H-1B Workers

There are eight 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 that 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 any relevant licensure. 

The employer is the petitioner to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), 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.

For employment at Carnegie Mellon, OIE prepares and submits the H-1B application for most departments on campus with the exception of Computer Science, Robotics, Software Engineering Institute, Tepper School, and others on a case-by-case basis. OIE staff work with a Foreign Scholar Coordinator in each department The coordinator in the department is responsible for
gathering all relevant materials and for submitting a complete H-1B packet to OIE.

View Application Process Details