The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin to accept H-1B petitions for the FY 2012 cap on April 1, 2011 for employment beginning on October 1, 2011 . Cases are considered accepted on the date USCIS receives a complete application with the fee enclosed, not on the postmarked date.
H-1B nonimmigrant visas are for professional foreign workers with a U.S. bachelor’s degree or its foreign equivalent. Congress allows 65,000 visas to be issued annually to qualifying foreign workers. An additional 20,000 H-1Bs are reserved for professional foreign workers who receive U.S. Master’s degrees. Frequently, employers interested in utilizing the H-1B visa program contact an experienced Immigration Lawyer for a consultation about the process, determine eligibility, discuss applicable lawyer’s fees and filing fees, and so forth.
If an individual works at any of the below entities, their H-1B petition will be considered EXEMPT from the CAP: