These are the specialty visas allocated to aspiring foreign employees by US employers to work temporarily. However, the H-1B visa is segregated into various categories, such as H-2, H-3, H-4, etc. This blog will guide you through all these H-1B Visa categories. But first, let’s understand what an H-1B visa is. 

What Exactly Is An H-1B Visa?

The US government authorizes international candidates to come on H-1B visas and are employed by US companies. Therefore, candidates wishing to work in a US company must seek a job first. Also, they must possess specialized knowledge in the job position and be highly qualified. 

Interested employees qualifying the eligibility criteria will apply for the job and be selected. Only then US employers will get the H-1B visas on their behalf by submitting I-129 Form, Required Documents, and visa fee. As a result, employers will sponsor employee expenses and other H-1B visa processes. 

Though, before getting into the H-1B visa types, application details, and qualifications, let’s understand a few essential related terms.

H-1B Visa Lottery

The demand for H-1B visas is exceptionally high. Each year, the US government receives tens of thousands of applications, most of which are rejected. Another reason most applications are disapproved is that H-1Bs depend on the annual visa quota. 

Therefore, they launched the H-1B visa lottery as an alternative to offering work visas to the USA. 

In this process, the computer-based software will randomly select the applicants for an H-1B visa approval. 

Hence, the number of visa approvals will increase. The method of random selection is allotted by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. 

H-1B visa caps

The H-1B visa cap means the number of H-1B applicants the US government approves in each fiscal year. In 2022, US congress set this number to 85,000 into the regular pool, i.e., the number of H-1B visas allocated to candidates with bachelor’s degrees. At the same time, there are 20,000 special H-1B visas for people with Master’s degrees.

Now, we’ll further look into the H-1B visa types that are granted temporarily to international candidates:

What Are H-1B Visa Types?

The various types of H visas are granted to nonimmigrants temporarily. Let’s have a look at these types:

• H-1C Visa: Any healthcare professional such as nurses, physicians, or religious workers, can obtain an H-1C visa. They must qualify for the NCLEX-RN Exam. Each year, the US government provides 500 H-1C tickets. 
• H-3 Visa: Candidates appointed as trainees or interns in US companies are given H-3 visas. To obtain this visa, you must file a DS-160 Form to the United States Citizenship and Immigrant Services. 
• H-4 Visa: H-4 visa holders are dependents of H-1B and H-2B visa holders. Therefore, they cannot work but only travel to the US. Nevertheless, the applicants must fill out the DS-160 Form and will be required to attach the details of the H visa holder.  
• H-1B1 Visa:  H-1B1 visa is allowed to Singapore and Chile citizens. To work in the US with this visa, the citizens of these countries must have specialized knowledge in their field. Additionally, they must have a post-secondary degree and three years of work experience in a competitive field. 
• H-2A Visa: H-2A visas are given to nonimmigrants hired by US employers for labour, agriculture, or other services. Mainly, the US government allocates these visas when there’s a shortage of workers in the United States. 

Applicants for an H-2A visa will first fill out the DS-160 form and use a work visa payment receipt. Furthermore, they must present the I-129 and I-797 forms. You will require these forms at the time of the US visa interview. 

• H-2B Visa: This visa applies to certain countries only and has exceptions. H-2B visa is perfect for seasonal workers working in the United States’ interest. 

So, you know all the H-1B visa types and their purposes. Now, let’s understand the H-1B visa requirement for a work visa in the USA.

What Are The H-1B Visa Requirements?

The following are the requirements that both employer and employees must satisfy to get the H-1B visa:

• Candidates must have a bachelor’s and Master’s degree exceeding educational qualifications.
• They should excel in the offered job role.
• Applicants must satisfy the job requirements.
• The employer must present in the petition that didn’t find any qualified candidate in the US. (Only employees with 12 years of work experience can qualify for this field.)

You can apply for the H-1B visa if you meet all the above requirements.

What Is The H-1B Visa Application Process?

Let’s discuss the mandatory application steps to get a US work permit visa:

1. The aspiring employee must seek a sponsor who can give them H-1B visa sponsorship. So, the first step to allowing you to work in the US is finding a job and a sponsor.
2. The employer sponsoring the candidate’s visa should submit Labor Conditions Approval Certification. Additionally, they are required to file the I-129 Form (Department of Labor) electronically.
3. Finally, candidates visit the US embassy or consulate to complete the US visa application. The final process takes 2 to 3 days. Here’s how you can achieve this step:

• Submit the DS-160 form
• Schedule the interview at the US consulate
• Pay the H-1B visa fees and save the receipt.
• Submit all the essential documents
• Give the US visa interview.

Once you ace the interview round and your US visa application process approves, you will be granted an H visa. But first, let’s know the duration of H visas.

Duration Of These Visas:

The validity date of H visas are three years, i.e.  from approval to expiry date. However, you can extend its validity date for 3 years. As a result, H visa holders can stay up to 6 years in the US. 

Talk To Professionals 

As we learned before, the US government allows an 85,000 H-1B visa cap. So, if you want to move to the United States and become a part of their work culture, you must seek a job there and find a sponsor. Consequently, you can start your exciting journey there and fulfil your dream. 

Talk to the team of professionals to smoothen your H-1B visa process!

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