January 16

H-1B Required Documents

One of the excellent attributes of the VisasAI is that it organizes all your required visa documents in one place. However, you’ll still need to assemble these items and upload them to the system. Here is a basic list of required documents for your H-1B visa petition.

Documents required from the foreign applicant

  • Job Offer Letter – The offer letter should provide a full description of your position, duties, benefits, and salary, along with you job title, department, and start date. Any verbal agreements between you and your employer should be documented in the offer letter.
  • Current resume – Your resume should include your full name and contact details, but other personal information should be kept to a minimum.  Indicate your employment history along with a list of duties and responsibilities. Proofread carefully for grammar and spelling. Specify your salary expectations. Do not disclose confidential information, provide false statements, or oversell yourself with verbose language.
  • Copy of passport – A copy of your current, unexpired, passport with a photo.
  • Copies of degree certificates and transcripts – Provide copies of all official degree certificates and university transcripts. If documents are from non-English speaking universities, provide an official translation and affidavit of translation.  Foreign degrees may also require an education evaluation to show that they are equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree.
  • Employment reference letters from previous employers – These letters are known as Experience verification letters and show progressive experience in the area of the H-1B specialty. They may be required if the person has no college education, has a “bachelor’s” diploma but less than 4 years of secondary education, has related coursework but no degree in the field, or has a bachelor’s degree in another field.
  • Professional license (if applicable)—If you have any professional licenses you’ll need to provide copies.
  • Copies of any professional development course certificates (if applicable) – If you have taken any professional development courses and received certificates you’ll need to provide a copy.
  • Copy of your education evaluation (if applicable) – If your degree is not from a U.S. college or university, you’ll need to have an education evaluation completed and provide a copy.
  • Translation and translation affidavit (if previous documents not in English)

Information/Documents required from the U.S. Employer

  • Title of the position
  • Detailed job description
  • Salary offered
  • Minimum requirements for the position (i.e., degree or work experience required)
  • Company representative’s name and job title – A contact person within to company for issues related to you’re the H-1B visa should be listed.
  • Name and address of company
  • Informational brochures/promotional literature about the company. New companies should provide as much financial information as they can such as:
    • bank statements
    • most recent income tax return
    • articles of incorporation
    • business plan
  • Documentation showing the company can pay the prevailing wage for the position – this can be in the form of bank statements, tax returns, and other official financial documents.
  • Employer Federal Tax I.D. Number
  • Date company was established – Incorporation documentation showing when the company was established.
  • Approximate number of employees – HR records showing how many persons are employed with the company.
  • Approximate gross and net annual income – Corporate financial statements showing these figures.
  • Contact information for the company

Spouse and Child information required for H-4 visa.

  • Full name – Provide the full names of your spouse and all children.
  • Date and place of birth – Provide the birthdate and place of birth for your spouse and all children.
  • Marriage certificate – Provide a copy of your marriage certificate
  • Children’s birth certificates – Provide a copy of each of your children’s birth certificates.
  • Copy of spouse and children’s passports – Proud a copy of your spouse’s and each child’s passport.

Knowing which documents to submit is important, but equally important is knowing the form in which each document should be submitted.  Visa petitions may be denied for incomplete information or lack of translations or you may receive a Request for Evidence.

Carefully coordinate with your legal counsel to ensure all documents are provided. In addition, utilize VisasAI to upload your documents and store them in one place.


About the author: Jon Velie has practiced Immigration law since 1993. He is CEO of OnlineVisas

Jon is an Amazon number one best-selling author of H-1B Visa: Application & Approval, is regularly covered by major media and has won a number of international awards. Jon was also pivotal in the Cherokee Freedmen Supreme Court case.

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