Start preparing for the H-1B visa deadline & lottery
The H-1B visa is the most frequently used temporary work visa by US companies for their professional foreign employees. An employer may file a H-1B visa petition to fill jobs requiring a Bachelor’s degree or higher in a particular specialty (e.g. fields in the science, technology, engineering, mathematics, education, business, health care industries). It’s now time to start preparing applications given the H-1B filing deadline and lottery system.
What is the deadline to file for H-1B visas?
Employers should immediately identify employees or potential employees who may need a H-1B visa. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) begins accepting applications on April 1, 2014, but employers should start the application process by mid-February given the time it takes the Department of Labor to certify the Labor Condition Application (LCA) required at filing. Moreover, the demand for H-1B’s is likely to exceed the supply this year, so employers should plan to have H-1B petitions ready for April 1, 2014 delivery at USCIS. This projection is based on the numbers of H-1B visa applications submitted last year (approximately 124,000) compared to the numerical limitation (85,000 total), as well as the improving economy. As was the case last year, USCIS will likely need to use its H-1B lottery system to determine which applications will be selected for processing in five business days, beginning April 1st.
Significantly, not all H-1B applicants are subject to this deadline and numerical cap. These “cap-exempt” H-1B cases typically involve:
Institutions of higher education and related non-profits;
Certain government or non-profit research organizations; or
Employees who have held H-1B status within the last six years and remain eligible for extensions.