Do you dream of earning in dollars? If yes, then there is a good news for you. The H1B (work) visa applications are currently open. This is a visa which is sponsored by your employer to help you stay and work in USA.

This visa is issued every year for foreign workers to allow them to work in USA. They have a maximum cap of 65000 visas that can be issued to people who's skills are not easily available in USA.

The H1b application process begins each year on April 1 for the next year's employments. For example, the application process started on April 1, 2011 will allow people to start working in USA from Oct 1, 2011.

Past trends

Most of these visas are consumed by software development companies in recent years. The recent trends of usage of this visa are shown in the image above. In year 2007 and 2008, USA received more applications than the overall quota of 65000 visas. They had to do a lottery in these years to provide equal chance to all applicants. But, after the recession hit USA economy and due to stricter visa norms in past couple of years, we have seen a significant drop in number of applications.

It is interesting to note the fact that in years 2007 and 2008, the whole quota of 65000 applications was filled on day one itself whereas this year (2011) only 8000 applications have been received by Visa department. One reason of this could high employment rate there.

So, if you have got a job from a US based company recently, then you still have ample of time to apply for this visa and fulfill your dollar dreams.

Precautions

Although, H1B is a nice visa to have as it allows to apply for a green card also once you are there, it has been seen that some companies fool innocent people in developing countries like India to help them get this visa.

I would say that you should take full precaution while you submit your documents to any such company and do check the companies credentials. Also, if a company/consultant is asking for some deposit money to apply for your visa or in the name of your visa application fees, you should be a bit cautious as no reputed company ever asks you for any money.

Here is a list of companies who are banned by USA government from applying for H1B visa. This list will help you find out if your employer/consultant is not trying to fool you.

Related:
H1B visa: What you must know to get it!
How much salary you should expect in USA?