H-1B Cap Update

The 2011 fiscal year quota for new H-1B workers is still open, according to the latest numbers released by USCIS.  As of April 8, USCIS received 13,500 regular H-1B petitions that will be counted against the 65,000 annual cap.  An additional 5,600 petitions were filed and accepted under the US Master’s degree exemption, which provides [...]

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Foreign Students can wait for H-1B start date

Most foreign students are granted a one-year work permit upon graduation from college to gain practical training in their field.  But almost all of these permits expire in the summer, long before the October 1 start date for new H-1B visas. Current regulations allow certain students with pending or approved H-1B petitions to remain in [...]

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H-1B Filing Season Now Open

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began accepting new petitions for H-1B workers on April 1, 2010. With only 65,000 visas available each fiscal year, U.S. employers have to start filing their petitions six months in advance of the October 1 start date to assure their best chance at the quota numbers. USCIS will monitor [...]

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Immigration Basics: H-1B Workers

Through the H-1B program, U.S. employers are able to hire, on a temporary basis, highly educated foreign professionals for “specialty occupations”—jobs that require at least a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in the field of specialty. Examples include doctors, engineers, teachers and researchers in a wide variety of fields, accountants, medical personnel, and computer scientists. [...]

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USCIS Continues to Accept FY 2010 H-1B Petitions

Skilled workers and their potential employers who filed new H-1B petitions April 1 – 7 are relieved to learn that their jobs won’t be taken away through the H-1B lottery.  The economic downturn in the US resulted in lower demand for foreign skilled workers this year.  New petitions can continue to be filed with U.S. [...]

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Economic Stimulus – Why the H-1B Amendment is Wrong

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included a harsh amendment that will keep TARP fund recipients from hiring some of the brightest college graduates.  The H-1B program allows employers to sponsor highly-qualified professionals for specialized occupations in the United States.  Foreign students who have excelled at U.S. colleges won’t be able to apply [...]

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