H-1B2 Visa (DOD Research Worker)

H-1B2 is a work visa to render specialty services. The jobs under the specialty occupation have a minimum requirement of a bachelor’s degree or work experience as an equivalence. The following are the key requirement for H-1B2:

You must have signed a job offer from your prospective employer. The job must have a minimum requirement of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university (in the United States or abroad).

You must have a Bachelor’s degree or higher or an equivalent foreign degree from an accredited higher institution. The degree must be in the specialty occupation you have been employed. As an alternative, you must have a certification, unrestricted state license, and registration that permits your practice in the specialty occupation.

You must have gone through specialized training, education, or progressively responsible experience in your specialty occupation. It must be equivalent to acquiring a degree relevant to the job position.

Your sponsoring employer or representative must file a petition to appeal for your employment.

Your employer or representative must submit a letter from the DoD project manager affirming that your employment is centered on performing services in a cooperative research and development project or coproduction project. The coproduction project must be a reciprocal government-to-government agreement administered by the Department of Defense.

Your employer or representative must submit a comprehensive description of your roles or duties on the particular project you have been employed for and your actual start date.

Your employer or representative must provide a statement with the names of all the current foreign development project workers with their start dates. Also, those whose employment ended within the past year.

Note that H-1B2 does not require the Labor Condition Application (LCA) for application.

File a Petition

Your prospective employer must file a petition to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for Nonimmigrant Workers – Form I-129. The petition must provide a handwritten signature and have the following attachments:

1. A document describing the employment contract, proving that the job requirement is relevant to the development project or service necessitating the employment.
2. A statement with the names and employment dates of all similarly qualified development project workers currently on the project and those whose contract ended within the past year.
3. A confirmation letter from the DoD project manager for the specific project. The letter affirms the authenticity of the employment contract that you are hired for a cooperative research and development project or a DoD-administered reciprocal government-to-government project.

After the petition is approved and you are in the United States with a different visa status, the H-1B2 visa status will replace your current status whenever you start work. If you are outside the United States, your application process continues.

Fill Out the Ds-160 Application Form

The next phase of your application is to fill out an online nonimmigrant visa application form (DS-160). The form will inquire about your personal, travel, work history, family, and U.S. contact information. You must provide all answers in English.

You spend approximately 90 minutes filling out the application form. Before you start filling out the form, write out the Application ID Number on your screen to always access your application. If you need to pause your application, you should save the information you already input to avoid losing them.

Once you are done providing your answers, provide your e-signature and submit. The next screen will be the confirmation page. Print it and submit it at your interview post.

Book an Appointment

After applying online, the next phase is consular processing. In other words you must visit the U.S. Consulate or Embassy in your country. First, you must book an appointment for an interview. You can book one online or contact the USCIS call center.

Attend Your Interview

The U.S. Consulate does not tolerate lateness. You must get there 15 minutes before your interview for the security checkpoint and check-in. Your arrival must not be later or earlier than 15 minutes to your scheduled time.

The purpose of the interview is to properly go through your application and verify that all the information and documents provided are accurate. It helps to update the information if your situation changes. And also resolve incomplete and unanswered questions.

You will need to provide the following documents at the embassy:

• Copy of Form I-129 petition filed by your employer.
• I-797 Notice of Action or approval notice.
• Certifications, if applicable.
• Degree certificate.
• DS-160 confirmation page.
• Proof of visa fee payment.
• Passport photograph (only if you couldn’t upload your passport during your online visa application).
• Updated CV detailing your professional history.
• Valid passport.
• Visa interview confirmation page.
• Other supporting documents required in your application.