2 answers
Blnd
Student
Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
1
Question
Updated
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Hi, I'm medical laboratory technician and i want to find job?
Hi, I hold a degree in medical laboratory science I want to find the job in US will there be any visa sponsorship?
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2 answers
Joseph Neilson
Radiation Detection Physicist
224
Answers
Oxford, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Joseph’s Answer
H1-B visas for "persons in speciality occupations" can be used if an employer has a job they can't find suitable US employees for.
Healthcare workers in general is a field that commonly can be considered speciality occupations, although that usually tends to be jobs like surgeons, doctors, dentists, and nurses; I've not seen anywhere mention medical lab technicians.
Roles for which speciality occupation visas are available also need to require a degree. The Occupational Outlook Handbook is used as a reference to justify minimum education requirements, and for "Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians" a Bachelor's degree is listed (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm). That's a minimum requirement, however, and there would be a better chance of a role being considered speciality if it requires knowledge and skills above and beyond the minimum - maybe requiring a Master's level degree, a significant number of years' work experience, or other specialist skills (maybe something like skills with a niche lab instrument like SEM/TEM or something)
To me it sounds possible but unlikely - I would suggest browsing vacancies on jobs boards and seeing if there's any that make any mention of overseas candidates or visa sponsorship. I've seen some jobs specifically say in the ads whether they can or cannot sponsor visas.
Healthcare workers in general is a field that commonly can be considered speciality occupations, although that usually tends to be jobs like surgeons, doctors, dentists, and nurses; I've not seen anywhere mention medical lab technicians.
Roles for which speciality occupation visas are available also need to require a degree. The Occupational Outlook Handbook is used as a reference to justify minimum education requirements, and for "Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians" a Bachelor's degree is listed (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm). That's a minimum requirement, however, and there would be a better chance of a role being considered speciality if it requires knowledge and skills above and beyond the minimum - maybe requiring a Master's level degree, a significant number of years' work experience, or other specialist skills (maybe something like skills with a niche lab instrument like SEM/TEM or something)
To me it sounds possible but unlikely - I would suggest browsing vacancies on jobs boards and seeing if there's any that make any mention of overseas candidates or visa sponsorship. I've seen some jobs specifically say in the ads whether they can or cannot sponsor visas.
Sanja Swanson
Strategic Procurement
30
Answers
New Orleans, Louisiana
Updated
Sanja’s Answer
In my opinion it would be hard to find a visa sponsorship for lab technician job. You can of course always try. To get sponsor for work visa your skills have to be really unique and difficult to find in the US.