From April this year, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin the period to apply for the H-1B visa for nonimmigrant workers. The applicants may apply for a job from October 1st this year.
Applications do not have a specification or a rule. The only clear fact is that USCIS will accept applications until the annual quota, which last year was around 233,000, is reached.
It is worth noting that the requests will be subject to a lottery, and that those selected will have the opportunity to proceed with the adjudication process.
Who Is Eligible?
Foreigners who are currently in the United States have the opportunity to apply for an H-1B visa. In the case of the F-1 visa, students in their post-graduate Optional Practical Training (OPT) period as well as people who have obtained the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree through work and/or education may also file an application for the H-1B.
But What Is the H-1B Visa?
This visa for professionals, which belongs to the category of nonimmigrant visas, benefits foreign workers who are in charge of “specialty occupations”.
Employees with an H-1B visa do not need to keep a residence abroad while in the United States.
The duration of the H-1B visa is three years initially, but it can be extended to up to three or six additional years.