Work visas

This page is for Turkish citizens who want to work temporarily in the United States and employers who want to hire them. For most work visas, the process begins with Form I-129 petition filed by the U.S. employer with USCIS. Once the petition is approved, the employee applies for a visa at the Embassy in Ankara or the Consulate General in Istanbul. Below are the steps for employers and employees for each visa type, fees, employee rights, addresses, and downloadable forms.

1. Where required, the employer first obtains approval from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL): a Labor Condition Application (LCA) for H-1B, or a temporary labor certification (TLC) for H-2A and H-2B. Applications are submitted through the DOL's FLAG system.
2. The employer or representative files Form I-129 with USCIS. The employee does not file the petition; the employer does. Most categories can also be filed online.
3. Once USCIS approves the petition, it sends Form I-797 (Notice of Action). The approval notice is not a visa.
4. The employee completes the DS-160, enters the petition receipt number from the I-797 when scheduling an appointment, and pays the visa fee. See 1.3 Temporary visa application step by step.
5. Attend the interview with your passport, photograph, DS-160 confirmation page, and the original petition (Form I-129).
6. Upon entry, CBP records your period of stay on the I-94. If the I-94 date ends before the petition period, the employer must request an extension with Form I-129 before it expires, or you must leave the country. Family members must separately file Form I-539.
7. For work visas other than H-1B and L, the consulate wants to see ties demonstrating your intention to return to Türkiye.
8. Petition approval does not guarantee visa issuance. Do not buy a ticket before the visa is issued.

• Form I-129 petition fee (paper / online; small employer or nonprofit organization):
  • H-1B: $780 / $730; small employer $460
  • L-1: $1,385 / $1,335; small employer $695
  • O: $1,055 / $1,005; small employer $530
  • E-1, E-2, H-3, P, Q: $1,015 / $965; small employer $510
  • R-1: $510
  • H-2A and H-2B (named worker): $1,090 and $1,080 (paper)
• Asylum program fee: $600; small employer $300, nonprofit organization $0.
• Fraud prevention fee: $500 for the initial H-1B and L-1 petition and for a change of employer; $150 for H-2B.
• ACWIA fee (H-1B only): $750 or $1,500, depending on the number of employees the employer has.
• 9-11 fee: Paid by employers with 50 or more employees in the United States whose employees are more than half in H-1B or L-1 status: $4,000 for H-1B and $4,500 for L-1. Since September 9, 2026, it is required for all H-1B and L-1 petitions, including extensions; an amendment petition that does not request an extension is exempt.
• Premium processing (Form I-907): $2,965 for H-1B, L-1, O, P, Q, E, and H-3; $1,780 for R and H-2B. USCIS makes a decision or requests additional evidence within 15 business days.
• Visa application fee (at the consulate): $205 for H, L, O, P, Q, and R; $315 for E; $185 for I. Turkish citizens do not pay a visa issuance fee. These visas are issued for 60 months and with multiple entries; H, O, and P visas may not exceed the petition period. See 1.4 Fees.

• Who it is for: occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree and extensive specialized knowledge. The degree (or an equivalent foreign degree or education and experience) must be directly related to the job. If the occupation requires a state license, the license must be obtained before the petition is approved.
• Employer's LCA obligation: The wage may not be less than the actual wage paid to similarly employed workers or the prevailing wage in the area, whichever is higher.
• Duration: Up to 3 years initially, followed by a 3-year extension; a total of 6 years. Those in an employment-based green card process may receive extensions beyond 6 years under certain conditions. If you own more than 50% of the company, the initial petition and first extension are approved for no more than 18 months.
• Cap: 65,000 new H-1Bs annually and an additional 20,000 for people earning a master's or doctoral degree in the United States. Universities, affiliated nonprofits, and research organizations are cap-exempt.
• Lottery (electronic registration):
  • The employer opens a organizational account with USCIS and pays $215 for each candidate.
  • FY 2027 registration ran from March 4–19, 2026; those selected could file petitions beginning April 1. The FY 2027 cap is full. The start date must be October 1, 2026, or later.
  • Selection is wage-weighted: the higher the official wage level of the offered salary, the greater the chance. In FY 2026, 120,141 of 343,981 valid registrations were selected.
  • If the same employer submits more than one registration for the same person, all registrations submitted for that person become invalid.
• Changing employers: You may begin work for the new employer on the day the new employer properly files the petition or on the start date stated in the petition, whichever is later. You must not have worked without authorization since your last entry.
• After leaving a job: You must find a new job, change status, or leave the country within at most 60 days. See 2.8. If the employer dismisses you, the employer pays the cost of your return trip; if you resign, the employer does not.
• Family: H-4. A spouse's employment authorization is conditional; see 2.7.

• Employer requirement: There must be a parent, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate relationship with the foreign company. The company must regularly conduct business both in the United States and in at least one other country while the employee remains in the United States.
• Employee requirement: Must have worked continuously for at least 1 year for the foreign company within the last 3 years.
• L-1A: Executive or manager; a total of up to 7 years. L-1B: Employee with “specialized knowledge” of the company's products or processes; a total of up to 5 years. Three years initially, followed by 2-year extensions.
• New office in the United States: Only 1 year is granted initially. The employer must show that it has secured premises for the office. For L-1A, it must be shown that the office can support a managerial position within one year.
• Blanket L: At large companies with prior blanket approval, the employer gives the employee Form I-129S; the employee applies directly at the consulate and pays an additional $500 fee.
• Family: L-2. L-2 spouses may work based on their status; the “L-2S” notation on the I-94 serves as employment authorization.

• O-1A: Extraordinary ability in science, education, business, or athletics. O-1B: Extraordinary ability in the arts or extraordinary achievement in motion pictures or television.
• Demonstrated sustained national or international acclaim is required; at least three different types of evidence listed in the regulations must be submitted.
• Materials submitted by the employer or U.S. agent: a written advisory opinion from a professional organization or expert in the field, a summary of the contract or oral agreement, and an itinerary of events.
• The petition may be filed no more than 1 year before the job; filing at least 45 days in advance is recommended.
• Duration: Up to 3 years initially, followed by 1-year periods. You may enter 10 days before and depart 10 days after the petition period; work may be performed only during the petition period.
• O-2: Accompanying support personnel, with a separate petition. O-3: Spouse and children; may not work, but may study.

• P-1A: Internationally recognized athlete or team, or professional athlete. An individual athlete is granted up to 5 years initially and 10 years in total; teams receive 1 year at a time.
• P-1B: Member of an internationally recognized entertainment group.
• P-2: Artist arriving under a reciprocal exchange program. Five agreements recognized by USCIS are between U.S. organizations and organizations in Canada and the United Kingdom.
• P-3: Artist performing, teaching, or coaching in a culturally unique program; the program's uniqueness is shown through expert letters or press reviews.
• The petition includes a written opinion from the relevant union, the contract, and an itinerary of events.
• Changing employers: You may not begin the new job before the new employer's I-129 is approved.
• Family (P-4): May not work, but may study.

• For working as a religious worker or in a religious occupation for an average of at least 20 hours per week at a nonprofit religious organization in the United States.
• You must have been a member of the same denomination for at least 2 years immediately before the petition.
• Materials submitted by the organization: IRS tax-exemption letter, proof of payment (budget, W-2), and an assignment document for the religious worker. USCIS may conduct an on-site inspection.
• Duration: 30 months initially, followed by 30 months; a total of 5 years. After reaching the limit, the worker leaves the country and may return with a new petition and visa; the one-year overseas waiting requirement no longer applies.
• The employer must notify USCIS of a change in employment within 14 days.
• R-2 (spouse and children) may not work. Short religious visits may be made on a B-1 if the activities are permitted.

• For reporters, camera operators, and editors who will work solely in journalism for a press organization headquartered abroad. No petition is required; apply directly at the consulate.
• At the interview, a press card and a letter from the employer stating the assignment, duration, and purpose are required (see 1.6 Interview).
• Stay: Usually granted for “duration of status” (D/S). No extension is needed as long as you continue working for the same employer and in the same type of publication. If the I-94 has a specific date, file Form I-539 for an extension.
• Spouses and children may not work, but may study.

• H-2A: Temporary or seasonal agricultural work. H-2B: Temporary nonagricultural work.
• The employer first obtains temporary labor certification from DOL and then files I-129. A maximum of 25 named workers may be listed on one petition.
• Since January 17, 2025, the “eligible countries list” requirement no longer applies; there is no country restriction for Turkish citizens.
• H-2B cap: 66,000 per year (33,000 each for October–March and April–September). The first-half FY 2027 cap was reached on September 4, 2026.
• Duration: A total of no more than 3 years, with 1-year extensions. After that, you must remain outside the United States for at least 60 consecutive days.
• Recruitment fees prohibited: The employer or agent may not charge the worker a placement fee, penalty, or deduction; if charged, the petition is denied or revoked.
• H-2A employer: Provides a written contract in a language you understand, free housing, free transportation from housing to work, three meals a day or a free kitchen, and pays return transportation costs when the contract ends.
• Family members (H-4) may not work.

• For receiving training in the United States that is not available in Türkiye; the training must serve a career abroad. Graduate medical training may not be obtained with this visa.
• The employer explains the training program, its hours, and why the training cannot be received in Türkiye. Programs without a schedule and evaluation method are not approved.
• No productive employment may be performed except incidental duties required by the training.
• Duration: Up to 2 years. Programs for educating children with disabilities may last up to 18 months; no more than 50 people may be admitted to this program annually.
• H-4 family members may not work.

• The State Department's Turkish “Rights of Temporary Workers” brochure is given at the interview to applicants for H and J visas. Read it before applying.
• Regardless of your immigration status: You have the right to fair pay, a safe workplace, to leave an unsafe job, and to protection from discrimination and harassment.
• You must always keep your passport. It is illegal for an employer to withhold your passport.
• For H-1B: The employer must pay your salary even for time when it has no work for you. Your salary must begin no later than 30 days after entering the United States. The employer may not charge you for the petition fee, an early-departure penalty, or its own attorney fees.
• Record the days and hours you work, your pay, and deductions in a notebook.

• U.S. Embassy Ankara — immigrant and nonimmigrant visas
  • Address: Çukurambar Mahallesi, 1480 Sokak No: 1, 06530 Çankaya / Ankara
  • Phone: +90 312 294 00 00
• U.S. Consulate General Istanbul — nonimmigrant visas
  • Address: Poligon Mahallesi, Sarıyer Caddesi No: 75, 34460 İstinye / İstanbul
  • Phone: +90 212 335 90 00
• Visa Information Hotline: From Türkiye +90 850 390 1950, from the United States +1 313 572 0883.
• USCIS Contact Center: +1 800 375 5283; Monday–Friday, 08:00–20:00 U.S. Eastern Time. From outside the United States: +1 212 620 3418.
• Premium processing hotline (cases filed with I-907): +1 866 315 5718.
• U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division: +1 866 487 9243, 08:00–17:00 local time.
• National Human Trafficking Hotline: +1 888 373 7888; from within the United States, you can also text “HELP” to 233733. Your immigration status will not be asked.

• Traveling without obtaining a visa because you mistake the I-797 approval for a visa.
• Not checking the expiration date on the I-94; the I-94 may expire before the petition.
• Using an old edition of Form I-129. Beginning November 9, 2026, only the 09/09/26 edition will be accepted.
• Sending the petition to the old address. I-129 addresses changed on October 7, 2026.
• Starting a new job before the new employer's petition for a P visa is approved.
• Paying an intermediary for recruitment. This is prohibited for H-2 visas.

• Can I file the petition myself? No for H, L, O, P, and R visas; the employer or its U.S. representative files the petition. An E investor may file for themselves from inside the United States (see 2.5).
• Can I register myself for the H-1B lottery? No. The employer registers through its organizational USCIS account.
• Who pays the fees? The employer pays the petition fees. For H-1B, no part of the petition fee may be charged to the employee; recruitment fees may not be charged for H-2.
• Can I move from a work visa to a green card? For H-1B and L visas, you are not required to show an intention to return to Türkiye. See 3.4 Employment-based green card.
• Where can I track my petition's status? Enter the receipt number from the I-797 on the USCIS case status page.

• Form I-129 (PDF) · Form I-129 instructions (PDF)
• H-1B petition checklist M-735 (PDF) · R-1 checklist M-736 (PDF)
• Form I-907 premium processing (PDF)
• USCIS fee schedule G-1055 (PDF)
• I-129 mailing addresses
• DOL – H-1B worker rights card (PDF)
• Rights of temporary workers – Turkish information
• USCIS case status · USCIS processing times