Articles Posted in H-1B Cap

H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Petitions should be filed on April 1, 2010 for Fiscal Year 2011, which begins on October 1, 2010 and ends September 30, 2011. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting new H-1B visa petitions for professionals that count against the FY2010 cap on April 1, 2010. These professionals will be eligible to begin H-1B employment on October 1, 2010. In past years, the H-1B cap has been exceeded on the first day, April 1st.

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. Employers petition the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of the professional foreign worker beginning six months prior to the beginning of the upcoming fiscal year. Frequently, employers interested in utilizing the H-1B visa program contact an experienced Immigration Business Lawyer for a consultation about the process, determine eligibility, discuss applicable lawyer’s fees and filing fees, and so forth.

If your company is interested in a consultation about this process, CONTACT OUR OFFICE IMMEDIATELY!

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued information collection for Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker until April 9, 2010.

During this period, USCIS will be evaluating whether to revise Form I-129.

The purpose of this form is for employers to petition for an alien to come to the United States temporarily to perform services or labor, or to receive training, as an H-1B, H-1C, H-2A, H-2B, H-3, L-1, O-1, O-2, P-1, P-1S, P-2, P-2S, P-3, P-3S, Q-1 or R-1 nonimmigrant worker. Employers may also use this form to request an extension of stay or change of status for an alien as an E-1, E-2, or TN nonimmigrant.

Due to the passage of the Employ American Worker Act (EAWA), the USCIS is required to collect Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) information on each H-1B petitioning employer. Under the EAWA legislation, any company that has received TARP funding and seeks to hire new H-1B workers is considered an “H-1B dependent employer.” An H-1B dependent employer must make additional statements to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) regarding the recruitment and non-displacement of U.S. workers when filing a Labor Condition Application (LCA).

After enactment of EAWA, USCIS revised its Form I-129, Petition for Non-immigrant Worker, to include a question asking whether the employer has received TARP funding.

It has come to the attention of the USCIS that some businesses who have received TARP funds may have repaid their obligations and may not know how to proceed with completing Form I-129 when filing for new H-1B hires.

In support of an H-1B petition, a petitioner must not only establish that the beneficiary is coming to the United States temporarily to work in a specialty occupation but the petitioner must also satisfy the requirement of being a U.S. employer by establishing that a valid employer-employee relationship exists between the U.S. employer and the beneficiary throughout the requested H-1B validity period. The Petitioner must also file an LCA specific to EACH location where the beneficiary will be working.

“United States employer,” is defined at C.F.R. 214.2(h)(4)(ii) as follows:

United States employer means a person, firm, corporation, contractor, or other association, or organization in the United States which:

MVP Law Group is currently offering the following special for FY2011 Cap Subject H-1B petitions – complete an H-1B questionnaire and send all requested documents to our office by February 28, 2010 and save $150.00.

Our normal legal fees are $1500.00 plus an administrative fee of $150.00 per petition.

Act Now, Don’t Delay! Contact our office today!

Now that all of the new H-1B visas for the 2010 Fiscal Year have been allocated, What options do Employers who are looking to hire Foreign National Professionals have?

Here are some creative solutions to this problem:

O-1 Visa

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has received sufficient H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap of 65,000 for FY2010.

New H-1B Petitions filed after December 21, 2009 seeking an employment start date in FY2010 will be rejected by USCIS. Furthermore, the Service will apply a computer-generated random selection process to all petitions that were eligible and received on December 21, 2009.

Stay posted for H-1B filing specials for the FY2011 H-1B CAP!

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has updated the count of H-1B petitions received and counted towards the 65,000 cap.

As of December 15, 2009, 64,200 H-1B cap subject non-immigrant visa petitions have been filed with the USCIS.

USCIS will continue to accept both cap-subject petitions and advanced degree petitions until a sufficient number of H-1B petitions have been received to reach the statutory limits, taking into account the fact that some of these petitions may be denied, revoked, or withdrawn.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has updated the count of H-1B petitions received and counted towards the 65,000 cap.

As of December 10, 2009, 62,500 H-1B cap subject non-immigrant visa petitions have been filed with the USCIS.

USCIS will continue to accept both cap-subject petitions and advanced degree petitions until a sufficient number of H-1B petitions have been received to reach the statutory limits, taking into account the fact that some of these petitions may be denied, revoked, or withdrawn.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has updated the count of H-1B petitions received and counted towards the 65,000 cap.

As of December 8, 2009, 61,500 H-1B cap subject nonimmigrant visa petitions have been filed with the USCIS.

USCIS will continue to accept both cap-subject petitions and advanced degree petitions until a sufficient number of H-1B petitions have been received to reach the statutory limits, taking into account the fact that some of these petitions may be denied, revoked, or withdrawn.

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