The H-1B visa category is used by employers hiring a foreign national in a professional level position (“specialty occupation”) requiring at least a Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) will begin accepting H-1B petitions on April 1, 2014 , with a start date of October 1, 2014 (FY 2015). There is an annual cap of 65,000 new H-1B petitions permitted per fiscal year, with an additional 20,000 H-1B’s available for foreign nationals who have earned a U.S. Master’s degree or higher.
Last year the H-1B cap was reached in the very first week of April, and it is anticipated that the quota will be reached just as early this year. Consequently, it is advisable to file an H-1B petition by April 1, 2014. A delaying factor in filing the H-1B petition is the first step of the process, the Labor Condition Application (“LCA”) filed with the Department of Labor (“DOL”). Typically, it takes approximately five to seven days for an LCA to be certified, and the LCA must be certified before filing the H-1B petition with USCIS.
Petitions for new H-1B employment are exempt from the annual cap if the foreign national will work at an institution of higher education or related or affiliated nonprofit entities, nonprofit research organizations or governmental research organizations. Typically, H-1B petitions are filed for foreign nationals hired from abroad, or for F-1 and/or J-1 students who are currently working in the U.S. pursuant to student status work authorization.
If you have any questions regarding the H-1B process, please contact Jacqueline Lentini McCullough at jacki@lentinivisas.com, or +630-262-1435