EB-4 Special Immigrant Visas

Explanation of the Employment Fourth-Preference Visa

EB-4 is the employment immigration visa category that is tied for the lowest number of visas allocated by the terms of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It also includes the longest list of subcategories. Whereas the other types of employment-based immigration visas generally include only two or three subcategories, the EB-4 category features no fewer than 19 types of workers who may apply.

Subcategories of the EB-4 visa are highly limited and unique and are not likely to include large numbers of applicants. The subcategories include, but are not limited to:

  • Broadcasters working in the U.S. in the service of the International Broadcasting Bureau of the Broadcasting Board of Governors
  • Certain former employees of the Panama Canal Company or the Canal Zone Government
  • Ministers of religion
  • Iraqi and Afghan interpreters and translators who worked directly with the U.S. Armed Forces for a minimum of one year
  • Certain retired international organization employees, as well as their unmarried children and surviving spouses

Our Virginia Immigration Lawyers Can Help You Apply for an EB-4 Visa

As mentioned above, the number of EB-4 visas is highly limited, with only 7.1 percent of the total 140,000 employment visas being allocated for this category each year. Out of these 9,940 visas, certain categories are even more restricted, such as the Iraqi and Afghan translator visas which are limited to no more than 50 per year. It is not, however, required that the individual applying for this category obtain an approved Form I-140 sponsorship petition filed by a prospective employer.

If you are hoping to immigrate to the United States with an EB-4 visa, you can contact us at Fayad Law, P.C. for help. We have offices in Fairfax and Richmond, VA and Raleigh, NC, and we provide our services to clients internationally. Our Virginia immigration lawyers have more than twenty years of combined legal experience, and we know how to get results when working with the immigration legal system. Let us guide you throughout the process and advocate on your behalf with immigration authorities!