Home / Translation by visa / H-1B visa
Certified Translation for an H-1B Petition
An H-1B petition is filed by a US employer for a job in a specialty occupation, and it rests on the employee's qualifications: a US bachelor's degree or higher in the specialty, its foreign equivalent, or education and experience that together are equivalent. For an employee educated or employed abroad, that means foreign diplomas, transcripts and experience letters, and each one needs a complete English translation, with the translator's certification that it is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate it (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)).
USCIS, then a consulate
The employer files Form I-129 with USCIS; an employee abroad then applies for the visa at a US consulate.
A degree or its equivalent
A foreign degree needs evidence that it equals a US degree; experience can count, three years for each year of college-level study missing.
A small file
Diplomas, transcripts and experience letters: usually a few pages each.
At a glance
| H-1B | |
|---|---|
| Who files | The US employer, on Form I-129 with the H Classification Supplement, with a Labor Condition Application certified by the Department of Labor. A petition subject to the annual cap can only be filed after the employer's electronic registration is selected. |
| Who decides | USCIS decides the petition. An employee abroad then applies for the visa at a US consulate; one already in the United States can change status with the petition. |
| What has to be shown | That the job is a specialty occupation and that the employee qualifies for it: a US bachelor's or higher degree in the specialty, a foreign degree equivalent to one, a license to practice it, or education, training and experience equivalent to the degree, counted at three years of specialized training or experience for each year of college-level study missing (8 CFR 214.2(h)(4)). |
| Usually in another language | Diplomas and transcripts, experience letters from previous employers, professional licenses, and the family's civil documents for H-4 dependents. USCIS asks for the education credentials at filing, with English translations when applicable. |
| Translation rule | Every document in another language needs a complete English translation, with the translator's certification that it is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate it (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)). |
| Page count | Usually small: a diploma and a transcript for each degree, and a letter for each previous employer when experience counts toward the degree. |
Documents that usually need translating
Which documents go into the file is your attorney's decision; we translate what is chosen, completely, with every stamp, seal and handwritten note. In H-1B files, the documents in another language are usually these:
- The degree: diplomas and transcripts, with the evidence that a foreign degree is equivalent to a US one. A credentials evaluation, which the regulation names for education combined with experience, is usually written in English, and the evaluation service has its own rules for translations (see credential evaluators).
- The experience: letters from previous employers on their letterhead, with the dates, the position, the duties and the hours, when experience counts toward the degree.
- Licenses: a professional license where the occupation requires one.
- For the family (H-4): marriage and birth certificates.
Who reads the translations
USCIS reads the I-129 and everything filed with it, and any answer to a Request for Evidence; the rule for every translation is 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3).
An employee abroad then applies for the visa at a US consulate on the approved petition. The family's civil documents go with the H-4 applications.
How many pages to expect
Each sheet of the original counts as one page, whatever its word count. A diploma is usually one or two pages, a transcript a few more, and an experience letter one or two. An H-1B file is usually small; what makes it grow is years of transcripts or several degrees.
Most orders are delivered within a few hours, and one to three pages within 24 hours at most; expedited delivery takes about half the time.
Official sources
Every requirement on this page was checked against these sources on November 5, 2026.
- 8 CFR 214.2(h)(4), specialty occupations (ecfr.gov)
- H-1B specialty occupations (uscis.gov)
- H-1B cap season (uscis.gov)
- Form I-129 instructions, edition 09/09/26 (uscis.gov)
- 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), translations (ecfr.gov)
Frequently asked questions
Does the credential evaluation replace the translation?
No. The evaluation says what the foreign degree is equivalent to; the diploma and transcript filed with it still need a full English translation if they are in another language, since USCIS asks for education credentials with English translations when applicable.
Do experience letters need a translation?
Each letter filed in another language does, in full, letterhead and signature block included.
Do the translations need to be notarized?
Not for USCIS: 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) asks for the translator's certification, not a notary. If another office asks for notarization, it is $34.90 per order.
Have the documents in front of you?
Upload them and see the page count, the price and the delivery time before you pay. For a file of hundreds of pages, ask for a project quote.