How long does a work visa last in the US?

If you want to hire and relocate international talent to the US, you need to understand how visas work. And whether you're planning to sponsor your first overseas employee, or expanding an established global hiring strategy, navigating visa durations and renewal rules is essential to ensuring compliance.

But where do you start? 

In this article, we’ll break down the different types of US work visas, how long each one is good for, and what you need to know about renewals, extensions, and long-term planning. So let’s jump straight in.

Work visas in the US: An overview

The US offers several types of work visas, broadly divided into two categories:

1. Non-immigrant work visas (temporary). These allow foreign nationals to live and work in the US for a fixed period. Most employment-based US visas fall into this category.
2. Immigrant work visas (permanent). These grant lawful permanent residence (i.e., a green card), allowing foreign workers to live and work in the US indefinitely.

Most businesses sponsoring international employees will be dealing with non-immigrant work visas, so we’ll focus on those in this article.

How long do US work visas last?

The answer to this depends on the type of visa issued. Here's a breakdown of the most common non-immigrant US work visas, how long they last, and whether they can be renewed or extended:

H-1B visa

The H-1B visa is one of the most common US work visas for skilled professionals. To obtain one, your employee requires a job offer in a "specialty occupation," typically requiring a bachelor's degree or higher.

H-1B visas are valid for three years, and can be extended for another three years. Beyond this, extensions are rare, but may be possible in some green card cases.

• Initial validity: Three years
• Maximum duration: Six years
• Green card pathway? Yes

Learn more: What is the H-1B visa and how does it work?

L-1 visa

The L-1 visa is only for employees who are transferring from abroad to a US office, and is common among multinational businesses expanding into the US.

The duration of this visa varies based on the role and office status, with extensions available in one- or two-year increments (depending on the applicant's status).

• Initial validity: One year for new US offices, or three years for existing offices
• Maximum duration: L-1A (managers/executives): Seven years for managers and executives (L-1A), or five years for specialized roles (L-1B)
• Renewable? Yes
• Green card pathway? Yes
  
  

O-1 visa

The O-1 visa is reserved for individuals with exceptional ability in science, art, education, business, or athletics. It's often used by high-level researchers, creative professionals, and executives.

While there’s no strict time limit on this kind of visa, continued renewals must be justified by ongoing work aligned with the original visa purpose.

• Initial validity: Three years
• Maximum duration: No formal cap, but extensions are granted in one-year increments
• Green card pathway? Yes
  
  

E-2 visa

The E-2 visa is for investors or employees of companies investing substantial capital in a US business.

While not available to all nationalities, it can be renewed indefinitely as long as the business remains active and meets the criteria.

• Initial validity: Two years (but varies by treaty country)
• Maximum duration: No formal limit
• Renewable? Yes, indefinitely (if business continues to qualify)
• Green card pathway? Not directly
  
  

TN visa

The TN visa is a streamlined work visa available only to Canadian and Mexican citizens under the USMCA (formerly NAFTA). It’s commonly used for professionals in specific fields, like engineering or accounting.

There’s no limit on the number of renewals, but the visa is intended for temporary employment.

• Initial validity: Three years
• Maximum duration: No formal cap
• Renewable? Yes, in three-year increments
• Green card pathway? Limited
  
  

See also: Work permits and visas in the US: An employer’s guide

What happens when a US work visa expires?

When your employee’s work visa reaches its expiration, they must stop working and leave the US — unless a renewal, extension, or change of status is granted. Overstaying a visa can lead to deportation and future bans on re-entry.

Note that some visas offer a grace period (typically 60 days for H-1B and L-1 visas) to transition to another status.

You and your employee should monitor their visa timeline and start the renewal or green card application processes early, ideally six months before expiration.

Want to hire global talent without relocating them to the US?

Relocating an international employee to the US is only one option, and is often the most complicated. If your team is distributed or remote-friendly, you can hire international employees without needing a US work visa at all.

Instead of navigating complex immigration procedures, your company can:

• Hire talent in their home country, without needing them to uproot and move
• Compliantly employ, pay, and manage them without setting up a local legal entity
• Begin onboarding in days, not months

This is possible through an employer of record (EOR), a third-party service that acts as the legal employer on your behalf in the employee’s country.

An EOR service like Remote handles:

• Local employment contracts
• Payroll and tax compliance
• Benefits management
• Termination and offboarding processes
• Ongoing compliance, security, and legal protections

With an EOR, you can easily tap into the global talent pool without the need for local entities, visa sponsorships, or relocation.

For many businesses, this is the fastest and most scalable way to grow an international team while staying compliant and reducing overhead.

Learn more: What is an EOR, and how does it all work?

How else can Remote help?

As well as our trusted EOR solution, Remote can also help you relocate your employees. Specifically, our in-house team of relocation experts can conduct a pre-visa assessment to discover the best visa options for your team members, and in certain cases, we may even be able to sponsor their visa.

We can also guide you through common immigration and taxation hurdles, giving both you and your employees the support and advice you need.

To learn more about how we can help, speak to one of our friendly experts today.