VISA2US Blog

It’s not a surprise that immigration visas are backlogged for many categories in various countries, particularly India’s H-1B visa. But with a wait time of over ten years for thousands of individuals, it’s understandable that their patience is disappearing. Now, presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy is promising to overhaul the H-1B visa program, replacing the outdated system with a more fair process. What is he promising, and how is it being received? We’ll explain here.

Foreign nationals who enter the US via the temporary visa route, like a work or student visa, often decide to stay permanently. They must apply for lawful permanent residency and obtain a green card to do this. Not all visas permit this path, but the H-1B category, also called a dual-intent visa, does, all without needing to leave the country. You just need to file an Adjustment of Status (AOS) and go through the green card process, and we’ll explain how to do that here.

Each country has its own requirements in place that determine how foreign individuals may enter and work within its borders. In the United States, visa categories like J-1 Exchange Visitors and H-1B Specialty Occupation Workers are popular. The two visas have certain similarities in which they overlap in qualifications, but overall, they are distinctly different. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know to understand J-1 versus H-1B visas.

Getting a green card is a dream for millions of foreign nationals worldwide, but the application process is challenging and time-consuming. It helps when you have multiple avenues open to you because then you can choose the category with the least wait time, but that’s not always possible. The National Interest Waiver is one of the shortest routes to permanent residency. However, proving to the US government that your skills and work are of the utmost national importance isn’t easy, regardless of your occupation. In this article, we’ll discuss how F-1 and J-1 scholars, postdocs, and researchers can optimize their chances of approval for this coveted NIW document.

There are many legal avenues provided to foreign nationals who wish to enter the United States through a visa. The type of visa necessary for each person depends on factors like their reason for entry, how long they plan to stay, and what they intend to do once they’re in the US. Two of the most popular visa categories are the H-1B and L-1B. Although they sound similar, they’re distinctly different. In this blog, we’ll compare and contrast each one to help you understand which is best for your needs.

For decades, the United States government has understood the importance of foreign workers as part of a growing economy. Since the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 was enacted, temporary nonimmigrants have come to the country to perform employment under various categories. The most commonly used visas for foreign workers are the H-1B and H-2B, but while there are many similarities between the two documents, at their core, they are distinctly different. What do each of these visas allow the holder, and which one is right for you? Read on to find out.

The H-1B visa is designed for skilled foreign workers to fill vacancies in the United States. When a US employer can’t find an employee with the qualifications to do the job or one willing to fill that role, the employer can reach out to foreign nationals and extend a job offer. The fees those employers pay are used in part to create training programs for Americans to prepare them for high-skilled jobs.  While foreign nationals aren’t eligible for these training sessions, understanding what goes into them can help you prepare your resume if you want to qualify for an H-1B visa in the future. 

If you’ve paid attention to the immigration climate in the United States, you’ve heard about the massive layoffs in the tech sector. Many of these workers were H-1B visa holders who rely on steady employment to keep their legal status in the country. Per the H-1B visa’s terms, workers have 60 days to find another employer willing to sponsor their visa status, or they must return to their home country. But with so many people searching for work within similar industries, this is a challenging endeavor. However, a recent workaround may keep thousands of these laid-off tech workers in the US legally while they look for employment, even after their 60-day grace period ends by changing from an H-1B to a B-1 or B-2 visa.

H-1B visas are highly sought-after work documents that allow the holder to enter the United States legally, find housing, and gain employment temporarily. It’s a dual-intent document, so once the holder is in the US, they have permission to start the steps to obtain permanent resident status through a Green Card. Because they also allow the beneficiary’s immediate dependents to move with them, it’s easy to see why this visa category is exceedingly popular with foreign workers around the world. However, recent polls show that one of the countries dominating the H-1B requests is China, and they’re willing to get into the US legally or illegally.

In each immigration visa program, there is a maximum number of documents allowed annually. Generally, more people apply for visas than the capped amount, and those who don’t receive them must wait until the next year to reapply. However, since 1992, many employment-based green cards have remained unused, with H-1B visa holders finding other ways to obtain their permanent resident status. Now, a bipartisan bill could recapture those cards and exempt them from the per-country cap, opening up more H-1B applicants to achieve their career goals in the US.