B2 Employment options?

[AcademicBanana]

Hello,

My girlfriend has recently come to the Us and wants to work, I have noticed that the B2 prohibits this from happening. I wanted to ask what the legal steps we should take in order for her to legally work in the United States. From what I have been able to find, if she can get an employer to fill out and submit a I-129 and it is approved she is allowed to work, is this correct? The US really needs to streamline their immigrations/visitation standards/options...etc

Thanks in Advance!

[rayb]

Banana,

A B2 visa holder is not legally allowed to work.

An employment-based visa status can be obtained by conversion from a B2, but availability of a quota visa slot might take a long time, or proof of job classification might be cumbersome for the employer to obtain.

If one can find an employer who has used specialized and professional immigration assistance in the past, for employees, or a recuitment agency, the conversion to employment-based visa is possible. There are a score of employment-based visa classifications, and the one best available to you will depend on the employer and his immigration professional. For example, preexisting L1 visa holders might allow for additional L1 visas, or H1B, H2B and J1 visas are options. Watch out for J1 visa options, however, as they may require a two-year absence from the U.S. at end of visa, depending on the job category and country of applicant.

-Ray B

Hello,

My girlfriend has recently come to the Us and wants to work, I have noticed that the B2 prohibits this from happening. I wanted to ask what the legal steps we should take in order for her to legally work in the United States. From what I have been able to find, if she can get an employer to fill out and submit a I-129 and it is approved she is allowed to work, is this correct? The US really needs to streamline their immigrations/visitation standards/options...etc

Thanks in Advance!

[peace999]

she is not allowed to work under B2.

Broadly, she can work 2 ways; by changing status to one of the non-immigrant work visas or by changing to a green card.
For non-immigrant work visas( temp work visas), options are limited ( H1, H2b) depending on her education , experience.
She has to first find an employer who can file a petition for her . All this may not be done during the 6 mnth B2 stay she has.

The other way is green card ; through family or through employer. Green card through family ; if she has a US citizen boyfriend she wants to marry
she can immediately get the right to work after marriage. Green card through employer , is a long process and years of wait.

For more details, look under visa categories both non-immigrant and immigrant.