H-1 B Visa "Specialty Occupation"

Visa for highly qualified persons

The H-1B visa is a visa for foreign workers from different qualified professions, among them engineers, scientists, computer scientists etc. The H-1B visa is probably the best known temporary work visa. Eligible for this category are persons with an academic degree (or its equivalent). However, strict regulations apply to the issuing of this particular visa category.

The main focus here is on the cap on H-1B visas – only a limited number of them can issued every year. In  many US companies, a large number of foreign workers are H-1B visa holders. Therefore, it is not a big surprise that more and more people are demanding to raise the H-1B visa cap. Large companies like Microsoft or Google continue to point out the lack of qualified workers in the US and the high number of applications that cannot be considered due to the quota.

Therefore, a raising of the H-1B cap is often talked about, but it has not been raised so far.

Do I need a job offer from a U.S. company?

What qualifications does the foreign worker need?

What requirements does the job offer from the U.S. have to meet?

What are the consequences of the H-1B visa cap?

Who qualifies for the "advanced degree exemption"?

Are there any exceptions to the visa cap?

How does the application process work?

If I am already in the U.S., can I still change to the H-1B status?

What are the application deadlines?

How long is the H-1B visa usually valid?

Can I change my status to another visa category?

What type of visa do accompanying family members get?