H-1B Visa Success Story: From Nicaragua to U.S. Employment

Starting the Journey

From early 2016 onward, the Cleveland office of Margaret W. Wong & Associates LLC worked with Karly, a talented mathematician from Nicaragua, to obtain an H-1B Visa and later an extension.

Initially, things did not go well because, even though Karly had found a foundation willing to support her. She was not selected in the 2016 lottery. To maintain her status in the United States, we recommended that she enroll in another program related to her field at a local community college to keep her F-1 student status active.

Winning the H-1B Visa Lottery

In 2017, our team collaborated with the HR department of the foundation to file H-1B lottery petitions. Furthermore, in May 2017, Karly was selected in the lottery, and by August, she was approved for an H-1B Visa valid from October 2017 to September 2020.

Preparing for the Future

Moreover, our team continued working with HR, and in April 2019, the PERM job description was finalized, and the prevailing wage was submitted. By December 2019, the prevailing wage determination was received. In April 2020, the Labor Condition Application (LCA) was submitted to the Department of Labor.

By this time, Karly was midway through the PERM process. Ads were placed for other qualified applicants, but no one matched Karly’s exceptional qualifications.

Extension and Next Steps

Additionally, at the end of May 2020, we filed the PERM application with the DOL, and Karly’s H-1B Visa was renewed from September 2020 to September 2023.

Karly is now ready to explore the possibility of obtaining an employment-based green card and legal permanent residency. She plans to continue working with her employer and the Margaret W. Wong team to achieve these goals. If you or someone you know needs help obtaining an H-1B Visa or transitioning to permanent residency, contact our team today.