¿Does my job qualify me for an H-1B specialty occupations visa?

There are many different types of visas you can get for employment. It is essential when creating your application that you choose the right visa. If you fail to meet the requirements for the visa for which you apply, you will probably receive a denial.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services explains an H-1B visa can come in a variety of options with one being the H-1B specialty occupations visa. You must meet specific requirements to qualify for this visa and the job must meet specific criteria.

Job requirements

An H-1B specialty visa occupation must require you to hold at least a bachelor’s degree in the specialty area. It also must require the application of specialized knowledge. This must be the minimum requirement for the job.

In addition, the job must normally require a specialized degree and be common in the industry. The duties must be so specific and complicated that you can only do them with the specialty training you will get from a degree.

Employee requirements

You must also meet some requirements. You should hold a bachelor’s degree or higher from a school accredited in the US. Alternatively, you can have a foreign degree that is equivalent to what you could get in the US. Another option is that you have a license or certification that specifically grants you the right to work in the specialty occupation.

The H1-B specialty occupation visa requirements are strict. You cannot use alternatives to try to meet the requirements. If you do not meet them, you may want to consider a different work visa option.