•Alienswhoaremembersofprofessionsholdingadvanceddegreesortheequivalent.

EB-3–Professional or Skilled Workers

•Professionalswithabaccalaureatedegree;

•Alienscapableofperformingskilledlabor(requiringatleast2yearsoftrainingorexperience)forwhichqualifiedworkersarenotavailableintheUnitedStates;

•AlienscapableofperformingunskilledlaborforwhichqualifiedworkersarenotavailableintheUnitedStates.

EB-4–Special Immigrants

•Religiousworkers;

•PanamaCanalCompanyEmployees,CanalZoneGovernmentEmployees,orU.S.GovernmentinCanalZoneEmployees;

•Certainphysicians;

•Certainothers.

What does the petition do for my employee?

Filingapetitionshowsthatyouhavetheintenttohiretheemployeeupontheapprovalofthepetition.Byprovingthatyouwillhaveanemployer-employeerelationshipandthattheemployeehasthenecessaryqualificationsforthejob,youprovidetheemployeewithaplaceinlineamongotherswaitingtoimmigratebasedonthesamekindofEBvisacategory.Whentheforeignnationalemployeereachestheheadoftheline,heorshemaybeeligibletoapplytoimmigratetotheUnitedStates.

Theforeignnational’splaceinline,knownasa“prioritydate,”willbebasedonthedateyoufilethelaborcertificationwithDOLor,ifalaborcertificationisnotrequired,thedateyourpetitionisfiledwithUSCIS.Forthisreason,thereisanadvantagetofilingassoonasyouarecertainthatyouwishtopermanentlyemploytheforeignnational.

How do I file for a current or prospective employee?

Youneedtodetermineiftheprospectiveorcurrentemployeemeetsthecriteriaofoneofthefourpreferencecategoriesshownabove.

1E2—I Am an Employer…How Do I…Sponsor an Employee for U.S. Permanent Resident Status? M-583 (August 2008)

Asanemployer(orprospectiveemployer),ifyouwanttosponsoraforeignnationaltobecomeapermanentresidentbasedonapermanentjoboffer,youandtheforeignnationalneedtogothroughamulti-stepprocess.

Inmostcases,theprocessbeginswhentheemployerobtainsanapprovedLabor Certification Application (LCA)fromtheU.S.DepartmentofLabor(DOL).AftertheLCAhasbeenapprovedbytheDOL,theemployercontinuestheprocessbyfilingForm I-140,ImmigrantPetitionforAlienWorker,onbehalfoftheforeignnationalwithU.S.CitizenshipandImmigrationServices(USCIS).IfpriorDOLcertificationisnotrequired,thesponsoringprocesswillstartwhenyoufileaFormI-140withUSCIS.FormI-140isavailableonourwebsiteatwww.uscis.gov.Sometimes,asdiscussedbelow,theforeignnationalcancombinetheFormI-140withapermanentresidentapplication.ForinformationonallofthefilingrequirementsandfeesforalaborcertificationrequestwithDOL,pleasevisitthatagency’swebsiteatwww.dol.gov.

Which employees may I file for?

AU.S.employermaysponsoraprospectiveorcurrentforeignnationalemployeewhoisinsideoroutsidetheUnitedStatesandwhomayqualifyunderoneormoreoftheemployment-based(EB)immigrantvisacategories.TheEBvisacategoriesaredividedintoseveralpreferencecategories.TheseEBvisacategoriesareorganizedbyoccupationalprioritiesasmandatedbyCongress.ThefirstfouroftheseEBvisacategoriesareavailabletootherwiseeligibleforeignnationalssponsoredbyU.S.employers:

EB-1 –Priority Workers

•Alienswithextraordinaryabilityinthesciences,arts,education,business,orathletics;

•Outstandingprofessorsandresearchers;

•Multinationalexecutivesandmanagers.

EB-2–Professionals With Advanced Degrees or Persons With Exceptional Ability

•Alienswho,becauseoftheirexceptionalabilityinthesciences,arts,orbusiness,willsubstantiallybenefitthenationaleconomy,cultural,oreducationalinterestsorwelfareoftheUnitedStates;

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E2 Customer Guide

I Am an EmployerHow Do I…Sponsor an Employee for U.S. Permanent Resident Status?

M-583(August2008)

2E2—I Am an Employer…How Do I…Sponsor an Employee for U.S. Permanent Resident Status? M-583 (August 2008)

Forfurtherinformationregardingthesecategories,pleasecallCustomerServiceat1-800-357-2099.Then,theprocessbeginsasfollows:

•ForcategoryEB-1,fileaFormI-140withUSCIS.

•ForcategoriesEB-2andEB-3,firstfilealaborcertificationwiththeDepartmentofLabor(DOL).Thenwiththeapprovedlaborcertification,fileaFormI-140withUSCIS.Notethat,forcategoryEB-2,therequirementforlaborcertificationhasbeenwaivedforforeignnationalswhoqualifyforanationalinterestwaiver.

•ForcategoryEB-4,fileaForm I-360,PetitionforAmerasian,Widow(er),orSpecialImmigrant,withUSCIS.

After I file, how long will it take before the foreign national can immigrate?

Thecombinationofhighdemandandthelimitssetbylawonhowmanypeoplecanimmigrateeachyearundereachcategoryandfromaparticularcountryaffectsthewaitingtime.Forsomeforeignnationalstheremaybenowaitingperiod,whileothersmayhaveasignificantwaitingperiod.

Generallyspeaking,ifaforeignnationalenteredtheUnitedStateslegallyandispresentlyintheUnitedStates(andmeetscertainotherrequirements),heorshemaybeabletofileanapplicationtoadjusttopermanentresidentstatusiftheemployment-basedimmigrantvisacategoryforthatforeignnationaliscurrentlyavailable.

Forotherforeignnationalswhoareonthevisawaitinglist,oncetheforeignnationalreachesthe“frontoftheline,”theU.S.DepartmentofStatewillcontactandinvitehimorhertoapplyforanimmigrantvisa.Ifyouareinterestedinthecurrentwaitingperiodsforvisanumbers,see“VisaBulletins”ontheStateDepartment’swebsiteatwww.travel.state.gov/visa.

What about the foreign national’s family?

Inmostcases,whentheforeignnational’splaceinlineisreachedandheorsheappliestoimmigrate,theforeignnational’sspouseandunmarriedchildrenunder21canapplyasdependents.

For example:Youfileapetitiononbehalfofaprospectiveemployee.Youcannotdirectlypetitionfortheemployee’sspouseandchildren.However,theemployee'sspouseandchildrencanapplyforimmigrantvisas(oradjustmentofstatus)atthesametimeasyourprospectiveemployeewhentheprospectiveemployeereachesthefrontoftheline.

What happens after I file a petition on behalf of a current or prospective employee?

Ifyoufilebymail,wewillmailyouareceipttoinformyouthatwehavereceivedyourpetition.Ifyourpetitionisincomplete,notsigned,orfilledwithincorrectfees,wemayhavetorejectit,oraskyouformoreevidenceorinformation,whichwilldelayprocessing.Please send all required documents the first time to avoid delay.

Wewillnotifyyouwhenwemakeadecision.Normally,whenweapprovethepetition,wewillsendittotheU.S.DepartmentofState’sNationalVisaCenter(NVC).Oncetheforeignnationalreachesthefrontofthelineforavisanumber,theNVCwillnotifyyouandtheforeignnational,invitinghimorherandthequalifyingdependentstoapplyforimmigrantvisas.YoucangetmoreinformationaboutimmigrantvisaprocessingfromtheStateDepartment’swebsiteatwww.state.gov.

How long will it take USCIS to process my petition?

Processingtimesdependonanumberoffactors.Youcancheckoutcurrentprocessingtimesonourwebsite.Onceyoufileapetition,wewillpostanupdatedestimateoftheprocessingtimeontheUSCISwebsite.

Where can I find more information about this process?

ForinformationonallfilingrequirementsandfeesforalaborcertificationrequestwiththeDepartmentofLabor,pleasevisitthatagency’swebsiteatwww.dol.gov.

Forspecificinformationregardingeachcategoryorqualifyingoccupation,pleaserefertoourwebsiteatwww.uscis.gov,orcallCustomerServiceat1-800-357-2099.

Key InformationKey USCIS forms referenced in this guide Form #

ImmigrantPetitionforAlienWorker I-140

PetitionforAmerasian,Widow(er),orSpecialImmigrant

I-360

USCIS

•On the Internet at: www.uscis.gov

Formorecopiesofthisguide,orinformationaboutothercitizenshipandimmigrationservices,pleasevisitourwebsite.Youcanalsodownloadforms,e-filesomeapplications,checkthestatusofanapplication,andmore.It’sagreatplacetostart!

Ifyoudon’thaveInternetaccessathomeorwork,tryyourlocallibrary.Ifyoucannotfindwhatyouneed,pleasecallCustomerService.

• Customer Service: 1-800-375-5283 or

• Employment-based Visa Questions: 1-800-357-2099

•HearingImpairedTDDCustomerService:1-800-767-1833

Other U.S. Government Services–Click or Call

GeneralInformation www.usagov.gov 1-800-333-4636

NewImmigrants www.welcometoUSA.gov

U.S.Dept.ofStatewww.state.gov

1-202-647-6575www.travel.state.gov/visa

U.S.DeptofLabor www.dol.gov 1-877-872-5627

Disclaimer:Thisguideprovidesbasicinformationtohelpyoubecomegenerallyfamiliarwithourrulesandprocedures.Formoreinformation,orthelawandregulations,pleasevisitourwebsite.Immigrationlawcanbecomplex,anditisimpossibletodescribeeveryaspectofeveryprocess.YoumaywishtoberepresentedbyalicensedattorneyorbyanonprofitagencyaccreditedbytheBoardofImmigrationAppeals.

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