The time to act is now to apply for H-1B work status! The H-1B classification is the most popular temporary work status for professional positions. Also, for many foreign-nationals, H-1B status is their only realistic temporary status to hold if they also want to apply for a green card. Amongst other eligibility requirements, foreign-national applicants must have:
1. A U.S. job offer, and
2. A relevant Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent work experience).
The government accepts H-1B applications only one time a year–on April 3, 2017. If approved, work authorization begins October 1, 2017. To ensure timely filing of an H-1B application – and to avoid a rush service fee – be sure to engage our office by January 23, 2017.
It is important to prepare these application packages thoroughly and submission timing is critical as there are a limited number of H-1B visa numbers available. We expect the government will hold a lottery to determine which applications to pick for processing. Last year, employers submitted over 230,000 H-1B applications for the coveted 85,000 visa numbers available. Thus, it may take more than one attempt to eventually obtain H-1B status. Employees with a Master’s degree have better odds of winning the H-1B lottery.
We also recommend that you request from the government its premium processing service, unless it is cost-prohibitive. For an additional fee, the application is more likely to be adjudicated by a more senior officer, and a decision will be made in approximately 1 month. Previously, a number of H-1B applications were not adjudicated by the October 1 start date (so many of these applicants ended up requesting premium processing anyway.) Anecdotal evidence also suggests that premium processing results in a better chance of obtaining an H-1B visa number, although—officially–premium processing should not affect the lottery.