Ask HN: How much $ it takes to a company support my H-1B?

[thifm]

I'm doing freelance for a company and would like to live in the US(I dream about it), the pay is good(or average, if you take sillicon valley average into account) and they seem to like me, so I can probably negotiate with them. They are also very fun to be with.

How do I proceed? Did anybody have some kind of experience like that? How did it turn out?

Btw, I live in a third world country and got a CS degree. Went to US 3 times when younger(don't know if it does matter).

[sftueni]

There are 3 dimensions to this answer: 1 - The company has to prove that your skill is unique, and they can't find anyone else. Mostly this is covered by a good description of your qualification and the task at hand 2 - There has to be enough H1B left: Every year, the US issues a certain amount of H1Bs. If they run out, you have to wait for next year. 3 - The company has to be well funded: to prove that they have enough funds to pay you for the duration of your H1B (typically 3 years). If the funds of the company don't suffice for a 3year employment (early start-ups), then you could also apply for a shorter term H1B (let's say 1 year) and then extend once the funds of the company are sufficient.

In any case, I'd highly recommend to talk with a good immigration lawyer. There are many exceptions, alternatives - depending on your country, skill-set, etc.

[thifm]

They are a consulting shop, so I don't believe they will have any problem proving that they can pay me for the time being.

I'll try to find a immigration lawyer, nice catch :-)

[fbuilesv]

The other answers are pretty complete so I'd just like to highlight some points:

* The H1B quotas tend to get filled pretty quick, this year they were covered by July (iirc). They start accepting applications on April so try to get that done as soon as possible.

* The expedite fee is almost a "must".

* I've seen a couple of companies adding a "the candidate must be fluent in X language" where X is your native language. They use this to justify the fact that they couldn't hire somebody else. Maybe not ethical but it's something to keep in mind.

[erdogan]

NEXT STEP: Find other employees the company sponsored before, get as much detail as possible from them.

TIMING: You have to apply by this March to be considered in October batch.

FEES: Filing fee: $2300, Expedite fee: $1200 (optional but worth it), Lawyer: $5000, Discount: $750 (for companies <25 employees)

TOTAL: ~$7800

(all amounts approximate, mostly paid by the employer)