The H-3 Trainee Visa is a non-immigrant type of US visa, which allows foreign nationals to enter the US and take part in paid traineeships. Usually, this visa is used when a company has subsidiaries or parent companies outside of the US and wishes to train those employees abroad in the US. This visa is not usually used towards the immigration process and does not typically lead to living in the US beyond the training period. The visa does not allow for US employment. It is used only to secure training.
You may be eligible to submit an H-3 Trainee Visa application if you need training for your job and are not qualified to receive the training you need in your home country. You also need to show the USCIS authorities that the paid training you receive in the US will further your career in your home country. This visa is not intended to teach you skills so that you can work in the US. You also cannot use this visa to receive graduate medical training or education in the US. You can also only get this visa if your will not productively employ you Ú you will only be allowed to work in the US under the H3 visa if the work is an essential part of the training. The H3 visa does not authorize you work in the US. As well, the H-3 visa is only available for traineeship programs that do not employ U.S. citizen/resident employees.
To be eligible, you will need to submit a training program with your H-3 Trainee Visa application, which will show the specialty and importance of the traineeship you wish to take part in. You will also need to show that the training will benefit your position outside of the US and will not lead to employment in the US. If you have a spouse or unmarried children younger than 21 years of age, these dependents can travel with you, but you must apply for an H-4 visa for them.
After you have applied for your visa, you will have two years to use it. Generally, your visa will allow you to remain in the US for the duration of the traineeship you described in your application. If you remain in the US for two years for your traineeship and need to return to the US after that time, you will need to wait for six months before reapplying for an H-3 visa.