The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, has proposed charging a $10 fee to employers to register each H-1B lottery candidate, starting with next year’s lottery. This year, USCIS announced plans to change the H-1B lottery process by requiring employers to electronically pre-register candidates for the annual lottery. For years,…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has resumed premium processing for all H-1B petitions. However, USCIS will delay premium processing handling for H-1B petitions submitted for this year’s lottery, which opens on April 1. Two Tracks for Premium Processing This year, only H-1B petitioners who are subject to the lottery and are requesting a…
The Alcorn Immigration Law team’s H-1B season began in December. Since then, we’ve been working with employers preparing H-1B visa applications for the April lottery. Given the increased scrutiny, requests for evidence (RFEs), and denials these applications face, employers and H-1B candidates should focus on assembling the strongest petition they can. Delays, uncertainty about visa…
You might assume U.S. employers facing a tight labor market would increasingly look to foreign talent to fill positions. However, the number of H-1B specialty occupation visa applications that employers filed on behalf of workers in the annual lottery has declined nearly 20% since 2016. The Trump administration is having a chilling effect on U.S.…
Yesterday President Trump suggested he might have plans to provide a path to citizenship for H-1B visa holders. Tech employees, young entrepreneurs, startups, and the U.S. economy stand to benefit if this pathway comes to fruition. “H1-B holders in the United States can rest assured that changes are soon coming which will bring both simplicity…
We start gearing up in December with clients for the annual H-1B lottery in April. With U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issuing more Requests for Evidence (RFEs), it’s now more important than ever to get started with preparing an H-1B petition. The Alcorn Immigration Law team continues to win H-1B visas for our clients…
Companies in metro areas in Texas and on the East Coast—not Silicon Valley or San Francisco—employed the most H-1B recipients between 2010 and 2016, according to a Pew Research Center report. By filing a public records request, Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, D.C., obtained the government data on H-1B visa…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has directed personnel to reject all multiple H-1B petitions filed by related employers for the same beneficiary in the H-1B lottery, which begins on April 2. USCIS publicly released a policy memo this week that offers guidance to personnel in evaluating multiple H-1B petitions for the same prospective employee.…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will temporarily suspend premium processing for H-1B visa petitions that are subject to the annual lottery, which starts on April 2. USCIS expects to resume premium processing after Sept. 10. USCIS will continue to accept premium processing requests for H-1B petitions that are exempt from the lottery, such as…
Expect delays in premium processing for H-1B visa applications this year. With the annual H-1B lottery fast approaching on April 2 and the expected processing delays, your company should act now to prepare H-1B petitions for prospective candidates—if it hasn’t already. The Alcorn Immigration Law team knows what it takes to put together successful H-1B petitions. Moreover,…