A special H-1B1 non-immigrant category provides a certain number of H-1B visas annually for Chileans and Singaporeans, under the United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act and the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act. Like other H-1B applications, the position and employee must meet the requirements for the specialty occupation.
H-1B1s from Chile and Singapore may be admitted initially for a maximum of one-year, and they may extend their H-1B1 stay an indefinite number of times, in one-year increments. However, the employee must show non-immigrant intent.
Generally, it is not necessary for Washington University to file the special H-1B1 for Chileans and Singaporeans, because universities are not subject to the H-1B cap. Instead, Washington University can file a regular H-1B application to request up to 3 years. However, in some instances, a department wants to hire someone who is on an H-B1 for another employer and wants to file a concurrent H application for the H-1B1. Because someone may only hold one visa classification at a time, the H-1B1 must be filed in this situation, rather than the regular H-1B.