The H-1B visa is a form of work permit for the non – immigrants in the United States. This visa permits an employer in the US to hire a foreign national on a temporary basis for a specialized job. The various occupations include those in Finance and Accounting, Medical and Health Care, IT, Hospitality, Computing, Banking, Business Management, Marketing, all the occupations in Engineering, Public Relations and Advertising, Sales, Lawyers and other Legal professions, Recruiting, Teaching, Telecom and Hospitality.

To ideally qualify for an H-1B visa, an applicant must have any one of the following:

• At least 12 years of work experience in the relevant field.
• A Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree (from the US or a foreign equivalent).
• A mixture of educational qualifications (such as a 2 years diploma course) along with at least six years of work experience.

In order to apply for an H-1B visa, an applicant must first find employment in the US. The employer would then file for the candidate’s visa. The process starts by paying for either the Prevailing Wage or the Actual Wage (whichever is higher). Here, the employer would be asked for the job responsibilities being given to the foreign national, the skills and qualifications required and the total duration of the work experience needed.

This is followed by filing for the Labor Certification Application (LCA). This is an application to be submitted by the employer agreeing to the terms and conditions and that he is ready to pay the higher wages.

However, an individual working on the H-1B visa decides to leave or change his job or has been terminated from his job, the candidate has the right to find a new employer and file for a status change, and otherwise, he should not reside in the US.

To know more, it is best recommended to contact an Immigration and Visa Consultancy firm. Such firms usually do a prior assessment of your skills and qualifications before actually filing your application. Most firms offer this service completely free of charge.

The O-1 is an Employment Visa that is meant for all those potential foreign applicants who are arrayed with exceptional skills in business, education, Motion picture or TV industries, arts, sciences, athletics, etc. along with national and international acclaim in their relevant fields.

The Visa allows the eligible immigrants to temporarily come to the US and work in their acceptable or stated fields. Spouses and Dependants of the applicants are not eligible for O-1 status; rather they can go for O-3 Visas.

The qualification requirements requires the applicants to hold extraordinary abilities in the above mentioned fields, and authenticate their achievements by showing the proof of evidences for the same. For more info on the list of documentation required for a successful application process, consult an Immigration expert!

Privileges that you may enjoy under the O-1 Visa:

• Travel in and out of the US premises till the validity of your O-1 Visa
• If you have dependents, you can apply for O-3 Visa
• You have the freedom to apply for O-2 Visa for accompanying essential support personnel
• You are not required to show evidence that you intend to go back to your country of origin after the completion of your business in the US.
• Apply for a PR while in O status

These are general rules and regulations. An Immigration pundit would guide you further in accordance with your individual case.

The J1 visa allows the foreign nationals to come to the US and share their knowledge in education, arts and sciences. It is a non-immigrant visa and is of two main types:

• J-1 visas which are not linked with any sort of restrictions are termed as  ‘Home Residency Requirement’ (HRR)
• J-1 visas that are equipped with certain HRR restrictions.

Who all are eligible for the same?

• Students who are studying at various academic levels (provided they fulfill the mandates)
• Applicants who are receiving any on-the-job training.
• Teachers who are teaching in primary, secondary or any other specialized institution.
• Professors who are teaching or are involved in some research work with institutions.
• Research scholars
• Trainees who are involved in their professional medical and allied departments.
• Foreign visitors who have come for the motto of traveling, research work, training, or participate in various educational and skilled programs.

What all you can do on a J-1 Visa?

• Enter the US Premises and have the freedom to participate in an approved Exchange Visitor Program. You can remain in the US till the completion of the same and have the freedom to travel in and out of the US.
• You have the freedom to apply for Dependent Visa for spouse and your children (provided they are unmarried, dependant and are under the age group of 21)
• Apply for Work Permits.

However, there are certain limitations that are decked with J1 visa. Consult an Immigration expert to know more.

HSMP (The Highly Skilled Migrant Programme), which is now called UK Tier 1 Programme, is specially crafted to allow highly skilled workers to come, live and work in the UK and look for various job opportunities. The applicants are required to prove their qualifications against some of the key facets like educational qualifications, financial earnings, experience in relevant jobs, proficiency in the English language and settlement funds.

To know more about the changes in the UK Immigration Policy watch this video of Mr. Ajay Sharma, the principal Immigration Consultant of Abhinav:

The blog elaborates on the changes that are implemented in the rules and regulations in the UK Tier 1 Programme after 1 October 2009:

• The most critical change in the UK Tier 1 Programme is that from now onwards, students would not be able to get any points for any of the income earned before they became students. They may get points on the basis of the income earned during the last 15 months, provided the income should be high enough to satisfy the criteria decided. Know more about the changes by consulting Mr. Ajay Sharma personally.
• According to the current laws, anyone who has studied in the UK has the freedom to apply under the Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) category, provided he or she is decked with the required qualifications. Earlier the condition was that only the applicants who have studied in the UK as Tier 4 migrant, Student or family member had the freedom to apply for the same.
• Another amendment points out in the direction that an applicant holding a Professional Graduate Diploma in Education is likely to qualify under the same Programme as he or she may be given points under the Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) Category.
• The applicant would be granted 10 points automatically for English language as a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) Migrant for extensions. Earlier, the applicant was allowed an entry as a Business Person, the category which has now been replaced by Tier 1 (Entrepreneur).
• Immigrants under the UK Tier 1 Programme would be given permission to work on the Foundation Programme/ at the position of a doctor in speciality training.
• An error in the drafting has been corrected. The current regulations state that those migrants who were already a part of the Tier 1 (General) before 31 March 2009 would be given the points keeping in the mind the regulations in place before the mentioned date.

The rules and regulations in the world of Immigration keep on changing. It is always better to hire the services of an Immigration expert and stay abreast with the current happenings.

Are you planning to migrate to the United States? And you are a professional in Hospitality Management? To ensure that your application is accepted, it is important that you apply for a work permit under the right category. You can apply under the following categories (subject to your eligibility) –

• H1-B Visa – This form of visa is rarely granted to a professional in the Hospitality Management. However, it could be approved for jobs at the managerial level, stewards and other relevant positions. This has to be proved along with mandatory documentation which shows the demand for a skilled worker.
• TN Visa – This is granted if the job and the position are at a managerial level. You should be well qualified in the similar field such as a ‘baccalaureate or licenciatura degree in hotel/restaurant management, a post secondary diploma/certificate or at least 3 years of relevant work experience.
• L-1 Visa – This visa is granted to those professionals where in they are sent by their employers. These employers include multinational hotels and hotel management organizations and hotel chains. Your capability has to be proved by demonstrating his leadership skills in practice. Such professionals are offered an L-1A visa.
• E – 2 Visa – This visa is offered if your organization falls under the E – 2 enterprise categories. Only those managers who are specialized in their field are catered for this visa. In order words, an experienced personnel who is adept in handling the matters of an organization is issued such a visa.

Other forms of visa include the O – 1 visa and the J-1 visa. To know more regarding your eligibility criteria, contact an Immigration and Visa Veteran who deals with US work permit. He would be able to guide aptly though the entire process. Some of them ever offer post visa services which would lead to your hassle free settlement. So, get in touch with a specialist today!

So, your application has been accepted for an H1B visa. All that is asked is for your presence in an interaction with the visa office. And you are getting jitters at the thought of an interview? Having sleepless nights? This article would give you an insight on the important aspects to be kept in mind during your preparation.

This interview most of the times is sole reason for the acceptance or rejection of a candidate. So, do not take it lightly at any point of time or your hard work would simply go to waste. Thus, it is of high importance that you are well – prepared in prior.

There are some common questions that are asked in general to most of the applicants during an interview. These include questions about your company and its profile, your job and responsibilities, the number of employees in the company, the annual turn over of the organization and so on.

You would also be questioned on your personal and professional skills such as computer languages and so on. Also, about specific experiences which has led to your individual growth and development. Other questions include your personal background, educational qualifications and so on. In addition, you could be asked about your views and opinions about certain specific issues.

To know more, you can visit the US Consulate website which elaborates on the same. In addition, consult an Immigration and Visa Specialist who can enlighten more on the same depending on the current trends.

Ensure that you are carrying all the relevant documents that have been asked for by the Consulate. It is usually the minor errors which lead to a denial. Now you would not want to miss out a golden opportunity on stupid loss of memory at the wrong time.

A Visa Consultant would help you better prepare. You can prepare by giving mock interviews which could help identify your weaknesses and so on. So, contact one today!

If you are a chef and are trying to seek a work permit in the United States, then it might not be wise to apply for an H1B visa. This is because an H1B visa would only permit you to work in a five star hotel. In such a case, you have to be certified by an academician in the similar field. And managerial duties should be one of your key responsibilities. So, it is better suggested to go for the following visas - H-2B, H-3, B-1, E-2, J-1, L-1, O-1, Q-1 or the TN visas. Apart from these, gaining a Permanent Residence permit is another option.

While applying for the visa, it is important that the chef or cook mentions his job responsibilities very accurately. This is because according to the Department of Labor (DOL), both the jobs are different from each other.

The above mentioned visas would be granted based on your complete profile, your educational qualifications, work experience and your current job responsibilities.

So, it is best to contact an Immigration and Visa Specialist who can guide on the same appropriate. He would give you the latest information on the same which would help in taking a better decision.

The work visas for the nurses in the United States involves a separate criteria altogether. According to the Immigration and Nationality Act, DOL regulations along with the USCIS policies specify provisions only for the permanent residents. With the exemption for those belonging to Canada and Mexico, others have to prove that they are eligible for the same.

Nursing is not considered as a professional occupation by the USCIS. The H-1A temporary visa would only be offered to a nurse if he/she has been certified by the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS). Also, they have to clear the test conducted by the English Testing Service (ETS). Another option is to appear for the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) test.

The permitted visas for this profession include the Green Card, TN visa, H1 – B visa and H1 – C visa. This depends on the position held by the individual. The skills including the educational qualifications as well as the work experience of the individual are also counted.

In addition, it also depends upon the type of the employer or the organization the nurse is serving. Also included are the personal goals of the individual, reasons to immigrate and so on.

Since, it is one of those professions which have a level of restriction on the number of candidates; one has to carefully decide on the type of visa to be applied for. It is best recommended to contact an immigration and visa specialist who would guide you through the same.

If you are a highly skilled migrant planning to immigrate to Australia, this article is of high importance to you. Earlier, the TRA or the Trades Recognition Australia was the assessing authority for the recognition of skills for a prospective immigrant. Here, an applicant had to provide with all the relevant documentation which proves him capable of the same. But this procedure would be ruled out post 2009.

From 1st January 2010, an amendment known as the Job Ready Test would be introduced for the selection of candidates for the skilled migrant program in Australia. Under this process, all the candidates must undergo a test relevant to their job or profession. This would demonstrate their actual proficiency in the specific field.

This feature is currently being devised by the Government of Australia in collaboration with the specific industries and unions. The main objective of the test is to get such professionals who are fit to work and contribute to the Australian economy. Thus, the Australian employers do not have to spend extra time, money and resources in training these skilled migrants. Instead, the employees would be Job Ready. Also, for those not having a job when they land would find it easy to get one.

The test has to be undergone by all those applicants who have applied under the onshore General Skilled Migrant (GSM) Visa and have nominated a trade occupation. These also include immigrant students in Australia who have applied for the GSM visa and their occupation falls under the nominated occupation.

The only exemption from the test would be when the student applies under the Skilled – Graduate (Subclass 485) or for the Skilled Regional (887) visas. In addition, this test is different for both onshore and offshore candidates. Testing for the offshore candidates has been put in to action since 2007. It is being administered by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). The test also varies for different occupations.

However, a formal announcement is yet to be made by the Department of Immigration and Australian Citizenship (DIAC). No intimation has been given regarding the prospective fees and other costs that could be incurred during the process. Also, the expiry date for the test result is yet to be decided. So stay tuned on this page to know more.

On the other hand, if you have already applied for a GSM Visa, you would be exempt from a Job Ready test. Thus, it is highly recommended that you decide the sooner, the better it is. It is best to contact an Immigration and Visa expert since he would be in constant touch with all the latest in this regard.

When compared to other countries in the world, it is not easy to get a Permanent Residence permit in the United States. This is commonly known as the Green Card which is obtained by the immigrants. This card proves an immigrant to be a resident of the United States.

Obtaining a Green Card is important in order to be a citizen of the United States at a later stage. Being a Permanent Residents entitles an individual to live and work in the US indefinitely. Based on the local state laws, a Green Card holder might be permitted to vote as well in the local elections. But, this is not true for the federal elections.

But the Green Card is highly restrictive to only a specific set of immigrants. It would not be granted to you simply because you resided in the country. Many factors are considered before approving of a candidate.

In order to apply for a Green Card, an application has to be submitted to the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). The eligibility criteria includes the following –

• A permanent resident or a citizen of US who has agreed to sponsor you.
• Sponsorship from your employer.
• Incase, you are a refugee in the country or are on the look out for shelter.

The approval completely depends on the number of candidates applying each year from a specific community or nationality. If the number is available for the applicants from your native country, you would be considered for the same. In case you are selected, your application would be put on a waiting list which would be reviewed again in the consecutive years. This is very specific for countries which have high number of applications coming in such as India, China, Mexico and the Philippines.

Usually, preference is given to those candidates where the employer is the sponsor and they are highly skilled and qualified.

But, it is best suggested to contact an Immigration and Visa Specialist and Immigration Attorneys who can help you with the same. You would be given the best advice through these individuals since they are always updated in this field. So, get to know more from the above people.