Other work visas for Filipino professionals

With the recent scooped up of H1B visas, what other work visas are available to Filipino professionals? That’s one of the several questions I recently got from many “kababayans.” They asked the question, apparently, after reading my posting, re: FY 2008 H1B quota reached.

Aside from the H1B visa, there are a number of work visas that are available to pinoy professionals desirous to work in the United States. However, these visas are a bit different from H1B in certain ways.

For instance, while H1B requires the alien worker to fill a “specialty occupation” upon petition by a U.S. employer, the other work visas - which we will briefly discuss- require either a current employment with a specific kind of employer or a membership in a certain organization.

Let’s briefly discuss each of these work visas available to pinoy professionals:

L visa for an intra-company transferee employee

This visa is available to an alien who works for a multinational corporation that has offices both in the U.S. and abroad. With the L visa, the alien is able to work in the U.S. by being transferred by the foreign subsidiary, affiliate or branch. Thus, the term “intra-company transferee.”

To qualify for the L visa, the alien must hold a managerial or executive capacity, or a position that requires specialized knowledge.

R visa for a religious worker

This visa allows an alien who is a member of a religious denomination having a bona fide non profit religious organization in the United States.

The alien may be classified into one of the three types of religious workers, according to the work he will perform upon his admission into the United States: (1) to carry on the vocation of a minister of the religious denomination, (2) to work in a professional capacity in a religious vocation or occupation, or (3) to work in a non professional religious vocation or occupation.

E visa for an employee of a treaty trader or investor

Philippine nationals are given treaty trader and investor status on the basis of reciprocity secured by an agreement entered into by the Philippine and the United States governments.

As such, a Filipino businessman or a Filipino-owned enterprise can engage in business in the U.S., and may avail of a treaty trader or investor visa.

An employee hired by the enterprise may also avail of the E visa, if he will perform duties that are executive or supervisory, or as an employee who has special qualifications that make his services essential to the efficient operation of the business or enterprise.

All the above visas are discussed at length in the book, “A Guide to U.S. Visas for Filipino Professionals.” Copies of the book are available at Conanan Bookstore, 2019 C.M. Recto Avenue, Manila, Philippines. Tel. (02) 735-5582.