H1B visa

H1B visa, commonly called H1 visa, is a type of temporary worker visa to live and to work in the United States.

H1B visas by origin

What is a visa?

Generally, a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States must first obtain a visa, either a nonimmigrant visa for temporary stay or an immigrant visa for permanent residence.

Employment based temporary worker visa

• Temporary worker visas are for persons who want to enter the United States for employment lasting a fixed period of time, and are not considered permanent or indefinite.
• H1B visa requires the prospective employer to first file a petition with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
• H-1B is for Person in Specialty Occupation work in a specialty occupation.
• This Requires a higher education degree or its equivalent.

Annual quotas

• H1B visa's are limited in total number of petitions which can be approved on a yearly basis - an annual quota of 65,000 visas plus 20,000 additional visas for those that hold a master's or higher degree from a US university. Exceptions or exclusions from the ceiling include all H-1B non-immigrants who work at (but not necessarily for) universities, non-profit research facilities associated with universities, and government research facilities.

For more information

• For more information  about the petition process, eligibility requirements by visa category, and numerical limits, if applicable, see Working in the U.S. and Temporary (Nonimmigrant) Workers on the USCIS website.
• Once the petition is approved, USCIS will send your prospective employer a Notice of Action, Form I-797

External links

• US State Department

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