Permanent Residency Still trying to get the Green Card...

[daveb]

I have this idea, someone please tell me if this could work...
I sign up with this agency from Poland, they give me J-1 Visa, which according to them gives me the right to work in the USA for some time.
I've heard that I can get a green card through employment, so what if I tell the guy that I work for that I want to stay and work for him, he can sponsor my Green Card can't he?
Or during that time I'm in the US I find another Job and the Boss sponsors me...
Could this work out?

Anyways, thanks

 

[mayfly1]

I am not an expert in this, but speaking from experience, the J-1 is a visa for the exchange of scholars generally, and is usually good for 2-3 yrs max (i.e. you cannot renew beyond 3 yrs in most cases). After that, if your employer wants to keep you, they will most likely apply for an H1-B, which is a skilled worker visa. These visas are good for 3-years and can be renewed once (usually) for a total of six years. If your employer still wants to keep you, they can start the process for an employer-petitioned green card. There are two types of employer-petitioned green cards, depending on your background, etc. The thing to note is that it takes a really long time to get a employer-petitioned green card. For example, my friend's employer applied for one in June of 2001 and it still has not passed through the labor certification phase (this precedes being sent to the INS), and thus he does not even have a pending I-485 yet! It can take 6+ years for the employer-based green cards to come through, so your employer would do well to start the application immediately after obtaining an H1-B for you.

hope that helps.