Plurinational State of Bolivia vs United States of America
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Plurinational State of Bolivia and United States of America government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- Direccion General de Migracion
Direccion General de Migracion, Ministry of Government, Bolivia - verified
- USCIS — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services - verified
- Marco legal - legislacion migratoria
Direccion General de Migracion, Ministry of Government, Bolivia - verified
- USCIS — H-1B Specialty Occupations
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services - verified
Plurinational State of Bolivia
Bolivia publishes its migration law and implementing decrees through the Direccion General de Migracion. The official route set covers multiple visas for investment and business, transitory work permanence, temporary work, study, family and humanitarian permanence, and definitive permanence after the qualifying period.
- Languages
- Spanish
- Currency
- Bolivian boliviano
United States of America
The US issues nonimmigrant visas (H-1B, L-1, O-1, F-1, J-1) and immigrant visas (employment-based EB-1 through EB-5, family-based, diversity). Policy touchpoints span USCIS, DOS consulates, DOL (for PERM/LCA), and executive-branch proclamations that can shift overnight.
- Official portal
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Languages
- English (de facto)
- Currency
- United States dollar
How Plurinational State of Bolivia and United States of America differ
| Dimension | Plurinational State of Bolivia | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 7 | 14 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 6 | 5 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 3 | 6 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | — | Arrival on H-1B (3 years) → PERM + I-140 (1-2 years) → I-485 / Green Card (current for most categories, 7-15+ years for India EB-2) → citizenship at PR+5 years. |
| Dominant skilled visa | Temporary Work Residence (Permanencia Temporal) | H-1B Specialty Occupation |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | — | US$62,000/year |
| Skilled visa processing time | — | USCIS — Case Processing Times does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route. |
| Skilled visa government fees | — | A single initial H-1B petition costs around $3,600 in USCIS filing fees for a standard employer, excluding premium processing and the separate consular visa fee. |
| Official languages | Spanish | English (de facto) |
| Currency | Bolivian boliviano | United States dollar |
| Primary regulator | DIGEMIG | State bars |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 1 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Plurinational State of Bolivia
Temporary Work Residence (Permanencia Temporal)
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- No
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
United States of America
H-1B Specialty Occupation
- Salary minimum
- US$62,000/year
- Government fees
- A single initial H-1B petition costs around $3,600 in USCIS filing fees for a standard employer, excluding premium processing and the separate consular visa fee.
- Processing time
- USCIS — Case Processing Times does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- No
Routes unique to Plurinational State of Bolivia
Routes unique to United States of America
Visa routes side by side
Plurinational State of Bolivia (7)
Multiple Visa for Business and Investment
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Granted for one year and renewable for similar periods, according to the cited regulation.
Short-Term Work Stay (Permanencia Transitoria)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 180 calendar days for the work object-purpose transitory permanence.
Temporary Work Residence (Permanencia Temporal)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Issued for one, two or three years, depending on the time of the activity in Bolivia.
Temporary Student Residence (Permanencia Temporal)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to three years, prorogable for periods of up to three years until completion of studies.
Temporary Family Residence (Permanencia Temporal)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Granted according to the duly founded request; confirm the current duration and renewal treatment with Migration.
Temporary Humanitarian Residence (Permanencia Temporal)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to one year, prorogable for similar periods where applicable.
Permanent Residence (Permanencia Definitiva)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Definitive residence or stay. The later decree text says foreign identity cards for definitive permanence are renewed every five years with SEGIP, with indefinite cards possible for qualifying older residents.
United States of America (14)
H-1B Specialty Occupation
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Initial 3 years; extendable to 6 years (longer with approved I-140).
L-1A Intracompany Transferee (Executive or Manager)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Initial 3 years (1 year for new-office L-1A); extendable to 7 years total.
L-1B Intracompany Transferee (Specialised Knowledge)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Initial 3 years (1 year for new-office L-1B); extendable to 5 years total.
O-1 Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 3 years initially; 1-year extensions available indefinitely.
EB-1A Extraordinary Ability (Immigrant)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence (green card).
EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
EB-3 Skilled, Professional, and Other Workers
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence.
EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Conditional 2-year residence leading to unconditional permanent residence.
E-2 Treaty Investor
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Initial up to 2 years at port of entry (5-year visa stamp for many nationalities); renewable indefinitely.
F-1 Student Visa (with OPT and STEM OPT)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Duration of study (D/S); OPT up to 12 months; STEM OPT extension up to 24 additional months.
J-1 Exchange Visitor
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Program-dependent: from weeks (intern) to up to 5 years (research scholar).
TN USMCA Professionals (Canada & Mexico)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 3 years; renewable indefinitely while activity continues.
K-1 Fiancé(e) of US Citizen
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Single-entry 6 months; must marry within 90 days of entry.
Spouse of US Citizen or Green Card Holder (IR1/CR1 & F2A)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent residence (conditional 2-year CR1 converts to 10-year card via I-751).
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Plurinational State of Bolivia or United States of America?+
Plurinational State of Bolivia’s Temporary Work Residence (Permanencia Temporal) is the dominant skilled route; United States of America’s H-1B Specialty Occupation requires US$62,000/year. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Does Plurinational State of Bolivia or United States of America have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Plurinational State of Bolivia has more: 6 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 5 for United States of America. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Plurinational State of Bolivia vs United States of America immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/bolivia/vs/us. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons