E14 (IV Category) - Confirm if it is equivalent to 10 Years Green Card

[Rameshwar Rao]

Hi ,

It's great to see that someone is doing such a wonderful service to the community. Would like to thank you for that.

I'm writing to you to get more information on what does IV Category = E14 Stamped Visa mean - I got this IV Category stamped on my passport through my spouse and wanted to know if I can work here legally for any US company and for how long this stamp is valid. Someone said that this is equivalent to Permanent Green Card for 10 Years. I thought of checking with you and taking your expert confirmation on whether this is true that E14 (IV Category) is a 10 Year Green Card.

Also, I have not gotten my physical Green Card though it has been over 5 months now in US. I'm reading a lot on Internet who can help me in this regard and then we came across your website. We appreciate your help in this regard and thanks in advance for clarifying on what E14 means.

Any help would be of great help as my spouse & family are tensed, and I want to work here in USA ASAP to support my family.

[inadmissible]

E14 Spouse of a priority worker classified as E11, E16, E12, E17, E13, or E18.

E11 Priority worker - alien with extraordinary ability.
E12 Priority worker - outstanding professor or researcher.
E13 Priority worker - certain multinational executive or manager.
E16 Priority worker - alien with extraordinary ability.
E17 Priority worker - outstanding professor or researcher.
E18 Priority worker - certain multinational executive or manager.

To answer your question, an immigrant visa is not exactly equivalent to a green card. It grants you permission to travel to a United States port of entry, where you can apply for admission to the United States. If your application for admission is granted, you will be granted admission to the United States as a lawful permanent resident. You can then expect to receive a green card by mail in about six weeks. That green card will be valid expire ten years after the date of your admission to the United States.

You do not become a permanent resident until you are admitted to the United States.

Permanent residency comes with certain rights, one of which is work authorization. Legally, you can start working for any employer (or be self-employed) the moment you step foot in the United States. As a practical matter, there is some administrative matters you have to resolve first, which will take at least two weeks, before you can work for an employer who expects you to have a social security number.