[SINGAPORE] Singapore citizens who are looking to work in the US temporarily under a one-year visa scheme are not affected by the US$100,000 (S$129,000) fee levied on the three-year H-1B work visa.
The US Embassy in Singapore said in a Facebook post at noon on Monday (Sep 29) that “there is no change to the H-1B1 process at this time”, adding that US President Donald Trump’s proclamation on Sep 19 applies only to the H-1B visa.
The H-1B is a temporary visa to the US for skilled foreign workers with a minimum qualification of a bachelor’s degree.
It is renewable every three years, and seen as a stepping stone to permanent residency, or green card.
The H-1B1 visa, meanwhile, is exclusive to Singaporeans and Chileans, who have to prove that they do not intend to migrate to the US.
It does not allow permanent residency, and the one-year visa allows professionals to work in speciality occupations, such as engineering, medicine and biotechnology.
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This visa is capped at 5,400 Singaporeans and 1,400 Chileans each year.
This falls within the H-1B, which has a current cap of 65,000, with an additional 20,000 visas available for foreigners who have master’s degrees or higher qualifications from a US institution.
According to information on the US Department of State’s website for the Bureau of Consular Affairs, 939 H-1B1 visas were issued to Singapore citizens in fiscal year 2024, which ended on Sep 30, 2024.
There were 944 such visas issued in FY2023, 927 in FY2022, and 489 in FY2021, with the earliest instance of the H-1B1 visa being issued in FY2004, when 46 were issued.
The H-1B1 visa was established when the US and Singapore signed a free trade agreement in 2003, which took effect on Jan 1, 2004. THE STRAITS TIMES
