Office of International Education

General Information

There are 8 subcategories of the H status meant for the temporary employment of foreign nationals by a specific employer. The H-1B category is for individuals who will perform services in a "specialty occupation"; this is the H category most frequently used by students who graduate from Carnegie Mellon and by qualified international persons who work at Carnegie Mellon. A "specialty occupation" is a position which requires at least a bachelor's degree in a specific field as a minimum entry-level requirement. Further, the individual who will be employed must have the minimum degree required for the position and relevant licensure (if any).

The employer is the petitioner to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS, formerly INS), not the individual. In effect, the employer requests permission from USCIS to hire a specific individual (or individuals), for a specific job, at a specific salary. (An individual may not self petition.) The H-1B application is submitted to one of four regional USCIS Service Centers with jurisdiction over the employer's location (unless the employee is permanently located at a different site); Pennsylvania employers (including Carnegie Mellon) use the USCIS Vermont Service Center.

Last Updated On: September 5th, 2006