Customs and Border Protection
In many cases, USCIS must approve your petition before you are eligible to apply for a DOS visa or apply for admission at a port of entry. Before entering the United States, you must appear before a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer and receive permission to enter the United States and engage in your proposed activity.
One of the most requested for Colombians is the H-2 work visa, which can be either H-2A or H-2B classification, which apply for temporary jobs in the United States and have a duration of one year, although they can be extended to three years.
Depending on the type of H-2 visa, it is possible to work in the industrial and restaurant sector, in fishing, or in gardening. In general, these are jobs in which academic training is not so necessary, although experience in the area is usually prioritized. Agricultural work is excluded, since there is a special permit for day laborers.
Within the H-2 visas there are also permits to work in specialized sectors, such as engineering, which offers the largest number of job vacancies for foreigners. In these cases, academic training and experience are required.
In order to process these types of visas and for you to enter the United States legally as a nonimmigrant (foreign nationals who do not intend to stay permanently) to work temporarily, your potential employer usually has to file a petition on your behalf with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
In other words, it is best to have an offer of employment from a company in that country before applying for a visa. In addition, you must have a valid passport and, in most cases – some jobs do not require it – a minimum command of English.
Verify authenticity
It is also recommended to verify the authenticity of the company for which you plan to work in the United States and to remember that no recruiter or agent may request payment in exchange for a job. The only expense, legally, is the work visa through the consulate or embassy, with no alleged extra or anticipated services.
In many cases, USCIS must approve your petition before you are eligible to apply for a visa or apply for admission at a port of entry. Before entering the United States, you must appear before a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer and receive a permit to enter the United States and engage in your proposed activity.
For updated information on the operational status due to COVID-19, you can visit this link for nonimmigrant visas and immigrant visas.