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.…
Looking ahead to 2020, a lot of changes are in store for U.S. immigration policy. Not through laws passed by Congress, but through rule-making processes from Federal agencies including USCIS. The White House Office of Management and Budget recently released its regulatory agenda, which outlines policy priorities for federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released H-1B data, including records compelled by two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits, that continues to show the impact of Trump administration’s restrictive immigration policies. The approval rate for all H-1B specialty occupation visa petitions remained steady at nearly 85% in fiscal year 2019, which ended in…
Draper University recently invited me to speak to participants of its Silicon Valley entrepreneurship program. In addition to covering the main pathways for international entrepreneurs to move to the U.S. to grow their startups, I focused on the journeys of three immigrant founders. Their stories all show how employing a bit of creativity produces successful…
Next April’s H-1B season will be different: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed it is rolling out a new digital system for employers to register H-1B beneficiaries in April 2020. Join me on December 6, noon PST, for a webinar updating you on all the latest. The new system holds great promise for early-stage technology…
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,…
We’re very excited to better understand how U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is shaping the H-1B lottery for the future, starting next year. It published two different proposals for the pre-registration process for employers planning to submit petitions in the next H-1B lottery. This year, USCIS changed the H-1B lottery process by requiring employers…
The denial rate for initial H-1B petitions jumped to an unprecedented 32% during the first quarter of fiscal year 2019, according to a report by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), which analyzed data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Since fiscal year 2009, the denial rate for initial H-1B petitions never exceeded…
The U.S. Commerce Department could place limits on which companies can sponsor H-1B and O-1A visas. Commerce is evaluating designating artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and other categories as “emerging technologies” that will be subject to export controls. That could pose challenges for tech startups founded by international entrepreneurs or those employing—or looking to employ—foreign talent. If…
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…