A sponsoring US employer
The employer files the registration and the petition.
United States — Pathway
H1B
Employer-sponsored, lottery-gated, still the volume route.
A specialty-occupation visa filed by a US employer each spring and subject to an annual cap lottery. Strong if you have a sponsor lined up; the lottery, not your profile, is the gating factor.
48%
Typical fit
Indicative — your score is personal
Timeline
Filed in spring · start in October
Processing
Regular or premium (15 days)
Who this is for.
Candidates with a US employer ready to sponsor
Graduates of specialty-field degree programmes
People pairing H-1B with a longer-term talent route
What it takes.
A specialty-occupation degree
A bachelor's or equivalent in the field the role requires.
Winning the cap lottery
Registration happens in March; selection is random.
Prevailing wage compliance
The role must be paid at or above the determined prevailing wage.
Evidence plan
The file you'll build.
Employer offer letter and role description
Degree certificates and credential evaluation
Prevailing wage determination
Prior H-1B or status history where applicable
Questions we get.
Can I file without an employer?
No. H-1B is employer-led, which is why we usually pair it with a self-petition route.
What if I lose the lottery?
O-1A, NIW or the UK and Canada routes are the usual fallbacks — that is what the assessment maps.