VISA2US Blog

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.

There’s no denying that the H-1B visa is arguably the most popular category on the market. But with many more petitioners than visas allocated, it’s also very difficult to obtain. This year’s lottery, FY 2024, saw the largest influx of registrations in history, but the US Citizenship and Immigration Services can only provide 85,000 visas. If you weren’t one of the chosen few, you still have options, as we’ll discuss here.

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.

According to USCIS, a student on a visa is, well, a student. Therefore, they should devote their time to studies, not to earning an income. Students aren’t allowed to receive Employment Authorization Documents. They can go to school and perform in after-school activities, such as clubs and sports. This has been a non-issue for most foreign student-athletes on a non-immigrant visa. Yet, the current changes in NCAA policy — the National College Athlete Association — could impact all of this.

Certain fields are known to have job openings that are notoriously difficult to fill. These industries, such as those in the STEM categories, have high-skill requirements and fewer people who meet the criteria to choose from. For that reason, many of these US employers must reach beyond the pool of native applicants and attempt to find foreign workers who can help them. But this action, although it's a last resort, does not get performed lightly. You must follow government guidelines as a US employer looking to hire a nonimmigrant. We've summarized them here to help you get started. 

It’s no surprise that dealing with any government agency is confusing, but when it comes to applying for an H-1B visa as a STEM worker, USCIS tries to make this as easy as possible. 

The H-1B visa is a popular document coveted by millions of foreign workers yearly. Because it’s so sought after, the requirements to qualify are stringent, with only the most highly qualified specialty workers able to meet them. But even if you have a sponsoring US employer and meet the bar for the requirements, you still have to go through the random lottery system to begin petitioning for an H-1B visa. What happens if you aren’t one of the limited number chosen by USCIS’s lottery this year? Well, you don’t have to give up on your goal of entering the US for employment yet. Here, we’ll review your options for H-1B visa alternatives.

You have many benefits when you’re already in the United States as a foreign student under Optional Practical Training (OPT). But when your OPT is over, and you want to continue working in the country, how can you change your status to an H-1B visa? This short guide explains everything you need to know to move from OPT to an H-1B.

Over the past year, there have been significant developments for non-immigrants in the U.S., including spouses of H1-B holders. These changes are meant to improve the efficiency and fairness of the U.S. immigration system.

USCIS data shows which groups of immigrants and non-immigrants receive the most working authorizations based on their legal status.