H-1B Visa Renewal
(Specialty Occupations)

This page gives you an idea about H-1B Visa Renewal - how to renew H-1B visa for professional workers, document requirements for extension/renewal of H1B visa status

H-1B visa holders will perform services in a specialty occupation. Specialty occupation is one which satisfies any one of following standards:

• A minimum of baccalaureate (bachelor's-level) degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution is required.
• Theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge is required.

Specialty occupations include physical sciences, medicine and health, engineering, architecture, mathematics, social sciences, business specialties, education, law, theology, accounting and the arts. Visit H-1B visa to get more details on H1B work visa.

Renewal of H-1B Visa for Professional Workers:

If you are H1B visa holder and your visa has expired, you must apply for H-1B visa renewal. The renewal procedure is in the same way as that you applied for the initial H-1B visa at the U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate.

Normally, H-1B visa is issued for a period of 3 years and is extendable by another three years on renewal. H-1B visa may be extended beyond 6 years in some specific circumstances. American Competitiveness in the 21 st Century Act of 2000 (AC21) and the 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Act of 2001 (DOJ Act) permits H1B visa holder to file incremental one-year extensions annually after the completion of six years on H1B status.

Under act AC21, a H1B can be extended beyond 6 yrs if:

• Your petition for I-140 is approved under employment-based green card and AOS/485 is pending due to visa numbers unavailability.
• Your labor for employment-based green card purpose is pending for more than 365 days.

H-1B visa for specialty workers can be extended only if your passport has the same visa classification as the one you are trying to revalidate. To be more precise, you can extend your H-1B visa status, if you currently hold H-1B visa; whereas the dependants of H1-B visa are not allowed to revalidate to an H1-B visa. In addition, the visa may be revalidated if it has a remaining validity of not more than sixty days or has not been expired for more than one year. For more information on the H-1B visa renewal/extension process, contact us.

Document requirements for extending H-1B work visa status:

• A valid passport (valid for at least six months) for the principal applicant and each family member.
• The original Form I-94 (Record of Arrival and Departure) issued when the applicant was last admitted to the U.S.
• If your Form I-94 has expired, you should submit a valid Form I-797 Notice of Action. This is a notice of approval which states your current employer and approved extension of your temporary stay in the U.S.
• A letter of support from the applicant’s employer. The letter must include details relating to the applicant’s position, nature and duties of business or position. Also, it should include the list of dependants and the explanation for why the visa is needed. The letter submitted must have a original signature from the company representative and must be addressed to the Visa Office, Department of State.
• A typed non-immigrant visa application Form DS-156. Along with the form, the applicant must submit passport-size photograph for each applicant, regardless of age. In addition to the Form DS-156, the male applicants aged between 16 and 45 must submit DS-157.
• Filing fee in the form of check or money order, payable to the Department of State.
• A self-addressed or stamped envelope for the return of passports.

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