Hiring a Foreign National - Understanding Visa Programs Available

Work visas authorize employment in the U.S. on a temporary basis. The process should begin about five months before the employment start date of the foreign national employee. While there is a vast array of temporary work visas available below are the ones with which you, as the prospective employer of a foreign national, will most likely require:



1. H1-B Visa - This visa is for specialty occupations, It requires applicants to have a college degree. Approximately 65,000 H1-B visas are issued annually.



2. H2-B Work Visa - This visa is issued to skilled and unskilled workers in non-agricultural jobs. Approximately 66,000 of these visas are issued annually.



3. H-3 Trainee Visa - As the name implies these visas are issued to foreign national who will be employed in on-the-job training programs. The H-3 is available for up to a two-year period in a variety of industries, provided the type of training is not available in the prospective foreign employee's home country. There is no limitation on the number of H-3 visas that are issued in the U.S.



4. J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa - These visas are available to foreign nationals who are sponsored by a school, business of other organization for employment such as an au pair/nanny, summer camp counselor/staff and medical resident/intern type work.



5. L-1 Intra-Company Transfer Work Visa - These visas are available to current foreign national employees of multi-national U.S. companies who are needed to work for the same company but in the U.S.



If a foreign employee has a U.S. permanent resident card (green card), the employee is treated as a U.S. resident for all employment-related issues and is subject to income tax on their worldwide income. If the foreign national is already in the U.S. on a work visa, for a current employer, you may be able to transfer the work visa to your company.



Tom is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Financial Planner, CLTC (Certified Long-Term Care) and President of Cerefice & Company, the largest CPA firm in Rahway, New Jersey. Tom works with clients helping them manage their money, retirement planning, college savings, life insurance needs, IRAs and qualified plan rollovers with an eye towards maximizing tax benefits and minimizing taxes. Tom is founder of the Rich Habits Institute and author of "Rich Habits".



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