV program makes up to 50,000 immigrant visas available annually to nationals of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the US. Nationals of high-immigration countries—including India, China, Mexico, the Philippines, and others—are ineligible. The lottery typically opens in October each year, requires a high school education or two years of qualifying work experience, and winners must still meet admissibility requirements.

Why this screener can't replace an attorney

Each visa category has dozens of detailed requirements, evidentiary standards, and admissibility considerations that this screener cannot evaluate: prior immigration violations, criminal history, health-related grounds, public-charge concerns, country-specific visa bulletin backlogs, and changing policy memoranda. Treat these results as a starting point for research or attorney consultation—never as a definitive eligibility determination.