U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Wednesday, March 15th that it will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 cap on Monday, April 3, 2017. Cases will be considered accepted on the date that USCIS receives a properly filed petition for which the correct fee has been submitted; not the date that the petition is postmarked.
The cap (the numerical limitation on H-1B petitions) for FY 2018 is 65,000. In addition, the first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of individuals with U.S. master’s degree or higher are exempt from the fiscal year cap of 65,000.
USCIS recently announced, “USCIS Will Temporarily Suspend Premium Processing for All H-1B Petitions”. This temporary suspension of premium processing, which is for all H-1B petitions will start April 3rd and could last up to six months. While premium processing is suspended any Form I-907 filed with an H-1B petition will be rejected. If the petitioner submits one combined check for both the Form I-907 and Form I-129 H-1B fees, both forms will be rejected.
For more information on the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program and current Form I-129 processing times, visit the H-1B Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Cap Season web page or call the National Customer Service Center at (800) 375-5283.
The MVP Law Group has successfully handled H-1B petitions for a variety of clients ranging from the straight forward to the complex. Please feel free to contact our law firm to discuss your immigration needs and help you effectively with your H-1B processing. Our experienced Immigration Attorney can help you devise an appropriate strategy for the H-1B FY2018 cap season.
For more detailed information about this subject please review the USCIS News Alert, “USCIS Will Accept H-1B Petitions for Fiscal Year 2018 Beginning April 3“.
Source of Information:
USCIS.gov, 3/15/17, News Release:
USCIS Will Accept H-1B Petitions for Fiscal Year 2018 Beginning April 3
USCIS.gov, 3/15/17, Web Page:
H-1B Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Cap Season
USCIS.gov, 3/3/17, News Alert:
USCIS Will Temporarily Suspend Premium Processing for All H-1B Petitions