The H3 visa checklist below provides a general idea of what is usually needed for foreign trainees who will be receiving training in a specific field in the United States to obtain their H3 visa. To have a better understanding of this list, please read the H3 visa overview for more details of what is needed for H3 visa petitions.
Please click to download the H3 visa checklist for trainees.
The overall emphasis on the documents and requirements/criteria of a H3 visa petition is that it must be shown that the training is not available in the foreign trainee’s home country and that the training received will benefit the person’s professional career overseas.
The requirements for a H3 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 H3 Visa Petition
For people who do not qualify for the H3 visa, the closest alternatives would be filing for a J1 visa (exchange visitors) to participate in an approved DOS program, or an H1b visa petition (Australians can file for E-3 visa petitions) or TN visa petition (for Canadian or Mexicans) to work in the United States.
Another possible alternative to filing an H3 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 H3 visa. Typically, a person who is qualifiable for an H3 visa would choose to file for an EB3 green card (for persons who have at least a bachelor’s degree). For more on green cards gained through work, please read the overview for employment-based green cards.
HAVE A H3 VISA IMMIGRATION QUESTION? CONTACT US
If you have an H3 visa (Trainee or Special Education Exchange Program Visitor) 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 H3 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) H3 visa petition and we will also strategize on how the H3 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 H3 visa petition due to the complexities in the immigration process and visa requirements.
What does the typical process look like to retain (hire) us?
- Step 1:
- Step 2:
- Step 3:
- Step 4:
- Step 5:
- a.
- b.
- c.
- Step 6:
- Step 7:
- Step 8:
- 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
- Step 1:
- Step 2:
- Step 3:
- Step 4:
- Step 5:
- a.
- b.
- c.
- Step 6:
- Step 7:
- Step 8:
- 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
- Step 1:
- Step 2:
- Step 3:
- Step 4:
- Step 5:
- a.
- b.
- c.
- Step 6:
- Step 7:
- 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