VISA2US Blog

Part of the visa application process includes verifying your identity. For initial visas like the H-1B category and for green cards, that includes a biometrics screening. While it might sound like advanced artificial intelligence, this is simply an appointment during which the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) collects a record of your fingerprints and takes a picture of you to cross-reference the information with the FBI database and the Department of Homeland Security. Provided you don’t have a criminal record or any run-ins with the immigration department, this is a simple step. What should you know before you go to prepare for your biometrics appointment? We’ll give you the details here.

As a highly skilled professional wishing to work in the US and obtain a green card, you have various options available to you. While most people use the general route of an H-1B visa, there are limitations to this that may not be suitable for you. When you have an advanced degree or an exceptional ability in your field, an EB-2 National Interest Waiver can let you skip the strict requirements of a job offer and other hurdles involved in those visa petitions and propel you to the front line for a green card. We’ll explain how this works in this short blog.

National Interest Waivers are an ideal way for individuals to skip the job sponsor requirement of a foreign work visa. However, qualifying for these coveted documents can be challenging as you must meet rigorous criteria.

Skilled individuals who live overseas but want to work in the United States for approved employers can apply for an H-1B visa. For various reasons, this document is highly sought-after by millions worldwide. Each year, only 85,000 registrants are allowed to apply for capped job positions, and getting to this point is challenging. But once you've cleared all the hurdles and have that coveted H-1B approval in your mailbox, you're not quite done yet. Here are some of the most critical pieces of info anyone with an H-1B approval should know before moving to the US.

If you’ve been paying attention to the H-1B visa petitions this year, you’ve seen the headlines about the record-setting FY 2024 lottery numbers. However, US Citizenship and Immigration Services attributes this high number to fraudulent attempts of registering multiple registrations of the same individuals. This significant issue heavily impacted the lottery system this year, causing USCIS to review and reform registration processes. But since new data shows that more than 75% of H-1B registrations amongst the individually filed petitions would’ve been rejected anyway, a deeper problem runs through this system. How is USCIS addressing the visible issues from FY 2024’s lottery? Read on to find out.

Moving to the United States, temporarily or permanently, is a goal for millions worldwide. One way to do this is to obtain a work visa that allows the beneficiary to live and reside in the country for limited periods. Two of the most popular work visas are the H-1B and the EB-2. However, both of these employment-based green card avenues have long, cumbersome processes with no guarantee of success. On the other hand, a National Interest Waiver, which is a step up from the EB-2, lets the holder skip the wait and head to the front of the green card queue. Which of these avenues is best for you? Read on to learn the differences between an EB-2 and an NIW.

FY2024 was a landmark year in H-1B lottery registrations. USCIS received the most it has ever had in history during the initial registration period, including those who qualified for the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap). But there was a downside to this landslide: The number of fraudulent petitions also exceeded historical records, and USCIS has taken this year as a learning experience, implementing new measures to combat fraud in the future.

The National Interest Waiver (NIW) is part of the United States EB-2 employment-based visa petition. It’s designed for those with advanced degrees or exceptional abilities that could benefit the national interest of the US. It’s a highly sought-after visa because once the applicant is approved, they become a lawful permanent resident of the country. However, it’s not easy to qualify. Here are the details you must know before you apply for an NIW.

The H-1B visa is highly sought after, partly because it allows the beneficiary to bring their dependents with them to the United States. The document permits the holder to work and live in the US for three years, with an optional three-year extension. But during that time, minors grow up and are no longer dependents. When that happens, they must obtain their own visas, such as the F1 student visa. If your child is in the transition period where they’re going to need a visa of their own to stay with you in the States, read on to find out what their options are and if transferring to an F1 status from your H-1B dependency is possible.

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.