Temporary Nonimmigrant Work Visas
The H-1B visa grants you temporary stay in the United States. When your visa expires, you must leave the United States unless you have applied for Legal Permanent Residency.
The H-1B visa is offered to workers in a specialty occupation, those with exceptional merit and ability in a Department of Defense cooperative research and development project, or fashion models with distinguished merit.
What are the qualifications for the H-1B classification?
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The job in question must require theoretical as well as practical application of highly specialized knowledge in a particular subject matter
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The nonimmigrant worker must have received at least a bachelor’s degree in the specific specialty
When does the H-1B visa expire?
An H-1B specialty occupation worker visa is good for up to three years. This may be extended for up to six years. However, there are some exceptions.
Is there a cap on H-1B visas?
The government caps or limits the numbers of H-1B visas it issues each year at 65,000 per fiscal year. Exempt from the cap is another 20,000 petitions filed on behalf of beneficiaries with at least a master’s degree.
H-1B visa workers who work at a college or university, a nonprofit research organization or a government research organization are not subject to the annual cap.
Family of H-1B Visa Holders
The spouse of the holder of a nonimmigrant visa and children under the age of 21 may be eligible to apply for an H-4 nonimmigrant visa. Spouses of H-1B workers may also petition for work authorization.