  Perusahaan
yang hendak mempekerjakan pekerja asing untuk bekerja sementara atau
pelatihan di AS harus mengisi dan mengirim petisi I-129 (lihat di
daftar dokumen). I-129 adalah petisi yang dipakai untuk kategori
non-imigran. Dalam kasus ini, pekerja yang sudah bekerja sampai masa waktu
yang ditentukan dalam visa harus keluar dari AS bila waktu yang diberikan
sudah habis. Formulir I-129 bisa dipakai untuk memperpanjang masa tinggal
atau merubah status untuk beberapa non-imigran.
Ada banyak kategori pekerja yang merupakan tamu sementara dan bisa
dipetisikan dengan formulir I-129. Klasifikasi non-imigran disimbolkan
dengan huruf yang biasanya dikorespondenkan dengan visa yang dikeluarkan
State Department.
Untuk bagian Immigration and Nationality Act yang berkaitan dengan
kategori pekerja asing sementara, harap lihat bagian §101(a)(15).Untuk
Hukum yang berkaitan dengan kategori NAFTA, lihat §214(e). |
|
 The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa
category in the
United States under the Immigration &
Nationality Act, section 101(a)(15)(H). It allows U.S. employers to seek
temporary help from skilled foreigners. The H-1B classification is for
“specialty occupations” only. The occupation must require a bachelor’s
degree or equivalent for the application of theoretical and highly
specialized knowledge. Likewise, the foreign worker must possess at least
a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent and state licensure, if required to
practice in that field. H-1B work-authorization is strictly limited to
employment by the sponsoring employer. The regulations define a “specialty
occupation” as requiring theoretical and practical application of a body
of highly specialized knowledge in a field of human endeavor including,
but not limited to, architecture, engineering, mathematics, physical
sciences, social sciences, medicine and health, education, law,
accounting, business specialties, theology, and the arts, and requiring
the attainment of a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent as a minimum.
The duration of stay is 3 years,
extendible to 6. An exception to maximum length of stay applies in certain
circumstances: (i) 1 year extensions if a labor certification application
has been filed and is pending for at least 365 days; and (ii) 3 year
extensions if an I-140 has been approved.
There is an annual cap on
H-1B admissions of 65,000 workers per fiscal year. The ceiling set by
Congress was 115,000 in both FY1999 and FY2000, 107,500 in FY2001, and
back to 65,000 in FY2002. The cap was raised by 297,500 over three years,
FY2000-FY2002. 80,000 new H-1B visas were added for FY2000, 87,500 visas
for FY2001, and 130,000 visas for FY2002. In addition, excluded from the
ceiling are all H-1B nonimmigrants who work for universities and nonprofit
research facilities. NAFTA allows a carve out from the numerical limit of
1,400 for Chilean nationals and 5,400 for Singapore nationals. Laws also
exempt up to 20,000 foreign nationals holding a master’s or higher degree
from U.S. universities from the cap on H-1B visas. |