What Understanding Should I Have of the H-1B Visa?

You may be certain that you want to be approved to obtain employment in a United States-based company. But what you may not know is that there are multiple work authorization visas to choose from. With this, you must go down the path that best suits your situation and your field of work. For one, you may place an H-1B visa as your best bet. Continue reading to learn what understanding you should have of the H-1B visa and how an experienced work authorization permit lawyer in Milwaukee, WI, at Sesini Law Group, S.C. can help educate you.

What general understanding should I have of the H-1B visa?

First of all, you must have a general understanding of what an H-1B visa is. This is a type of nonimmigrant, employment-based visa reserved for individuals who are able and willing to perform specialty services in the United States workforce.

That said, to qualify for “specialty services,” an individual must have a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent higher degree, along with the experience necessary to take on a job that cannot be done by just any individual. Examples of such jobs include accountants, college educators, engineers, physicians, psychologists, and more.

What’s more, to qualify for an H-1B visa, you must have received an offer from a United States employer for a job that matches these “specialty services” requirements. Of note, this subsequently means that a petition may only be filed by a prospective employer. It is only under rare circumstances that you may be able to self-petition for an H-1B visa.

What else should I know about the H-1B visa?

There are some limits on the H-1B visa regarding how many individuals may apply and when they may apply. Without further ado, below are some other snippets of information that you should know before applying:

  • There is a cap that limits the number of H-1B visas that can be issued in a year, which Congress currently holds at 65,000 slots.
  • In addition to the 65,000 slots, there are an additional 20,000 visas available to applicants with a United States master’s degree or higher degree from a reputable institution, for a total of 85,000 slots.
  • Exempt from the cap limits are petitions to transfer H-1B jobs, petitions to extend H-1B status, or petitions within certain areas of employment.
  • The time to apply for an H-1B visa starts on the first business day in April and until 85,000 petitions have been collected or seven days have passed.

You must understand that there are certain laws in place to make your United States work authorization possible. So please do yourself a favor and retain the services of one of the skilled Wisconsin immigration attorneys from Sesini Law Group, S.C. today.

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