What is the most common H1B alternative companies pursue?

Hiring the candidate to work remotely from their home country through an Employer of Record, avoiding the visa question entirely.

Why does hiring in India work particularly well as an H1B alternative?

The depth of available technical talent and maturity of remote-work culture there make it a genuinely strong fit for this approach.

Are there other H1B alternative options besides remote hiring?

Yes, including the O-1 visa for extraordinary achievement or the L-1 visa for intracompany transfers, though these have narrower eligibility requirements.

Why do companies that already tried the H-1B lottery often pursue this alternative?

Having experienced the uncertainty of the lottery firsthand, they're often more receptive to a predictable path that doesn't depend on random selection.

How does kaam.work support this H1B alternative?

By employing the India-based candidate compliantly, letting them work directly with your team without any US visa process involved.

Employment Types & Classification

H1B Alternative

What is an H1B alternative?

An H1B alternative refers to any hiring strategy a company uses to access skilled foreign talent without relying on the competitive and uncertain H-1B visa lottery process. Because H-1B visa demand consistently exceeds the annual cap, companies increasingly look for an H1B alternative, particularly when a specific candidate wasn't selected in the lottery, or when a company wants to avoid the visa process altogether from the start.

Why hiring in India has become the most common H1B alternative

The most straightforward H1B alternative is hiring the candidate to work remotely from their home country rather than relocating them to the US, using an Employer of Record to legally employ them there without requiring the company to establish its own local entity. For candidates based in India specifically, this H1B alternative works particularly well given the depth of technical talent available and the maturity of India's remote-work-ready professional culture.

How the H1B alternative of hiring in India actually compares

This H1B alternative sidesteps the entire visa question. No registration, no lottery, no dependence on random chance determining whether a strong candidate gets to actually work with your team. Compared to other H1B alternative options, like pursuing a different visa category the candidate might qualify for, hiring in India through an EOR requires no immigration process at all, since the candidate simply continues working from where they already live.

Why this H1B alternative appeals especially to companies that already tried the lottery

Companies that have already experienced the frustration of the H-1B lottery, watching a strong candidate not get selected despite a genuine job offer and clear qualifications, are often the most receptive to exploring this H1B alternative afterward. The predictability of hiring in India through an EOR, no randomness, no waiting for an annual registration window, stands in sharp contrast to the uncertainty they've already experienced trying the traditional visa path.

Other H1B alternative options worth understanding

Beyond hiring in India, other H1B alternative paths exist depending on a candidate's specific circumstances, including the O-1 visa for individuals with extraordinary achievement, or the L-1 visa for candidates transferring from an existing related foreign office. These H1B alternative options have their own specific eligibility requirements and don't apply to every situation, which is part of why hiring the candidate remotely has become the most broadly applicable H1B alternative across the widest range of circumstances.

How kaam.work delivers this H1B alternative in practice

For companies exploring an H1B alternative because a candidate is based in India, kaam.work makes the transition straightforward: the candidate continues working from India, employed compliantly under Indian law, working directly with your team without ever touching US immigration paperwork or depending on lottery selection odds.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common H1B alternative companies pursue?: Hiring the candidate to work remotely from their home country through an Employer of Record, avoiding the visa question entirely.
Why does hiring in India work particularly well as an H1B alternative?: The depth of available technical talent and maturity of remote-work culture there make it a genuinely strong fit for this approach.
Are there other H1B alternative options besides remote hiring?: Yes, including the O-1 visa for extraordinary achievement or the L-1 visa for intracompany transfers, though these have narrower eligibility requirements.
Why do companies that already tried the H-1B lottery often pursue this alternative?: Having experienced the uncertainty of the lottery firsthand, they're often more receptive to a predictable path that doesn't depend on random selection.
How does kaam.work support this H1B alternative?: By employing the India-based candidate compliantly, letting them work directly with your team without any US visa process involved.