What You Need to Know About The H-1B Visa and Employee Sponsorship

By RelishCareers | January 2020

Nearly 120,000 international students enrolled in American universities for graduate studies in 2018-19, according to the Institute of International Education, joining another 250,000 international students already engaged in studies. For many, if not most, this experience can be filled with both excitement at the prospect of earning their degree at a highly regarded international institution, and anxiety at the thought of having to navigate the treacherous waters of visa applications and employer sponsorship. In fact, these anxieties have become enough of a burden to spur a decline in international student enrollment in US universities for the first time since the September 11^th attacks in 2001. This decline has corresponded with and is driven by the politicization of immigration policy during and after the 2016 presidential election, which has made the United States a less appealing destination for international professionals and – perhaps more importantly – has cast even more uncertainty onto an already cumbersome and opaque visa application process.

At the heart of this decline in international graduate enrollment are three cryptic characters: H-1B. For many students arriving in the United States from foreign shores, the H-1B Visa is their best (and perhaps only) hope of securing US-based employment upon completion of their studies. The problem: the US government issues exactly 85,000 H-1B visas each year, and only 20,000 of those are reserved for master’s degree students. To make matters worse, nearly 200,000 H-1B applications are submitted each year for those 85,000 spots, and those winners are selected by a random lottery drawing, so even those international graduates who find employers willing to submit their visa application are still subject to the luck of the draw.

So What is an H1B Visa?

In order to be lawfully employed in the United States, foreign nationals must be issued a work visa by the US government. There are over a dozen different types of these “temporary work visas,” including the P-1 (for professional athletes and entertainers), L-1A (for “intracompany transferees who work in managerial or executive positions”), or the R-1 (for religious workers). The H-1B variation of the temporary employment visa is designated specifically for workers in “specialty occupations,” and also includes DoD contract workers from overseas and – somewhat bizarrely – “fashion models of distinguished merit and ability.”

What are the qualifications?

Unless your candidate is a famous supermodel, the “specialty occupations” provision is the relevant part of the H-1B visa law. In order for your open position to qualify as a “specialty occupation:” the position is required to meet a set of minimum requirements. From the USCIS website:

The job must meet one of the following criteria to qualify as a specialty occupation:

Bachelor’s or higher degree or its equivalent is normally the minimum entry requirement for the position
The degree requirement for the job is common to the industry or the job is so complex or unique that it can be performed only by an individual with a degree
The employer normally requires a degree or its equivalent for the position
The nature of the specific duties is so specialized and complex that the knowledge required to perform the duties is usually associated with the attainment of a bachelor’s or higher degree.

How long does the H-1B visa last?

Immigrants who receive the H1-B visa are permitted to work in the United States for a period of three years, with an option to extend the stay to six years, and their immediate family can join them with a H4 visa as dependents to boot. Visa recipients must also remain with their sponsoring employer for the duration of the visa, or they must find a new employer within 60 days of termination that is willing to take on their sponsorship.

What is dual-intent?

Perhaps the biggest attraction of the H-1B is what’s called “dual intent,” which allows visa holders to maintain their current work visa while actively applying for a green card, or Permanent Resident Card. Because of this proviso, which is rare among temporary work visas in the US, H-1B visa holders are able to work in the US while simultaneously pursuing a green card that would allow them to stay in the United States permanently.

What should candidates know about visa sponsorship?

The first and most important step is finding an employer that is willing to provide H-1B sponsorship. The good news here is that thousands of US employers are still willing to provide visa sponsorship if they find a qualified, talented candidate, and there are plenty of resources available to international graduate students looking to find those companies. Below we’ve listed some of our favorites:

TransparentCareer: A data-driven career platform that facilitates granular research into companies, industries, and functional roles, TransparentCareer has an extensive database of firms with a history of visa sponsorship. This data is reported by former visa holders and is easily accessible on the TransparentCareer platform in their “Explore Careers” search tool. Just scroll down to the “All Visa Sponsorship” filter on the right side of the screen, and select the specific visa sponsorships you want to search. The results will show you companies that have sponsored those visas in the past, and you use additional filters to narrow down the list further to begin building a target list. Because the data on TransparentCareer is so granular, you can even use their system to figure out which companies have sponsored international students with your exact degree and/or from your specific program.
MyVisaJobs.com: There are a number of platforms that make use of the public visa sponsorship data that is provided by the Department of Labor, and MyVisaJobs is one such platform. Their search tools and user interface are somewhat limited by web application standards, but the data it is based on is unimpeachable. Best used as a resource to get raw data on individual employers rather than building a target list.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services: If you want to go straight to the source, you can always visit the USCIS website and use their search tool to discover the raw data on individual employers. Again, the search tools and interface are somewhat clunky, but the data is guaranteed to be accurate.
Alumni Networks: Among the more traditional options, outreach to international alumni – particularly those who share your profile and preferences – is one of the most valuable. Having gone through the process already, international alumni can share best practices, search tips, and can even become internal advocates at their firm given the right conditions. Use your career services office or a platform like LinkedIn to find the right contacts.

Keep in mind that all of these resources rely on historical data, and past sponsorship is not necessarily a guarantee of plans to continue H-1B sponsorship. Nonetheless, companies that have sponsored in the past are obviously a great starting point to building a target list. It’s also increasingly common for candidates to convince companies (particularly startups) to sponsor for the first time; that route is certainly an option for any candidate willing to forge their own path.

Understanding the Process

It’s important to make clear your need or desire for sponsorship to interested recruiters early in the process, in order to avoid awkwardness and wasted time in the future. They will also confirm for you the company’s willingness to sponsor, which will allow you to proceed through the normal recruiting process and hopefully receive an offer of employment.

The formal process of the visa petition begins after the candidate has accepted the offer and adheres to a very strict timeline. More details below:

Step 1 (10 Days): Employer submits Labor Condition Application (LCA), is approved by Department of Labor

An LCA is required to apply for an H-1B.
Approval can take 5-10 days when submitted online.
Ensure this process is completed well in advance of the April H-1B application window.

Step 2 (First Business Day in April): Employer submits Form I-129 (Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker)

The window for submitting H-1B petitions opens on the first business day of April each year, and is generally closed after five business days due to the volume of submissions.
Complete all sections of the Form I-129 petition, including the H Classification Supplement and the H-1B Data Collection and Filing Fee Exemption Supplement. Current versions of forms are available at uscis.gov/forms.
There is an optional Premium Processing Fee of $1,410 that ensures a response within 15 days. It does not affect your odds of winning the lottery nor does it allow an H-1B holder to start work earlier.

Step 3 (15-120 days): Applicants are informed of lottery outcomes

Applications that are free of errors are entered into a computerized random selection process, and are either accepted or rejected. Decisions are sent by email.
Depending on whether premium processing was included, a response will arrive in either 15 days or 3-4 months.

Step 4 (2-3 days): Applicant approved or denied by evaluating immigration officer

If your candidate has the good fortune to win the H-1B lottery, they will still need to go through one more hurdle: approval by an individual immigration officer assigned to determine whether each candidate is qualified for H-1B status.
Immigration officers will conduct a one on one interview with the candidate; preparation for this stage of the process is critical to approval.

Step 5 (First Business Day in October): Visa-holder begins work

Candidates who successfully complete the full process are eligible to begin their employment at the start of the H-1B “season”, which happens in October every year.
This date marks the start of their initial three-year term, which can be extended to six if desired by the candidate and employer.

So what happens if a candidate is not selected in the lottery? For one thing, all fees (aside from an optional expedited processing fee) from the visa application process are refunded, so the company does not have to accept a financial loss (aside from potential outside legal fees) as a result of bad luck in the lottery. Unfortunately, the involved parties will then have to wait another year to apply for an H-1B again. If the candidate in question has another valid visa, they may remain in the United States and apply again the next year. Fortunately, the H-1B is not the only full-time employment visa option available to promising international candidates.

What Are The Other Options?

While the H-1B visa is the most popular option for campus recruitment of international students, there are additional options if the H-1B route does not work out:

Optional Practical Training (OPT): The OPT programs allows international students with an F1 student visa to work in the United States for up to 12 months after graduation in a field related to their academic concentration. International alumni from accredited US universities who have earned one of the STEM-designated degrees [PDF] are also eligible for a 24-month extension to the OPT program, giving them a total of 3 years of legal employment after graduation. This option doesn’t require employer visa sponsorship for the period of time that the candidate is enrolled in OPT because the program extends their F1 student visa.
Other Work Visa Options: Depending on a candidate’s nationality, work experience, and previous accomplishments, they may be eligible for other visa programs. The H-1B1 visa is a subset of the H-1B that is reserved only for citizens of Chile and Singapore. The TN Visa is available to citizens of Canada and Mexico; the E3 visa is for Australians. Especially accomplished international students could qualify for the O1 visa, which is designated for individuals “who possesses extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics,” although it’s important to keep in mind that applicants must have substantial documentation of their extraordinary ability and convince immigration officers of its value.
Transfer from overseas office: Promising candidates can still work at your firm without an H-1B, provided they’re willing to put some time in at another international office. Accepting a job at a company office outside the United States can make you eligible for the L-1A or L-1B visas, which are reserved for “intracompany transferees.” To be eligible, the candidate must have been employed for one year before transferring to the United States, and the maximum stay allowed under the L-type visas is seven years.

What to Know Going Forward

Heading into the 2020 election, immigration reform remains a hot-button issue in America, and the rules and regulations cited above are subject to change in the near future. The Trump administration has already made a recent change to the H-1B lottery that should actually help graduate-level international students: master’s-level candidates will now be included in the draw for 65,000 visas before the additional draw of 20,000 “master’s” visas, meaning grad students will essentially have two chances to win in a larger pool rather than one in a smaller pool.

However, Trump himself has also argued for moving towards a “merit-based immigration system,” although the specifics of how points would be allocated in this system remain sketchy, and there is considerable doubt that such a proposal is legislatively viable. Regardless, the current system is likely to get a shake up in the near future, and it’s difficult to say with any certainty what effect this will have on international graduate students. For now, the H-1B visa and the STEM-OPT program remain the most viable choices for top-tier candidates looking to work in the United States.