Often people look for a high-paying job in another country if they can't find a job on their own. The most desirable for foreigners is the labor market in the United States. After all, this is a highly developed country with great opportunities and the most innovative companies. However, there are many questions about how to find a job and where to start.

To start working in your dream country, you must first find a job in the United States. You can do this both locally and abroad. Once you have received a job offer, you will need to apply for a work permit in the United States. You can do this through your employer, or an employment agency. They will then be able to obtain a visa for you to enter the United States.

Read the top 10 most popular work visas in the United States here.

Who has the right to obtain a work permit?

• It will be easiest to find a job if you live in the country. However, for this, you need to write an application for a work permit. However, not all visas allow the right to legally take a job. 

• The ideal option to get a job is to become an American student. If you have an F1 student visa, you are allowed to work 20 hours a week while studying and 40 hours on vacation. If you do not have a permit from the migration service, you can work on the university campus (library, canteen, laboratories).

• If you have received a temporary protected status permit from the Citizenship and Immigration Service, you are entitled to permanent residence in the country and to work.

• If you are a refugee and seeking asylum in the United States, you can apply for a work permit here.

In any case, to work in America you must obtain a permit, even if you are outside the country. If you do not have it, you can find a job only in the following cases:

• if you are an investor and have a trade and shipping agreement with the United States;

• if you are the head or manager of a multinational company that has a branch in the United States;

• if you are a citizen of Canada or Mexico, you have a great opportunity to get a job in America;

• if you are going for seasonal work on a temporary work visa (agricultural visa (H-2A) and non-agricultural (H-2B).

Work visas to the United States

If you have a guest visa, you will not be able to obtain a work permit in the United States. But working in America is your biggest dream. Then it must be implemented as soon as possible. To do this, you will need a work visa. Consider what are the forks of work visas.

1. H-1B visa

An American employer on this visa can hire workers from another country in a specific specialization. You can work on this visa for 3 months, with the possibility to extend it up to 6 years. Your employer will deduct social security and health insurance taxes from you.

2. H-2A visa

Under this visa, the employer hires foreigners for seasonal agricultural work.

3. H-2B visa

Under this visa, American companies can invite specialists from other countries for temporary work. You must have work experience and an invitation from the employer. 

4. H-3 visa

This is a visa for foreign interns invited by an American company for education.

5. L-1 visa

The visa is intended for those foreigners who are transferred to work in the United States. These are mostly executives.

Documents for obtaining a work visa

You already have a visa and an invitation to work, so it's time to collect the documents. You must first submit a petition to the Citizenship and Immigration Service. When your employer confirms it, you need to apply for a visa at the consulate three months before work.

Make the necessary folder of documents:

• questionnaire - DS-160;

• passport with a visa (for six months or more);

• photo 5x5 cm;

• receipt of payment of visa fee - $ 190;

• approved petition number I-129;

• interview invitation.

You may also be asked for resumes, diplomas (in English), references, and calculations from previous work.

Taxes for foreign workers

After choosing a visa and obtaining a work permit, you need to understand the taxes that the United States requires of its employees. Because America is a federal republic, the tax system is not easy here. One of the main taxes is the personal income tax. To understand the systems of this tax, you need to determine the difference between total income, adjusted gross income, and taxable income. In the United States, the tax is paid at two levels: regardless of the employee's place of residence or assigned to a specific state. The payer's income is divided into categories, where everyone has their tax rate.