Employment-based immigration is not one process. The appropriate category can depend on the position, employer, worker’s qualifications, the intended duration of employment, labor-certification requirements, and the long-term immigration objective.
Not every employment-based case requires an employer to file on the worker’s behalf. Certain categories, such as the National Interest Waiver and extraordinary-ability classifications, allow qualifying individuals to self-petition.
Some employment-based cases involve the Department of Labor’s permanent labor certification process; others do not. Whether PERM is required depends on the category and the facts. Employers and workers should not assume that one employment-based path fits every job or candidate.
There is no single employment-immigration timeline. Timing may depend on the category, labor-certification process, government processing, visa availability, the worker’s location, and case-specific developments.