TIME TO THINK ABOUT H-1B FILINGS!!

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Happy New Year and hope you all had a wonderful joyous holiday season. Wanted to remind everyone that the deadline for H-1B filings (April 1st) is going to be upon us very soon! As you are probably aware, last year USCIS received about 199,000 H-1B petitions during the filing period which began April 1, including petitions filed for the advanced degree exemption. There are only 85,000 visas available each year (including the 20,000 available for those qualifying for advanced degree exemption), therefore it is imperative that you file on April 1^st to secure the best opportunity to get one for you or your employees! If you are interested in filing this April, please contact our office as soon as possible.

Also, as of January 25, 2019, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published on its website that it has completed the review of the DHS proposed changes to the H-1B Visa Lottery Process “Registration Requirement for Petitioners Seeking To File H-1B Petitions on Behalf of Cap Subject Aliens”. Starting next fiscal year there will be a required registration process that must be used by all H-1B petitioners. Through this registration system USCIS will conduct the lottery. The new rule also reverses the order by which USCIS selects H-1B registrations (or petitions, for FY2020 or any other year in which the registration requirement is suspended) by first selecting registrations submitted on behalf of all beneficiaries, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption. USCIS will then select from the remaining registrations a sufficient number projected as needed to reach the advanced degree exemption. This new way of selecting submissions will likely increase the number of beneficiaries with a master’s or higher degree from a U.S. institution of higher education to be selected for further processing under the H-1B allocations.

If you have any questions please, as always, do not hesitate to contact our office. We are always eager to help and make the process as easy and painless as possible. Also, take a read of why H-1b visas are still a viable option https://szewlaw.com/h-1b-visas-still-viable-option-global-mobility-let-us-help/