Law Office of Miguel Serrano
h-1 b specialty Occupations Visa
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
Please contact our office for additional requirements and to request that we complete a comprehensive review of your case to see if you qualify for this visa.
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. Please contact us for more information.
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.