There is a lot of debate about how long it takes to process an H-1B visa. Some say it can take years, while others claim it can take only weeks or months. This article will talk about some things that affect processing time, such as whether your employer is acting in good faith with regards to employment documents and offers of employment.
It will also look at what kind of documentation you need to prove eligibility and motivation for the job. If possible, these will be done before submitting your application, which could reduce waiting times significantly. Finally, this article will discuss why having more proof may slow down processing even more.
We’ll try to give you clear answers to all these questions, so that you know exactly what factors add to processing time and what you can do to minimize them. But first, let us look at two common misconceptions about H-1Bs.
The next step in the H-1B visa process is to apply for employment authorization. This means you must prove that your job offer is legitimate, and that you are able to work under your current visa status or via an I-129 filing.
If you already have working permission, then it’s easy to keep it! But if you don’t, you will need to find proof of either eligibility (for example, by proving employer engagement) or availability (by proving employers were willing to hire you).
This can be tricky because there is no national regulation about how long it takes to make hires. What we do know is that most US states require at least two days between when someone accepts a position and when they start work. So, your lack of employment could mean that people may not believe you soon enough.
Recent reports suggest that your average H-1B process can take around one year due to how many people are waiting for their green card or visa. This is not true!
The truth about H-1Bs is that it takes around nine months, at most, from application to receipt of document. The rest of the time is spent waiting for immigration to approve the immigrant worker position, issue them a work permit, and then process the visa.
This second part — getting the visa – happens after the employer has submitted all documents proving they have enough money to pay the employee for two years in the country. This includes paying taxes, offering adequate health insurance, and more.
So why do we seem to be spending so much time talking about how long it takes to get approved? Because employers sometimes run out of time before they receive this confirmation letter. Or they forget to ask for it until it’s too late.
In these cases, the employee may already be working under false pretenses, and the company could face big trouble if someone decides to go public with what happened.
A lot of employers require their employees to have health insurance. This includes employer-provided healthcare, or what is often referred to as “employer coverage”. If you are an employee in this situation, your company may not offer adequate health care benefits unless you are also eligible for employment visa status under the Health Coverage Requirement.
Under this requirement, every worker must be able at least partially covered by health insurance (usually through his or her own job) before being granted work authorization in the United States. Without it, he or she would be working here without any legal rights to remain or return home after the employment period has ended.
Some countries only require that citizens and green card holders be insured but not aliens like yourself. Because we are foreigners, however, the U.S. federal government requires that all non-citizens have medical insurance too!
This can pose a problem if someone gets sick while they are waiting for their H1B to be approved because they will go uninsured and possibly put themselves or others in serious danger. What should you do?
We recommend talking to an immigration lawyer about when and how to get your H1B processed. An attorney can tell you whether getting immediate health insurance is possible and help you deal with any issues that might arise due to timing.
The next step in the process is to get your visa approved. This can take anywhere from days to weeks, depending on several things – such as how many employees you have being sponsored, what country you are applying from, etc.
It’s important to remember that if your employer has enough money saved up they may not need an employee visa. Or even if they do it could be because they don’t want to spend any more than necessary at this stage.
Either way, staying within budget is important since there is a processing fee attached to every visa application! Make sure you keep track of all expenses, including this one.
There is also another person involved in the process who will be doing some research onto whether or not you will fit into our team here. This includes looking at your LinkedIn profile and other social media accounts to see what kind of job titles you have and what companies you worked with before. They may also ask you to send them copies of documents like proof of employment, educational certificates and invoices.
By having these ready you save time later when you have to re-collect them.
The next step in processing your I-140 is to register yourself as an employer with the IRS. This process can take anywhere from one week to several months, depending on how many employees you have at your business and whether there are any changes or additions to your employment records.
It’s important to remember that even though your company has registered itself, it doesn’t mean your individual employees have!
Some employers will not register because they don’t want people outside of their organization to know who is working for them. Others may be too busy with work to do anything but registering when things slow down.
There is nothing wrong with either of these, just make sure everything runs smoothly before you declare victory!
General tips — try socializing more among immigrants in this country, especially those living here under the H1B visa program. They’ll probably tell you some interesting stories about the process they went through, and maybe even give you some tips yourself.
The cost of the H-1B visa is typically cited as being $2,000 to process the paperwork, plus an additional $600 per worker to live with while they are working here. This includes adding them as a dependent in your income or tax filing statements!
There are also fees related to changing employers or nationalities, which can add up very quickly depending on how many positions you have. For example, if you switch jobs every six months, that could easily amount to more than what we mentioned earlier.
The other major cost comes in the form of transferring employees’ personal belongings. Employers may pack up all their documents, laptops, etc and store them until someone gets back from vacation or retirement. If these things are not stored properly, people might be forced to buy new ones because they cannot locate theirs.
The process of getting your I-140 approved can take anywhere from one month to several years, even for same field workers with the very same employers!
It depends mostly on two things – how much work you do in India and what kind of documents you have to submit while working there.
If you are not required to do any work outside of the office (for example, if you are an accountant or lawyer), then you will only need to proof that you are self-employed and pay taxes.
And if you don’t require labor certification, then you don’t have to worry about submitting anything other than your passport and employment contract.
However, most people who come into America on an F-1 visa typically fall under either category so most people are limited to just those two items.
The process of getting your visa can take months, even years. So, it’s important to be prepared for that!
It is very difficult to predict how long processing will take, but there are things you can do to help yourself by being as well-prepared as possible. This includes knowing what documents you need and having them ready, understanding the process already (i.e. what steps have been completed), and being aware of when each step should happen.
By being prepared, you increase your chance of receiving your visas in a timely manner. You also show your commitment to working abroad and thus improving your career.
