Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste 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 Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste 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
- Immigration Service of Timor-Leste
Immigration Service of Timor-Leste - verified
- USCIS — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services - verified
- Timor-Leste work visa requirements
Immigration Service of Timor-Leste - verified
- USCIS — H-1B Specialty Occupations
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services - verified
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste publishes visa, residence and asylum requirements through the official Immigration Service site. The current Visa Atlas packet covers tourist, transit, airport transit, work, business, temporary stay, resident-stay authorization, residence permit and asylum routes, with purpose and duration boundaries taken from the Immigration Service pages. Applicants should confirm the current form, fee and filing location before submitting because the public pages provide category checklists and legal route descriptions rather than a single online application flow.
- Official portal
- Immigration Service of Timor-Leste
- Languages
- Tetum, Portuguese
- Currency
- United States dollar
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 Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and United States of America differ
| Dimension | Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 9 | 14 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 5 | 5 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 1 | 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 | Work Visa | 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 | Tetum, Portuguese | English (de facto) |
| Currency | United States dollar | United States dollar |
| Primary regulator | SMTL | 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.
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Work Visa
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- No
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 Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Routes unique to United States of America
Visa routes side by side
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (9)
Tourist Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Single entry, 30-day stay; may be extended once for the same period. Multiple entries are allowed for travellers to Oecussi.
Transit Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Maximum 72 hours; two entries.
Airport Transit Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Airport international-zone transit only; tied to the onward ticket and aircraft connection.
Work Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to one year; may be extended for equal periods; multiple entries.
Business Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Class I: up to 60 days, multiple entries. Confirm Class II duration and conditions with the Immigration Service.
Temporary Stay Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Study period plus possible six-month extension; specialized activity up to one year; short volunteering up to 120 days; dependant validity follows the family basis.
Resident Stay Authorization Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · 90 days; multiple entries.
Residence Permit
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Temporary residence permit: two years, extendable for the same period. Permanent residence exists as a separate permit type.
Asylum
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Protection process timing is not stated on the reviewed public page; confirm with the Immigration Service.
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, Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste or United States of America?+
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste’s Work Visa 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.
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, "Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste vs United States of America immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/timor-leste/vs/us. Last verified 29 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons