The H1B visa checklist below provides a general idea of what is usually needed for professional workers who are working in specialty occupation that requires at least a Bachelor’s degree to obtain their H1B work visa. To have a better understanding of this list, please read the H1B visa overview for the big picture first and then read the H1B visa requirements and documentation for the details of what is needed for a H1B visa petition.
Please click to download the H1B visa checklist for foreign professionals who has at least a bachelor’s degree working in a specialty occupation.
CONCLUSION (TLDR)
The overall emphasis on the documents and requirements/criteria of a H1B visa petition is that the H1B visa job position is qualified as a specialty occupation (which is a professional job that requires at least a bachelor’s degree) and the H1B visa worker has the qualifications to work in the H1B visa job position. The H1B visas are commonly used for F1 visa students after they graduate from a U.S. college or university and are working on their OPT, however, it can also be used for foreign workers from all over the world (i.e., (H1B visa workers do not need to be physically in the United States or even been to the United States before).
The requirements for an H1B visa petition are extensive and while ticking the boxes of requirements sounds simple enough, figuring out what items should be included and strategizing how the petition is presented is not. It is common practice and strongly encouraged to obtain an attorney for employment-based nonimmigrant visa petitions.
Alternatives to the H1B Visa Petition
The closest alternatives to the H1B work visa petition would be filing for an L1B visa petition which is for employees who have specialized knowledge of the multinational company, or O1 visas which is for people who have an extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics. Similar work visas to the H1B visas that are for people from certain countries include E3 visas for Australians working in specialty occupations and TN visas for Canadian or Mexicans working in certain professional occupations.
Another possible alternative to filing an H1B visa petition would be to file for a green card petition which is a permanent immigrant visa and not a temporary work visa like the H1B visa. Typically, a person who is qualifiable for an H1B visa would choose to file for an EB2 green card (which are usually for people who has at least a master’s degree) or EB3 green card (which are usually for people who has at least a bachelor’s degree) due to certain similarities in the requirements. For more on green cards gained through work, please read the overview for employment-based green cards.
HAVE A H1B VISA IMMIGRATION QUESTION? CONTACT US
If you have an H1B visa (Bachelor’s Degree Specialty Occupation) immigration question, please fill out our contact us form or send us an email with some basic information about your background and your immigration needs. We will do our best to respond within 48 hours.
How we can help?
Kylie Huang Law’s immigration attorney will help identify whether the H1B visa is the appropriate nonimmigrant visa category for the client’s (or the client’s beneficiary’s) professional background and if there are other visa options for the client (or the client’s beneficiary). We will work closely with our client to prepare a convincing case for their (or it’s) H1B visa petition and we will also strategize on how the H1B visa petition should be presented to achieve the best chances of approval. It is strongly advised and common practice to retain an immigration attorney for an H1B visa petition due to the complexities in the immigration process and visa requirements.
What does the typical process look like to retain (hire) us?
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- Fill out the form (with some basic information on what your immigration needs are)
- Sign up and log into the client portal to schedule an appointment online
- Attend scheduled appointment (typically a phone call or zoom meeting)
- Retainment (signing a contract to hire us)
- Start processing case
- Gathering required documents
- Preparing paperwork
- Confirming contents of documents that will be submitted
- Filing the case
- Following up on the status of the case
- Close the case when a final determination is issued
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- Fill out the form (on what your immigration needs are)
- Sign up and log into the client portal to schedule an appointment
- Attend scheduled appointment (typically a phone call or zoom)
- Retainment (signing a contract to hire us)
- Start processing case
- Gathering required documents
- Preparing paperwork
- Confirming contents of documents that will be submitted
- Filing the case
- Following up on the status of the case
- Close the case when a final determination is issued
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- Step 2:
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- Step 4:
- Step 5:
- a.
- b.
- c.
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- Step 8:
- Fill out the form (on what your immigration needs are)
- Sign up and log into the client portal to schedule appointment
- Attend scheduled appointment (typically a phone call or zoom)
- Retainment (hire us)
- Start processing case
- Gathering required documents
- Preparing paperwork
- Confirming content of documents that will be submitted
- Filing the case
- Following up on the case status
- Close the case when a final determination is issued
RELATED ARTICLES
- H1B Visa (Specialty Occupations)
- H1B Visa Requirement & Documents (Specialty Occupations)
- H Visa Overview (Specialty Occupations)
- H1B3 Visa (Fashion Models)
- H1B3 Visa Checklist (Fashion Models)
- H2B Visa (Temporary Skilled & Unskilled Workers)
- H2B Visa Checklist (Temporary Skilled & Unskilled Workers)
- H3 Visa (Trainee & Special Education Exchange Visitor)
- H2A Visa (Agricultural Workers)
- H2A Visa Checklist (Agricultural Workers)
- TN Visa (NAFTA Professionals)
- E3 Visa (Australian Specialty Workers)
- L Visa Overview (Intra-Company Transferee)
- P visa Overview (Athlete & Entertainer)
- O Visa Overview (Extraordinary Ability / Achievement)
- E Visa Overview (Treaty Trader & Investor)
- Employment-Based Green Card Overview