"Nonimmigrants are foreign nationals granted temporary entry into the United States. The major purposes for which nonimmigrant admission may be authorized include temporary visits for business or pleasure, academic or vocational study, temporary employment, and to act as a representative of a foreign government or international organization."

- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Immigration Statistics

"An H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows a person to work legally and temporarily in the United States. The H-1B classification applies to persons in a specialty occupation which requires the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge..."

- U.S. Department of State

"The H-1B visa program took its current form in 1990, stemming from panic over a labor shortage that never materialized. The program allows for . . .temporary visas. . .good for up to six years, for people in "specialty occupations" tied to a specific employer. In practice, computer programmers and physical therapists have accounted for the large majority of H-1B visa users."

- Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of CIS