Chris Richardson
October 18, 2021

Have You Ever Considered Immigrating to the United States?

Most people know that they could immigrate to the United States by marrying a U.S. citizen, but there are many other ways to immigrate to the U.S. that you may have never heard of.

Here are three alternative paths to immigrating to the United States:

1. Diversity Visa (Visa Lottery)

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Program) had around 13,000,000 applicants in 2020 and provides about 50,000 visas per year. These visas are offered through a random selection of applicants from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

2. Victim-Based Visa (U-Visa)

The U-visa is set aside for victims of certain crimes involving mental or physical abuse who assist law enforcement or government officials in investigating or prosecuting criminal activity while within the United States.

Examples of qualifying crimes include:

  • Abduction
  • Domestic violence
  • Rape
  • Extortion
  • Perjury
  • Felonious assault

Only 10,000 U-visas are made available each year.

The approval process is one of the lengthiest within the U.S. immigration system.

3. EB-3 Visa (Employment-Based: Third Preference)

Since 1990, the U.S. Government has provided five types of employment-based visas. The third category (EB-3) is for:

  • Professional workers
  • Skilled workers
  • Unskilled workers

The EB-3 process is relatively short compared to other immigration options.

How It Works:

  1. Find an employer in the United States experiencing a labor shortage for a specific position.
  2. The employer files with the Department of Labor to prove the shortage.
  3. The employer sponsors the intending immigrant’s visa application.
  4. After approval, the immigrant moves to the United States and works for the sponsoring employer.
  5. The immigrant may adjust their status to obtain a green card thereafter.

BDV Solutions specializes in assisting foreign nationals to get matched with qualified employers willing to sponsor EB-3 visas.

If you would like to learn more about this process and how BDV Solutions can assist you in obtaining a visa, please click here.