nonimmigrant visas

May 14, 2014

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 5/2/14

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 (5/2/14); 20,042 beneficiaries have been approved and 2,789 are pending for a total of 22,831.

April 29, 2014

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 4/18/14

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 (4/18/14); 17,969 beneficiaries have been approved and 3,078 are pending for a total of 21,047.

April 22, 2014

USCIS H-1B Premium Processing to Begin April 28

by Kellie N. Lego

Information Source: USCIS.GOV

On April 28, 2014, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin premium processing for H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year 2015 cap, including H-1B petitions seeking an exemption from the fiscal year cap for individuals who have earned a U.S. master’s degree or higher.

USCIS first announced that we would begin premium processing for H-1B cap cases no later than April 28 in a news release on March 25. USCIS provides premium processing service for certain employment-based petitions and guarantees a 15-calendar-day processing time.

April 16, 2014

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 4/4/14

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 (4/4/14); 15,824 beneficiaries have been approved and 4,502 are pending for a total of 20,326.

April 11, 2014

USCIS Conducted Lottery for FY2015 H1B CAP – April 10, 2014

by Kellie N. Lego

INFORMATION SOURCE – USCIS

USCIS Reaches FY 2015 H-1B Cap

Release Date: April 10, 2014

April 8, 2014

H-1B Cap (FY 2015) has been reached!

by Kellie N. Lego

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have announced that they reached the statutory H-1B cap of 65,000 for fiscal year (FY) 2015 within the first week of the filing period. USCIS has also received more than 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of persons exempt from the cap under the advanced degree exemption.

USCIS stated that they must first finish the initial intake before conducting the random selection process. The date of the selection process has not been set due to the high number of petitions received! USCIS will reject and return filing fees for all cap-subject petitions that are not selected.

USCIS will conduct the advanced degree exemption random selection process first. Any advanced degree petitions not selected will then become part of the random selection process for the 65,000 limit.

April 4, 2014

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

by Kellie N. Lego

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.