GlobeQuest

Moving from Singapore to United States

What your passport gets you at the border — and what it takes to actually stay.

SingaporeUnited StatesShort stay
Travel authorisation

Singapore passport holders need an electronic travel authorisation before flying to United States. It's an online form, usually approved quickly, and lighter than a full e-visa.

This is short-stay visitor policy only. It does not let you work, study or settle in United States — that needs a residence permit.

Passport Index · updated 17 February 2026United States's official immigration service
Long stay

How you actually move to United States

Work / sponsoredHigh confidenceVerified July 2026

H-1B specialty occupation visa

The best-known route into US skilled employment, and since 2025 also the most expensive and least predictable. Employer-sponsored, cap-subject and allocated by lottery.

What you need
  • A job offer in a specialty occupation from a US employer willing to sponsor
  • At least a bachelor's degree or equivalent in a field related to the role
  • Employer registration in the annual cap lottery, at $215 per registration
  • A Labor Condition Application and prevailing-wage compliance
How long it lasts
Three years initially, extendable to six, with further extensions available while a green card case is pending.
Path to permanent residence
Yes, and this is its main advantage over most other work visas: H-1B permits dual intent, so you can pursue an employment-based green card while holding it. The wait then depends entirely on your country of birth.
Cost
$215 per lottery registration, plus petition filing fees. And potentially $100,000 more — see caveats, because whether that applies to you turns on a single procedural distinction.
Processing time
Registration runs in March for an October start. FY 2027 registration ran 4–19 March 2026 and the cap was reached on 31 March 2026 with no second lottery.
Worth knowing
  • The $100,000 fee from the 19 September 2025 proclamation applies to NEW petitions for beneficiaries OUTSIDE the United States requiring consular processing. It does NOT apply to change-of-status filings, extensions or amendments. If you are already in the US on another status — F-1 OPT, L-1, O-1 — changing status may avoid it entirely, and that distinction is worth more than any other single fact here.
  • FY 2027 introduced weighted selection: registrations are entered more times at higher DOL wage levels (I through IV). A Level IV offer is now materially more likely to be selected than a Level I one, so negotiating salary changes your odds of selection, not just your pay.
  • The lottery is annual and unforgiving. Miss the March window and the next opportunity is a year away, with an October start after that.
  • The visa is employer-tied. Changing jobs requires a new petition, and losing your job starts a limited grace period, not an open-ended search.
Sources:USCIS — H-1B specialty occupationsUSCIS — FY 2027 H-1B cap initial registration period
Work / sponsoredHigh confidenceVerified July 2026

O-1 extraordinary ability visa

People at the top of their field — sciences, education, business, athletics, arts, film and television. Increasingly the route of choice for senior engineers and founders precisely because it sidesteps the lottery.

What you need
  • Sustained national or international acclaim, evidenced against USCIS criteria
  • In science, education, business or athletics: expertise placing you in the small percentage at the very top of the field
  • In the arts: distinction — skill and recognition substantially above ordinary
  • A US employer or agent to petition on your behalf
How long it lasts
Up to three years initially, with extensions in one-year increments. No overall maximum.
Path to permanent residence
Strong. O-1 permits dual intent, and O-1 holders are often well positioned for an EB-1A extraordinary-ability green card, which uses a similar evidentiary standard and is not subject to PERM.
Cost
Petition filing fees. Substantially less than a $100,000-exposed H-1B, though evidence preparation and legal costs are meaningful.
Processing time
Standard processing takes months; premium processing is available for an additional fee.
Worth knowing
  • No annual cap and no lottery. In a year when the H-1B cap filled in March with weighted selection against lower wage levels, that is the entire argument for this route.
  • USCIS updated its policy manual guidance on O-1 extraordinary ability, and the evidentiary bar is genuinely high — this is not an easier H-1B, it is a different and more demanding standard.
  • It requires a petitioner. A founder can be sponsored by their own company but needs a properly structured agent or employer relationship, not a self-petition.
  • Renewals in one-year increments after the first three years mean recurring legal work, unlike H-1B's three-year blocks.
Sources:USCIS — O-1 individuals with extraordinary ability or achievementUSCIS — temporary (nonimmigrant) workers
Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

L-1 intracompany transferee visa

Managers, executives (L-1A) and specialised-knowledge employees (L-1B) transferring from an overseas office of the same employer.

What you need
  • At least one continuous year of employment with the overseas entity in the preceding three years
  • A qualifying relationship between the foreign and US entities
  • A role in the US that is managerial, executive, or requires specialised knowledge
How long it lasts
L-1A up to seven years; L-1B up to five years.
Path to permanent residence
L-1A is one of the strongest routes available: it maps closely onto the EB-1C multinational manager green card, which skips PERM entirely.
Cost
Petition filing fees, generally borne by the employer.
Processing time
Months, with premium processing available. Blanket L petitions can be considerably faster for large employers.
Worth knowing
  • No annual cap and no lottery, which makes it a common workaround for companies that lost the H-1B lottery — hire abroad for a year, then transfer.
  • The one-year overseas requirement is strict and must be with the same corporate group. It cannot be manufactured retroactively.
  • L-1B specialised knowledge is heavily scrutinised and refusal rates have historically been high. L-1A is the cleaner category where the role genuinely qualifies.
  • Because it is employer-tied and depends on the corporate relationship, a restructuring or acquisition can affect your status.
Sources:USCIS — temporary (nonimmigrant) workers
Work / sponsoredHigh confidenceVerified July 2026

TN status for Canadian and Mexican professionals

Canadian and Mexican citizens in one of the listed professional occupations. Comfortably the most underused good option in US immigration.

What you need
  • Canadian or Mexican citizenship
  • A job offer in one of the professions on the USMCA list
  • The qualifications that profession requires, usually a specific degree
How long it lasts
Increments of up to three years, with no limit on the number of renewals.
Path to permanent residence
Weak by design. TN is explicitly a temporary status without dual intent, so openly pursuing a green card can jeopardise renewals. Many people transition to H-1B or O-1 first.
Cost
A modest fee at the port of entry for Canadians; consular fees for Mexican citizens.
Processing time
Canadians can request TN status at a US port of entry — often the same day. Mexican citizens obtain a TN visa at a US consulate first.
Worth knowing
  • No cap, no lottery, no petition, and renewable indefinitely in three-year increments. For an eligible Canadian this is dramatically simpler and cheaper than H-1B, and it is routinely overlooked.
  • The profession must be on the USMCA list and your degree must match it. The list is specific and dated — 'software engineer' sits awkwardly on it and is often filed under a related listed profession.
  • The lack of dual intent is the real trade-off. If permanent residence is the goal, TN is a good bridge but a poor destination.
  • Canadians apply at the border, which means the decision rests with an officer at the port of entry. Documentation quality matters more than it would in a filed petition.
Sources:USCIS — NAFTA (TN) visas
Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

Employment-based green card (EB-2 / EB-3, including NIW)

Anyone pursuing permanent residence through employment. The EB-2 National Interest Waiver is the self-petition route that removes the need for an employer sponsor.

What you need
  • EB-2: an advanced degree or exceptional ability; EB-3: a bachelor's degree, skilled work, or other work
  • A permanent job offer and an approved PERM labour certification — unless you qualify for a National Interest Waiver
  • For NIW: work of substantial merit and national importance, that you are well positioned to advance, and where waiving the job offer benefits the US
  • A current priority date on the monthly Visa Bulletin
How long it lasts
Permanent residence, with conditions in limited cases. Citizenship eligibility generally follows after five years.
Path to permanent residence
This IS the permanent route. Everything else is a bridge to it.
Cost
Filing fees across I-140 and I-485 plus legal costs; PERM adds employer-side expense where required.
Processing time
Governed by the Visa Bulletin, not by processing speed. For most countries EB-2 has been current or near-current; for India and China it is the defining constraint.
Worth knowing
  • The per-country cap is the whole story. No country may receive more than 7% of employment-based green cards in a year, so an Indian or Chinese national with identical qualifications to a British one faces a categorically different wait.
  • As of the August 2026 Visa Bulletin, EB-2 India was UNAVAILABLE after India exhausted its annual limit, with realistic waits reported at 12–15+ years. China EB-2 sits in the 4–6 year range and worse on some estimates. Check the current bulletin rather than any article, including this one — it moves monthly.
  • NIW removes PERM, which can save one to two years on its own, but it does NOT shorten the Visa Bulletin queue. Once your priority date is set the wait is identical. This is widely misunderstood and oversold.
  • EB-3 Other Workers for India has had cutoff dates around 2011–2013, implying theoretical waits measured in decades. Treat that category as closed rather than slow.
Sources:US Department of State — monthly Visa BulletinUSCIS — temporary (nonimmigrant) workers
InvestmentMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

E-2 treaty investor visa

Nationals of countries holding a treaty of commerce with the US who are investing a substantial amount in a US business they will direct.

What you need
  • Nationality of a treaty country — this is the threshold requirement and many countries, including India and China, are not on the list
  • A substantial investment in a real, operating US enterprise
  • The business must be more than marginal — it must generate more than a minimal living for you and your family
  • You must be coming to develop and direct the enterprise
How long it lasts
Typically up to five years, renewable indefinitely while the business qualifies.
Path to permanent residence
None directly. E-2 is renewable forever but leads nowhere — a genuine trap for people who build a life on it and only later discover it does not convert.
Cost
The investment itself plus consular fees. There is no fixed statutory minimum, which is itself a source of confusion.
Processing time
Consular processing, generally faster than most employment routes.
Worth knowing
  • Nationality is the gate. Indian and Chinese nationals are not eligible, which excludes two of the largest groups of prospective US migrants. Some acquire a qualifying nationality first, which is a long game.
  • 'Substantial' is not defined as a number. Practitioners commonly work to six figures, scaled to the business, but anyone quoting you a precise statutory minimum is inventing it.
  • Renewable indefinitely and leading nowhere is the defining tension. Plan the exit to a green card category from the start rather than assuming renewals will continue forever.
  • The business must be operating, not passive. Buying property or holding investments does not qualify.
Sources:USCIS — temporary (nonimmigrant) workers
StudentMedium confidenceVerified July 2026

F-1 student visa and OPT

Students at US institutions — and, in practice, the most common on-ramp to skilled US employment for people who cannot win the H-1B lottery from abroad.

What you need
  • Admission to a SEVP-certified institution and an I-20
  • Evidence of funds and of non-immigrant intent
  • For OPT: employment related to your field of study, authorised by USCIS
How long it lasts
The length of the programme, plus 12 months of Optional Practical Training — extendable by a further 24 months for qualifying STEM degrees, so up to three years of post-study work.
Path to permanent residence
Indirect but effective. OPT gives you up to three years inside the US, during which an employer can file H-1B as a CHANGE OF STATUS rather than consular processing — which is precisely the filing type the $100,000 fee does not apply to.
Cost
Tuition, SEVIS fee and visa fees. The dominant cost is tuition.
Processing time
Institution-led; apply well ahead of term.
Worth knowing
  • The STEM OPT extension is the single most valuable feature of the US student route: 36 months of work authorisation is three shots at the H-1B lottery instead of one.
  • F-1 does not permit dual intent, so demonstrating intent to immigrate can complicate visa issuance and renewals — even though the route very commonly leads to exactly that.
  • Working outside the terms of your authorisation, including unpaid work in some circumstances, is a status violation with severe consequences. The rules are stricter than most students assume.
  • Being inside the US on F-1 when your H-1B is filed changes the filing to a change of status, which materially changes the fee exposure under the 2025 proclamation. That is a planning consideration, not a technicality.
Sources:USCIS — temporary (nonimmigrant) workersSSA — Social Security numbers for noncitizens
On the ground

Where you'd land in United States

New York City

Three income taxes, five boroughs, and the only US city where you genuinely do not need a car.

Full New York City guide
San Francisco

Frontier AI labs, thirteen-point-three percent tax, and ten days to get a driver licence.

Full San Francisco guide
Austin

No state income tax, ninety days to swap your licence, and the one US city where rents actually fell.

Full Austin guide
Miami

The easiest licence exchange in America, no income tax, and Spanish as the working language.

Full Miami guide
Seattle

No income tax but a capital gains one, and a payroll levy visa holders can opt out of.

Full Seattle guide
Boston

A flat 5% tax, the densest biotech cluster on earth, and a city that moves house on 1 September.

Full Boston guide
Los Angeles

Eighty-eight separate cities pretending to be one, and the rent rules change at every border.

Full Los Angeles guide
Chicago

A constitutionally flat tax, the country's second-best transit, and a winter that means it.

Full Chicago guide
Washington DC

Full federal tax, no vote in Congress, and free health coverage that never closes enrolment.

Full Washington DC guide
San Diego

The best weather in America, and the busiest land border in the hemisphere twenty minutes south.

Full San Diego guide
Denver

A mile up, a flat 4.4%, and a DMV that will not see you without an appointment.

Full Denver guide
Atlanta

Medicaid with an 80-hour rule, its own new exchange, and the worst traffic in America.

Full Atlanta guide
Philadelphia

The cheapest big city on the east coast — and one of only two here with a city income tax.

Full Philadelphia guide
Portland

No sales tax anywhere, three income taxes in one city, and a $35 bill nobody warns you about.

Full Portland guide
Dallas

No income tax, a property tax patchwork across six counties, and tolls with no cash lanes.

Full Dallas guide
Houston

The only major US city with no zoning, where the flood map matters more than the postcode.

Full Houston guide
Nashville

Zero income tax, the highest sales tax in America, and tornadoes that arrive after midnight.

Full Nashville guide
Raleigh

A flat tax still falling, Medicaid expansion since 2023, and three cities pretending to be one.

Full Raleigh guide
Phoenix

The lowest flat tax in America, and one rental question that decides your August: swamp or refrigerated.

Full Phoenix guide

United States at a glance

Capital
Washington D.C.
Population
341.8M
Languages
English
Currency
USD

Where else your Singapore passport takes you

ArgentinaVisa-free · 90 daysAustraliaTravel authorisationBhutane-VisaBrazilVisa-free · 30 daysCanadaTravel authorisationChileVisa-free · 30 daysColombiaVisa-free · 90 daysCzechiaVisa-free · 90 days