Most popular non-immigrant visa: The H-1B visa is a temporary or non-immigrant U.S. visa for foreign nationals seeking temporary entry into the United States for employment in specialty occupations. Applicants are selected for adjudication via lottery system and are subject to a cap on the number of visas that will be approved.
Categories of visa: The various types of Visa include:
Purpose of Travel | Visa Category |
Athlete, amateur or professional (competing for prize money only) | B-1 |
Au pair (exchange visitor) | J |
Australian professional specialty | E-3 |
Border Crossing Card: Mexico | BCC |
Business visitor | B-1 |
CNMI-only transitional worker | CW-1 |
Crewmember | D |
Diplomat or foreign government official | A
|
Domestic employee or nanny – must be accompanying a foreign national employer | B-1 |
Employee of a designated international organization or NATO | G1-G5, NATO |
Exchange visitor | J |
Foreign military personnel stationed in the United States | A-2 |
Foreign national with extraordinary ability in Sciences, Arts, Education, Business or Athletics | O |
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Professional: | H-1B1 – Chile |
International cultural exchange visitor | Q |
Intra-company transferee | L |
Medical treatment, visitor for | B-2 |
Media, journalist | I |
NAFTA professional worker: Mexico, Canada | TN/TD |
Performing athlete, artist, entertainer | P |
Physician | J , H-1B |
Professor, scholar, teacher (exchange visitor) | J |
Religious worker | R |
Specialty occupations in fields requiring highly specialized knowledge | H-1B |
Student: academic, vocational | F, M |
Temporary agricultural worker | H-2A |
Temporary worker performing other services or labor of a temporary or seasonal nature. | H-2B |
Tourism, vacation, pleasure visitor | B-2 |
Training in a program not primarily for employment | H-3 |
Treaty trader/treaty investor | E |
Transiting the United States | C |
Victim of Criminal Activity | U |
Victim of Human Trafficking | T |
Nonimmigrant (V) Visa for Spouse and Children of a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) | V |
Advantage of H1-B: The H-1B allows U.S. companies to employ foreign nationals with theoretical or technical knowledge in a specialty occupation. It has enabled leading U.S. tech companies to recruit the talent needed – especially in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – for America to dominate the world in the arena of technical innovation.
The H-1B visa is valid for three years and can be extended one time for an additional three years. In general, the H-1B is valid for a maximum of six years.
Registration for 2022: The registration for the much sought-after H-1B visa for the fiscal year 2023 will begin from March 1 and the successful applicants will be randomly selected and notified online by March 31, according to the US federal immigration agency. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in a statement said the initial registration period for the fiscal year 2023 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 1 and run through noon Eastern on March 18, 2022. For any update check US.
The initial registration period for the fiscal year 2023 H-1B cap will run from 12pm ET on Mar. 1 to 12pm ET on Mar. 18. Prospective petitioners & representatives will be able to complete & submit their registrations using our online registration system. https://t.co/0OsUXKrd0X
— USCIS (@USCIS) January 28, 2022
H-1B Documents and Application Process
Step 1: Employer/Agent submits Labor Conditions Application to the Department of Labor (DOL) for certification of an LCA.
Step 2: Employer/Agent submits the completed Form I-129, Petition for a Non-immigrant Worker, to the designated USCIS service center. The DOL-certified LCA must accompany the I-129 petition.
Step 3: Upon I-129 petition approval, the prospective H-1B worker may apply with the U.S. Department of State (DOS) at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad for an H-1B visa (or admission if a visa is required).
Visa cap: As mandated by the Congress, USCIS can issue a maximum of 65,000 H-1B visas in a year. It can also issue another 20,000 H-1B visas to foreign students who have completed higher studies from a US university in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. The USCIS will assign a confirmation number to each registration submitted for the FY 2023 H-1B cap.
H-1B Specialty Occupations
Field may include (but are not limited to) the following. If your area of work is not in one of the fields of work listed below, please contact us and we will be happy to advise.
