Every year, USCIS makes its decision in the annual H-1B lottery for new professionals to get sponsored by companies for temporary work visas. If you or your employee, as the candidate, have already gotten through the lottery, why waste your chance with creating a simplistic H-1B that is likely to fail? Now is the time…
If you’re a startup founder or a recruiter looking to hire someone from overseas to be physically working within the United States, things can get a little overwhelming if you’re not familiar with the H-1B process. This is especially helpful to small companies and early-stage companies as well as companies that have never done this…
It’s the H-1B season! Nationally, H-1B denial rates have increased steadily over the last three years. Therefore, it’s very important to create a comprehensive legal plan at the beginning of any case before filing any documents. But how can you prepare a really strong H-1B petition? In this episode, we discuss the legal elements of…
We have new immigration data showing what has been going over the last couple of years through the most recent government fiscal year of 2019. Although denial rates for H-1B, L-1, O, and TN visas, as well as Requests for Evidence (RFEs) increased, it remains possible to craft a strong strategy and win. Feel free…
There are different non-immigrant visa types that are worthwhile for founders and Silicon Valley startups to investigate. Here are the most common ones: H-1B Visa This is for an employee of a U.S. company working in a specialty occupation. This is not for self-employment. If you’re a founder out there and you don’t have a…
I was super excited to see a recent report by the Conference Board, a business research group. It sparked my imagination on how the U.S. can realign our immigration policy to target our national needs and long-term economic goals. You can read the Committee on Economic Development (CED) of the Conference Board’s report, “Boosting Immigration.”…
The H-1B visa is specifically for foreign workers in specialty occupations such as software engineers, lawyers, accountants, UX designers. It’s for people who have a bachelor’s degree in a job-related field or an equivalent amount of work experience. Because the demand has far exceeded the supply, a lottery process has been put into place over…
New statistics have been released about the changing immigration landscape. Although green card issuance has decreased, it is still completely possible to be approved for residence in the United States. It starts with being methodical and strategic and having a great immigration team on your side. According to the 2018 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics released…
U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has moved up the date for the annual H-1B lottery by one month. For years, the annual H-1B lottery has kicked off on April 1, with employers submitting H-1B petitions for current or prospective employees. The lottery ended once USCIS received enough H-1B petitions to meet the annual 85,000…
The H-1B visa lottery system is changing fast. And these changes may be a boon for American small businesses and startups and their H-1B candidates. Starting with the April 2020 lottery, employers must now pay a nonrefundable $10 fee to register each candidate for the H-1B lottery. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees U.S.…