Consider an H-1B visa program.

The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa for workers in specialty occupations such as architecture, engineering, mathematics, the physical sciences, the social sciences, medicine and health, business specialties, accounting, law, theology, and the arts. The maximum continuous period that a foreign worker can be in H-1B status is generally six years, but thanks to the concept of “dual intent” an H-1B visa holder can be the beneficiary of an immigrant visa petition, apply for adjustment of status, or take other steps toward Lawful Permanent Resident status without affecting H-1B status.

Specialty occupations require a body of highly specialized knowledge and usually require at least a U.S. bachelor’s degree or the foreign equivalent. The degree requirement cannot be arbitrary; it must be the standard for the industry in similar positions. Sponsoring employers must file a Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, with the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS).

The H-1B specialty occupations visa is the workhorse of the temporary work visas, yet only a limited number of them are issued. For FY 2008, 65,000 new H-1B visas will be available plus an additional 20,000 for graduates of U.S. universities or colleges who have earned a master's or higher degree. And they go fast: in 2007, the H-1B visas were spoken for in less than two months.

USCIS will begin accepting applications for FY 2008’s H-1B visas on April 1, 2007, for employment beginning October 1, 2007. For more information on the H-1B visa application process, visit the USCIS’s website at www.uscis.gov.