The H-1B Visa Program in a Nutshell
The United States introduced the H-1B visa program to allow skilled foreign professionals or international students the opportunity to live and work in the United States. This is the basic requirement that individual foreigners must obtain to be allowed to work legally in America.
The H-1B visa is a dual intent visa. This means aside from giving legal mandate for a foreign national to live and work in the US, the issuance of the visa would allow the individual to apply for Legal Permanent Residency or the so-called Green Card.
There is a specific process before an H-1B visa is issued. These are as follows:
Step 1: The foreign national needs to find a job covered under the H-1B sponsorship jobs listed with an American sponsor or employer;
Step 2: The US employer files the H-1B visa application with the US Immigration Bureau. Only an employer can file for an H-1B visa;
There are qualifications specific to the grant of an H-1B visa. The following are the core specialty occupations, such as IT, Computing, Finance, Accounting, Banking, Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations, Sales, Recruiting, Engineering, Teaching, Healthcare/Medical, Legal, Lawyers, Networking, Telecoms, Business, Management and Hospitality.
The H-1B visa is valid for up to six (6) years from the date of issuance. The visa also covers the entry requirements of the spouse and any children below twenty one (21) years of age. The accompanying family would be issued an H-4 visa or dependent visa. Dependent visas do not allow spouse and children to work in the United States.
For more information about the H-1B visa, or to get assistance by H-1B visa lawyers in filing for a H-1B visa for you or your employee, contact us today.
