nonimmigrant visas

April 4, 2014

On April 1, 2014, USCIS started accepting H-1B Petitions for FY2015

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Friday, March 25th that it will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 cap on Tuesday, April 1, 2014. 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 2014 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 stated that it is possible that the H-1B cap will be met in the first 5 business days! Also be advised that premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petitions will begin by April 28, 2014. See the USCIS’s Premium Processing section for more details.

April 3, 2014

Will premium processing increase the chances of making the FY2015 H-1B quota?

by Kellie N. Lego

Filing an H-1B petition requesting premium processing will not increase the chances of obtaining an H-1B under the quota. If you request premium processing and the case is accepted for processing, the 15 day premium processing window will start no later than April 28, 2014, according to the USCIS news alert issued 3/25/2014. Please note that one seeming benefit of filing a cap subject H-1B petition with a request for premium processing is that a receipt notice may be issued faster than if filed under regular processing. Therefore, the petitioner and beneficiary may confirm sooner that the petition has been chosen in the lottery.

Source of Information:

USCIS.gov (3/25/14) News Release:

April 2, 2014

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 3/28/14

by Kellie N. Lego

The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs.

The H-2B cap limit for the first half of FY 2014 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of March 14, 2014, the cap for the 1st half of FY 2014 was reached.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2014 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (3/28/14); 13,741 beneficiaries have been approved and 5,108 are pending for a total of 18,849.

March 21, 2014

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 3/7/14

by Kellie N. Lego

The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs.

The H-2B cap limit for the first half of FY 2014 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (3/7/14); 36,957 beneficiaries have been approved and 2,408 are pending for a total of 39,365.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2014 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (3/7/14); 7,693 beneficiaries have been approved and 7,900 are pending for a total of 15,593.

March 6, 2014

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) updated FY2014 Statistics (First Quarter)

by Kellie N. Lego

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) has provided FY2014 statistics (first quarter) in the form of program factsheets for each of the major immigration programs. These updated FY2014 statistics (first quarter) cover October 2013 through December 2013.

The link to each program factsheet is listed below:

• Permanent Labor Certification Program – Select Statistics, FY 2014 (first quarter)

March 4, 2014

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 2/21/14

by Kellie N. Lego

The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs.

The H-2B cap limit for the first half of FY 2014 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (2/21/14); 33,337 beneficiaries have been approved and 3,751 are pending for a total of 37,088.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2014 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (2/21/14); 5,100 beneficiaries have been approved and 7,108 are pending for a total of 12,208.

February 27, 2014

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) updated FY2013 Statistics

by Kellie N. Lego

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) has provided FY2013 statistics in the form of program factsheets for each of the major immigration programs. These updated FY2013 statistics cover October 2012 through September 2013.

The link to each program factsheet is listed below:

• Permanent Labor Certification Program – Select Statistics, FY 2013

February 20, 2014

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 2/7/14

by Kellie N. Lego

The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs.

The H-2B cap limit for the first half of FY 2014 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (2/7/14); 26,026 beneficiaries have been approved and 6,404 are pending for a total of 32,430.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2014 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (2/7/14); 3,138 beneficiaries have been approved and 7,996 are pending for a total of 11,134.

February 4, 2014

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 1/24/14

by Kellie N. Lego

The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs.

The H-2B cap limit for the first half of FY 2014 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (1/24/14); 19,253 beneficiaries have been approved and 6,224 are pending for a total of 25,477.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2014 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (1/24/14); 957 beneficiaries have been approved and 4,768 are pending for a total of 5,721.

January 22, 2014

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 1/10/14

by Kellie N. Lego

The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs.

The H-2B cap limit for the first half of FY 2014 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (1/10/14); 14,572 beneficiaries have been approved and 4,797 are pending for a total of 19,369.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2014 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (1/10/14); 0 beneficiaries have been approved and 0 are pending for a total of 0.