Preferred Occupations for H-1B Visas

The H-1B visa status is a visa designed for temporary workers who are skilled in specialty occupations. A job that is ‘specialized’ means that the person has specialized practical and theoretical knowledge and a minimum of a degree at bachelor level in the discipline. Examples of specialty occupations include business studies, biotechnology, computer science, education, health care, medicine and the physical sciences.

Educational requirements

To be eligible for an H1B visa category, the potential H-1B employee has to meet certain criteria as follows:

• Be a holder of a U.S. B.A. degree of a minimum of 4 years duration, or what is considered of equal value from an accredited institution,
  
• If the degree is from an overseas institution it has to be a minimum of 3 years and a bachelor's degree,
  
• The person has to be appropriately qualified to undertake the duties assigned to the job offered. This means the appropriate U.S. license such as for a physician dentist, nurse, attorney etc. for practicing legally in the U.S.A.

Jobs favored by the H1B visa status program

• Engineers
  
• Doctors/Physicians
  
• Managers
  
• Financial Managers
  
• Analysts
  
• Business Managers
  
• Sales Managers
  
• Artists
  
• Entertainment professionals
  
• Attorneys
  
• CPA
  
• Architects
  
• Health Care occupations
  
• Technicians
  

Quota for H-1B visas

If you are qualified in one of the above occupations then you may seek a sponsor to employ you on an H-1B visa but there is an annual quota which for 2014 was 85,000. Prospective employers have to be ready to file applications by April 1st as the quota is normally filled within the first 5 days of opening. A quota of 20,000 in addition to the 85,000 is added for applicants who have gained a U.S. master’s degree.

How to get the H1B visa

There are several often difficult stages to follow before the H-1B visa process is near completion. The first is finding a suitable U.S. employer who is prepared to consider someone from overseas. Employers aren’t necessarily forthcoming unless you are just the person they are looking for. It’s not the employer’s fault that the H-1B process can take time and he or she may have to wait several months for their sponsored employee actual turn up and take up the position. However, many professional positions require unique qualities such as in health care and are prepared to wait for a good match from overseas so all is not lost if you can find that employer.

Once the right match has been found then it’s the employer’s responsibility to file an H-1B visa petition with the relevant government authorities which are the Department of Labor and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). Once approval has been given then you can enter the U.S. on the H-1B status visa.

Return to "The H-1B Visa" to learn more.