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.…
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.…
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…
The volume of H-1B applications submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and subject to the annual cap dropped for the second consecutive year under the Trump administration. Cap-subject H-1B filings have dropped nearly 20% since 2016. Each year since 2014, the number of cap-subject H-1B petitions submitted had steadily risen, reaching a high…
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.…
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,…
Companies seeking H-1B visas for foreign workers with special expertise should start preparing now to submit petitions in annual H-1B visa lottery in April—if they haven’t already. While a few months may seem like plenty of time to prepare an H-1B petition, devising a strong approach, providing compelling evidence, and formulating a backup plan all…
Relax. Every year the Alcorn Immigration Law team helps employers and foreign professionals devise immigration strategies that fit their needs. Those strategies may include a backup plan in the event that a job candidate fails to get an H-1B specialty occupation visa in the annual H-1B lottery in April. Several other visa options exist for…
We are still helping companies and candidates obtain H-1B visas despite recent presidential administrative actions seeking H-1B reform. President Trump signed an executive order last week calling for H-1B visas to be awarded to “the most-skilled or highest-paid petition beneficiaries.” The “Buy American and Hire American” order directs the agencies involved with the H-1B visa…