U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that employers should expect a delay of receipt notices and processing of H-1B cap-subject petitions until at least May 1, 2020, due to the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Once USCIS resumes, it will complete processing the applications in the order in which it received petitions. Petitions will be stamped received on the date they arrive at the service center. Petitions will retain the receipt date that corresponds with the date the petition is received at the service center. The government admits this will likely cause some delays in processing the petitions. USCIS has indicated it is mindful of these delays and will do its best to timely process these petitions.
Fortunately, we anticipated government delays and worked with our clients to submit H-1B applications as soon as the government would accept them. Now our H-1B lottery winners will go to the front of the line for processing. We will continue to track this process and upcoming expiration dates on behalf of our clients and alert you of any further updates or changes to your immigration strategy.