There are many misconceptions about the H1b Visa. People tend to confuse these legitimate workers with the undocumented workers (often referred to as illegals). They are very different. (EMAILWIRE.COM, June 17, 2009 ) It is a requirement for the US Citizen and Immigration Service that every foreign national to obtain a visa to legally work in the US borders. The H1B Visa is the most sought after official visa by people from all over the world wishing to temporarily relocate to live and work in the US – both professionals and students. This visa usually has a 6-year validity period and allows people to be employed by different employers. This ‘dream come true visa’ as seen by many seeking after it, was introduced by the United States Government to help the International Students as well as International Professionals, from all niches in the globe, secure an opportunity to live and at the same time work within the US borders. The greatest advantage of bearing this visa is that it bears dual intent meaning that you can still have it, apply and wait for a Green Card for permanent residency. To secure this visa, you have to find a H1B Sponsorship Job. After evaluation of foreign educational credentials by a foreign credential evaluation firm such aswww.TheDegreePeople.com, your prospective employer files your H1B visa application with the Immigration Bureau. This means that individuals cannot apply for this visa, it remains at the discretion of the Sponsoring Company or Employer. In other words you must have a sponsor and only the sponsor applies. To qualify for this visa, you have to have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree equivalency (from your country) or 12 years professional experience in your field. Another alternative is a hybrid of the two which entail a mix of higher education such as diploma equivalency mixing education and work experience. For example if you can combine two years of university level education with 6 years professional experience in the field to show an equivalency to a US bachelor’s degree. This can only be done by a credential evaluation agency with a professor with the proper credentials. Sheila Danzig, Executive Director of Career Consulting International a foreign credential evaluation agency stated, “It is very important to know that your education or education and work experience combination match the job offer. We often see people whose education does not match the job description and that simply won’t be approved by the Immigration Service.” The ‘specialty occupations’ that make people qualify for the visa include: Accounting, Advertising, Banking, Business, Computing, Engineering (all types), Finance, HealthCare/Medical, IT, Lawyers, Legal, Management and Hospitality, Marketing, Networking, PR, Recruiting, Teaching and Telecoms among others. Various reasons encourage Sponsoring companies or Employers to hire foreign national and seek H1B visas for them. These reasons include: • These workers help in boosting the US economy in diverse ways while bettering their future. • Help fill gaping holes in employment where there are shortages of highly skilled professionals in the field. Even now, during a recession, certain jobs need workers who of higher skill than are in our workforce. • They possess global competitive advantage by bringing cultural diversity into the workplaces. • They have strong work ethics as well as a great enthusiasm to work. For students who qualify for these visas, transcript evaluation has to be performed so as to ensure that they are qualified students seeking further education (Diplomas, Bachelors or Masters) as they seek a livelihood while working at the same time.]]>
