The H-1B CAP season is here and are you prepared for the lengthy and tricky process? Don't worry we are here to help you understand the H-1B documents checklist for this Fiscal Year 2019-20.
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Why companies file H-1B?
This is the work permit provided by the USCIS allowing a non-immigrant to work with an US-based organization for a specified period of time (three years). This time period can later be extended up to six years. As H-1B is one of the most popular work permits, USCIS receives an ample number of H-1B applications for one year. Hence, the Immigration Act of 1990 applied limits on the number of visas issued for one fiscal year as 65,000. These 65,000 applications will be selected based on a computerized lottery. The applications will be accepted by the USCIS from the 1st of April, 2019 for the upcoming year. Now being the time to prepare for the H-1B petition, there are many questions regarding the visa process. Out of which, the H-1B documents checklist is the most common and the important one.
Who all are eligible for H-1B?
Any non-immigrant willing to work in the US should have the US bachelor's degree or the equivalent, to be eligible for the H-1B. H-1B visa can be issued for:
- Non-immigrants who are residing in the US with different immigration status
- Those who are not residing in the US but are eligible for the H-1B visa.
The documents required for H-1B visa, depends on your immigration status. The following H-1B documents checklist is categorized based on the immigration status.
Here is the H-1B documents checklist to be submitted, if you are residing outside the country or filing for consular processing:
- Resume
- Passport (valid for at least six months beyond your interview date)
- Degree certificates and corresponding transcripts
- Education Evaluation (If you are graduated from a country other than the USA)
- Experience Evaluation (requires your previous experience letters, if you are employed)
Here is the H-1B documents checklist to be submitted, if you are in F-1/OPT status:
- Resume
- Passport (valid for at least six months beyond your interview date)
- Degree certificates and transcripts (Note: if U.S. degree certificate won't be issued by April 1st but all degree requirements have been met, you can get a letter from the registrar instead)
- Experience Evaluation (requires your previous experience letters, if you are employed)
- Visa stamp
- I-94 card (stay permit)
- OPT card
- I-20s
- Last three pay statements (if you are a paid employee)
Here is the H-1B documents checklist to be submitted, if you are in F-1 status:
- Resume
- Passport (valid for at least six months beyond your interview date)
- Degree certificates and transcripts (Note: if U.S. degree certificate won't be issued by April 1st but all degree requirements have been met, you can get a letter from the registrar instead)
- Education Evaluation in some situations (such as holding a degree from an unaccredited or private and for-profit school, or degree requirements are not yet complete)
- Experience Evaluation (requires your previous experience letters, if you are employed)
- Visa stamp
- I-94 card (stay permit)
- I-20s
Here is the H-1B documents checklist to be submitted, if you are in L-1 status:
- Resume
- Passport (valid for at least six months beyond your interview date)
- Degree certificates and corresponding transcripts
- Education Evaluation (If you are graduated from a country other than the USA)
- Experience Evaluation (requires your previous experience letters, if you are employed)
- Visa stamp
- I-94 card (stay permit)
- Last three pay statements
- Arrival and departure dates to determine the amount of time available in H-1B status.
Here is the H-1B documents checklist to be submitted, if you are in L-2 status:
- Resume
- Passport (valid for at least six months beyond your interview date)
- Degree certificates and corresponding transcripts
- Education Evaluation (If you are graduated from a country other than the USA)
- Experience Evaluation (requires your previous experience letters, if you are employed)
- Visa stamp
- I-94 card (stay permit)
- EAD card (if applicable)
- Spouse's last three pay statements
Here is the H-1B documents checklist to be submitted, if you are in H-4 status:
- Resume
- Passport (valid for at least six months beyond your interview date)
- Degree certificates and corresponding transcripts
- Education Evaluation (If you are graduated from a country other than the USA)
- Experience Evaluation (requires your previous experience letters, if you are employed)
- Visa stamp
- I-94 card (stay permit)
- Spouse's last three payments
Here is the H-1B documents checklist to be submitted, if you are in TN status:
- Resume
- Passport (valid for at least six months beyond your interview date)
- Degree certificates and corresponding transcripts
- Education Evaluation (If you are graduated from a country other than the USA)
- Experience Evaluation (requires your previous experience letters, if you are employed)
- Visa stamp (if applicable)
- I-94 card (stay permit)
- Last three pay statements
Here is the H-1B documents checklist to be submitted, if you are in TD status:
- Resume
- Passport (valid for at least six months beyond your interview date)
- Degree certificates and corresponding transcripts
- Education Evaluation (If you are graduated from a country other than the USA)
- Experience Evaluation (requires your previous experience letters, if you are employed)
- Visa stamp (if applicable)
- I-94 card (stay permit)
- Spouse's last three pay statements
In addition to submitting these required documents, the petitioner is also responsible for filling the necessary immigration forms. If you are an employer filing H-1B visa for your employees, you have to fill the Form I-129 for every petition filed. Though most of the information entered in this Form I-129 is same for all the employees in an organization, an employer cannot re-use the previously entered data resulting in a lot of rework for the employer. There are certain applications that provide the feature of automating the Form I-129, which saves the previously entered data. A few of them are:
Though INSZoom is a biggest player among the attorneys for automating the Form I-129, many employers find it difficult to navigate. However, OnBlick can be your go-to solution because of its document collection and automating Form I-129 features which are well-connected with compliance environment. This feature reduces a lot of rework as the data you have previously entered for a candidate will be prepopulated while you are filling the form for another candidate. Thus reducing the time consumption and increasing the efficiency.
Now, is the time to enhance your H-1B approval chances with the best practices .Click on the link below to download the H-1B Documents Checklist for FY 2019-20 document.
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