The Challenge

A large multinational mining company needed to bring more than 20 employees to the United States for training. The goal was to expose their international workforce to new technologies being developed at the company’s U.S. operations. The client had heard of J-1 visas — a common visa category used for training purposes — and initially asked us to pursue that route.

Our Approach

After reviewing the situation, we recommended a different path: the H-3 visa.

Like the J-1, the H-3 is a training visa that allows foreign employees to come to the U.S. for up to 18 months. The key distinction is that H-3 visas are designed for training that is unique to the United States — meaning the skills or technology being taught aren’t readily available in the employee’s home country. That made it a strong fit for this client.

The more significant advantage, though, was cost.

With an H-3 visa, a company can include up to 25 employees in a single petition — and the government filing fees stay the same regardless of how many people are included. For this client, the total government cost came to approximately $4,580 (including optional premium processing).

By contrast, J-1 visas are administered through third-party sponsor organizations, and each employee requires their own application. When you add up program administration fees, application review fees, government fees, and mandatory insurance, a single J-1 typically costs around $4,100. For 25 employees, that adds up to over $100,000.

The Result

By recommending the H-3 over the J-1, we saved this client tens of thousands of dollars — without sacrificing speed, compliance, or the quality of the visa outcome.

At Meltzer Hellrung, we don’t just find a visa that works — we find the one that works best for your business.