What types of work visas and green cards does the US issue?
More than a quarter of authorized immigrants coming to the US for work come on visas for temporary agricultural workers.
In FY 2024, 95.2% of work-related arrivals came on temporary visas, while 4.8% received green cards for work.
People immigrating to the US for work have two visa options: temporary visas or employer-sponsored green cards that offer permanent residence.
The government admits immigrants for multiple reasons: to reunite families, provide safety for refugees, and expand labor pools for seasonal work, among others.
In FY 2024, most authorized immigrants — 40% — were admitted on work-related visas. Qualifying for either a temporary work visa or a green card depends on a range of factors, including offers of employment and measures of personal and professional achievement.
Over 1 million people came to work in the US via authorized channels in 2024.
Temporary work visas and new arrival work green cards, FY 2013–2024
How does the US admit immigrant workers?
Congress holds the power to regulate immigration, but the application process is managed by two different bodies: the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) deals with green cards, and the Department of State (State Department, DOS) manages temporary visas.
Green cards
Green cards
Green cards holders are lawful permanent residents (LPRs). LPRs aren’t US citizens, but are allowed to live and work in the US and can eventually apply for citizenship. Green cards are granted for several reasons, including family, work, and to diversify the immigrant pool.
Temporary visas
Temporary visas
Temporary visas are issued to people attending school, joining family, and doing seasonal or temporary work. The two most common work-related visas are H-1B visas for workers in “specialty occupations,” (valid for three years with an option to extend for a maximum of six years) and H-2A visas for temporary agricultural workers (valid for one year with the option to extend in one-year increments for up to three years).
Examples of the specialty occupations for a H-1B visa include fields such as engineering, mathematics, architecture, and medicine and health, among others. Examples of the H-2A visa include labor needs for activities such as planting, cultivating and harvesting on farms, ranches, nurseries and other similar locations.
Some temporary visa holders can apply for adjustments of status to get green cards and become lawful permanent residents.
Most immigrants who come to the US for work come on temporary visas: in FY 2024, the US granted 1,085,196 work visas but only 52,500 employment-based green cards.
Temporary immigrant workers
There are dozens of temporary visa subcategories, such as temporary agricultural workers, other seasonal workers, intracompany transfers, and religious workers.
Applicants must meet different requirements depending on the type of work and visa they’re pursuing. Some require employers or petitioners to show that there aren’t enough US-based workers with the ability or desire to do the work.
Others, whose jobs require specialized knowledge, must have a bachelor's degree in their field.
If the applicant intends to work in a position requiring licensing, as in the health care field, they need to have the licenses or certifications that would allow them to work immediately.
Employment-based green cards
Green cards are issued based on five levels of “preference” as defined by the USCIS.
Three are work-related: The first preference is for those with “extraordinary ability” — think Pulitzer Prize winners and Olympians — who have attained national or international recognition. The second is for people with advanced degrees or exceptional ability or expertise in the sciences, arts, or business.
The third is for all other workers seeking full-time, permanent work, all of whom must provide proof of a job offer. This group accounted for the majority of employer-based green cards, with 23,370 granted in 2024, or 45% of all green cards.
In 2024, "third preference" workers received the largest share of green cards.
Share of new arrival work green cards granted by type, FY 2024
The fourth preference is for those with specifically defined characteristics, including:
- Religious workers
- Certain media workers
- NATO workers
- Children needing protection
- People who have provided information about criminal or terrorist organizations
The fifth and final preference is for investors (and their families) who would make a commercial investment in the US and create or preserve at least 10 permanent, full-time jobs.
Watch: How does the immigration system work?
What are the types of visas for temporary immigrant workers?
There are two main types of temporary work visas: H-2A and H-1B. Most temporary work visas in FY 2024 were H-2A visas for temporary agricultural workers — 315,328, or 29.1% of all temporary visas. This category has also grown the most over the last 25 years, increasing 944.1% from FY 2000’s 30,201.
Temporary agricultural workers received 315k work visas in 2024.
Work visas granted by type, FY 1997–2024
Non-agricultural workers coming into the US to work in specialty occupations receive H-1B visas. In FY 2024, there were 219,659 specialty occupation workers, representing 20.2% of all temporary visa holders that year, and 139,541 temporary non-agricultural workers hired for seasonal or peak-business periods, representing 12.9%.
What countries do workers on H-1B or H-2A visas come from?
In 2024, the majority (90.6%) of temporary agricultural workers on H-2A visas came from Mexico — 285,781 workers. Other workers came from:
- South Africa (14,694, 4.7% of the total)
- Jamaica (4,718, 1.5%)
- Guatemala (4,023, 1.3%, and
- Nicaragua (1,198, 0.4%)
Most H-2A visas are granted to workers from Mexico.
H-2A visas granted by country, FY 2024 (top 5 countries and all others combined)
Workers from India (150,647) made up 68.6% of H-1B recipients in FY 2024, followed by:
- China (31,735, 14.4% of the total)
- The Philippines (3,562, 1.6%)
- South Korea (2,289, 1.0%), and
- Mexico (1,954, 0.9%).
Most H-1B visas are granted to workers from India.
H-1B visas granted by country, FY 2024 (top 5 countries and all others combined)
How have work visa rates changed over time?
The number of work visas issued, both temporary and green card, has been increasing: from 662,129 in 2013 to 1,137,696 in 2024, a 72% rise.
On average, employment-based green cards made up 3.3% of the work visas issued in ten years. Temporary work visas accounted for the majority — 96.7%, on average.
Over the last 25 years there have been two notable dips: one during the Great Recession in 2008–2009 and a starker one during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
In 2020 only 603,411 temporary work visas were granted; by 2024 numbers were back up to 1,085,196, surpassing 2019’s previous high of 897,167.
The number of work visas has generally increased since 1997.
Number of temporary work visas granted, FY 1997–2024
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