Visa Library
H-1B1 Specialty Occupation Visa for Chile and Singapore
Free-trade specialty occupation visa for Chilean and Singaporean nationals — like the H-1B but with no lottery and dedicated annual numbers.
You hold Chilean or Singaporean citizenship and have a US specialty occupation offer. The H-1B1 was carved out of the Chile-US and Singapore-US Free Trade Agreements.
Editorial summary
Free-trade specialty occupation visa for Chilean and Singaporean nationals — no lottery.
Who it's for
- Chilean and Singaporean professionals with US specialty occupation offers
Eligibility
- Chilean or Singaporean citizenship.
- US specialty occupation offer.
- Certified LCA from US Department of Labor.
Process
Step 1
Employer obtains certified LCA
Same LCA process as H-1B.
Step 2
Candidate applies at consulate
Standard consular interview.
Timeline
- LCA certification: 7 business days
- Consular interview: 2-6 weeks typical
Cost
- DOL LCA: free
- MRV visa fee: $185
- Attorney fees: $2,500-$5,000 typical
Where it works
- No lottery
- Dedicated annual numbers, rarely fully used
- Faster path than the regular H-1B
Where it breaks
- Citizenship-restricted
- Not dual intent — green card pursuit requires care
- Spouses cannot work (unlike H-4 EAD or E-3D)
Frequently asked
How is H-1B1 different from H-1B?
H-1B1 is country-restricted (Chile and Singapore), has dedicated annual numbers, has no lottery, and is not dual intent.
Can H-1B1 lead to a green card?
Indirectly — most H-1B1 holders pivot to a different category for green card pursuit due to dual-intent issues.
Related visas
See all 12 in the Library →O-1
No lottery, no annual cap, no $100K filing fee — for those with sustained recognition in their field.
Read the breakdown →L-1A
Transfer executives or managers from a foreign office to a related US entity.
Read the breakdown →L-1B
Transfer employees with specialized knowledge to a US office of the same company.
Read the breakdown →Country-Specific Pathways: E-3, TN, H-1B1, and Treaty Investor Visas
Australians, Canadians, Mexicans, Chileans, and Singaporeans have dedicated lanes that bypass the H-1B lottery entirely. We summarize the rules and the catch in each.
Read the brief →Sources cited on this page
Where to go next
The Library curates the best of external research and the four sister properties used to act on the evidence above.
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