VISA2US Blog

H-1B visa season is upon us. The complicated visa process is further complicated by the similarly named B-1 visa. If you're considering working in the United States as a foreign national, it's essential to understand the different types of visas available to you. The H-1B and B-1 visas have significant differences that can affect your stay in the US. This article will explain the key differences between the two visas to help you determine which is best for your situation.

By now, you’ve heard about the tech layoffs in the US, and how they’ve impacted thousands of H-1B holders. This massive technological industry shift has created a domino effect felt by everyone else trying to obtain or renew their work visas. One of the ways it could impact you is through the H-1B lottery. How does the tech layoff problem change your lottery chances? Read on to find out.

You came to the US for work and found love alongside your job. What an excellent problem to have! But now you need to transfer your H-1B visa to a marriage green card, and that can be challenging. We have the tips here to help make the process easier, so you can focus on this new chapter of your life instead of complex paperwork.

The past few years have seen an increase in immigration changes through the COVID-19 pandemic and switching Trump and Biden Administrations. The latest round of federal immigration policies in 2023 focuses on things like immigration activity along the border of US and Mexico, noncitizens in mixed immigration status families, and children with immigrant parents. We cover the evolving immigration policies here and how they’ll affect your visa in 2023.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services filed a petition recently requesting permission to raise its rates. If this proposed rule is approved, certain applications and petitions will see filing fee hikes. As with any fee request, there are advantages and disadvantages to this change, but USCIS and the government aren’t making this decision unilaterally. Those affected by this rule and anyone with an opinion on the proposed rule may be heard, but the public comment period ended on March 13, 2023. What does this mean for you? Read on to learn the details.

Obtaining an H-1B visa as a specialty worker is a competitive process. There are more applicants than available visas, and a random lottery to win before USCIS begins to scrutinize your petition. One of the factors that can make or break your H-1B approval is the company you choose to accept as your sponsor. Large companies are often already in the system at the Department of Labor and USCIS, but small businesses, by nature, use fewer H-1B employees. Should you accept an offer of H-1B sponsorship from a lesser-known company? We’ll explain the pros and cons here.

H-1B nonimmigrant visas have impacted the US economy and the professions and lives of hundreds of thousands of foreign workers over the years. These visas are designed for those with skills that classify as a “specialty occupation,” but that definition has evolved and continues to change depending on the political and social climate of the country. Recent challenges to the H-1B specialty occupation are in process, and if you’re applying for a new or renewed work visa, you should know what these changes mean for you.

The H-1B and certain other categories of visas are designed to bring skilled workers into the United States to fill specialty job positions. However, these workers must meet strict requirements, such as a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited university. Those applying for an advanced degree exemption typically have a bachelor’s and a master’s or beyond that must qualify as accredited. Hopeful H-1B petitioners need to verify that their institutions are from an accrediting agency, but recent changes in the US Department of Education have dropped an important one. The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) is no longer recognized, meaning substantial impacts for H-1B and certain F-1 student visa holders.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, H-1B and L visa holders living and working in the United States have had substantial uncertainty about their futures. Between the global shutdown, changing political climates, and the USCIS backlog on processing new and renewed visas, it has been a long few years for these foreign workers. But we’re happy to announce some good news around the corner just released from the State Department regarding their Domestic Renewal Pilot Program. Here, we’ll give you the basic details that have been shared with the public.

Thousands of people worldwide begin becoming United States citizens every year. There are two paths to this goal. One may become a citizen by being born in the US or through naturalization. The first is obvious, but the second method requires careful planning and knowledge of immigration law. When you know what you’re doing and meet the qualifications, you can use an H-1B visa to start your journey to American citizenship.