H-1B visa holders face challenges if they need to renew their visa or they want to change employers. This creates a crisis for foreign workers when the 6-year H-1B visa limit expires and a crisis for employers facing U.S. labor shortages who rely on a talented, skilled global workforce. The American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act Could Help.
An H-1B visa is an employment-based, non-immigrant visa for temporary workers in specialty occupations. There is an annual limit of 85,000 H-1B visas for highly educated and skilled foreign workers with specialized knowledge. With over 300,000 applicants in the annual visa lottery and a U.S. labor shortage, there is high demand in the business and tech industries for H-1B visa holders.
The AC21 law was passed in 2000 to let H-1B holders extend their visa beyond the maximum six-year stay if they are approved for a green card but need to wait for a green card number to become available. The American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act allows immigrants on an H-1B visa to continue working and provides stability to the worker, their family and their employer.
The 4 key provisions of AC21 are:
The American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act (AC21) can be very confusing. An experienced business immigration lawyer can advise H-1B visa holders concerned about losing their status on whether AC21 is applicable in their situation.
A business immigration lawyer works with both employers who want to hire skilled foreign workers and foreign nationals who want to come to the United States to work temporarily or permanently. Contact Godoy Law Office at 630-912-0322. Godoy Law Office serves the entire Chicago, Illinois area, including DuPage, Cook, Kane, Will and Lake Counties.
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Immigration Attorney Mario Godoy has years of experience guiding clients with immigration issues through the immigration process along with guiding clients through the criminal case. Godoy focuses on family-based immigration law, business immigration law, removal defense, and criminal defense representation of immigrants. A criminal charge or conviction can be devastating to your immigration case. With over a decade of immigration law experience and memories of family members who were deported due to bad legal advice, Godoy is committed to helping other immigrant families receive the legal justice they deserve. As a legal entrepreneur who practices immigration law, criminal law, estate and probate law, and running two successful law firms, Mario Godoy understands the importance of keeping families together and making a home and future in America.
