There are a number of visas which would come under the category of Temporary Employment and Investor Visas, or Visas for Personnel. The most common of these are the 'H', 'L', and 'E' visas. The 'H' visas are broken down into six different categories. The H-1-A classification was once reserved for professional nurses. The H-1-B visa is issued for individuals who have specialty and professional occupations and are coming to the U.S. to work. An H-2-A visa is for temporary agricultural workers, while an H-2-B visa is for skilled and unskilled workers, providing that there are not sufficient U.S. citizens available to do that particular job. The H-3 visa is for individuals coming to the U-S to train in a particular skill, and the H-4 visas are for the spouse and children accompanying an 'H' visa-holder into the U.S. 'L' visas are available to people who have been continuously employed abroad for one of the past three years by the parent, affiliate, or subsidiary of a U.S. company. The purpose of the 'L' visa is to allow overseas companies to transfer their managers, executives, or individuals with specialized knowledge from their company to the affiliate company in the U.S. An E-1 is known as a treaty trader visa, which is for individuals coming into the U.S. solely to carry on substantial trade between the U.S. and the foreign state of which he or she is a national. The E-2 visa is applicable for those who make a substantial investment in the U.S. Both E visa categories are reserved for individuals from countries with treaties with the U.S. There are several other of these types of visas available, which are among the most complex under immigration laws. For more information about obtaining visas, consult an immigration attorney or your area INS (I-N-S) office.
