H-1B Filing for FY 2014 Starts April 1; USCIS Will Begin Premium Processing for H-1B Cap Cases on April 15

Mark A. Ivener, A Law Corporation (I&F) reminds clients that H-1B filing for fiscal year 2014 starts on April 1, 2013. To facilitate the prioritized data entry of cap-subject petitions requesting premium processing, USCIS will begin premium processing for H-1B cap cases on April 15, 2013.

Companies should file H-1B petitions now, and evaluate their anticipated hiring needs for H-1B professionals (specifically, those requiring initial H-1B visas) for the 12-month period beginning on October 1, 2013. That is the date on which new H-1B visas become available under the annual cap. Employers can file H-1B petitions no earlier than six months in advance of the anticipated start date, so April 1, 2013, signals the start of what has become an annual race to get petitions filed as early as possible to ensure acceptance before the cap of 85,000 visas is reached. The 85,000 cap includes the basic cap of 65,000, plus an additional 20,000 H-1B visas available to foreign nationals who have earned an advanced degree (master’s or higher) from a U.S. university.

The H-1B cap for fiscal year 2013 was reached in June 2012. The pace of hiring this year means that the demand for new H-1B workers could result in the new cap being reached in early April. As in past years, some foreign nationals are not subject to the H-1B cap, including individuals who already have been counted toward the cap in a previous year and have not been outside the United States subsequently for one year or more. Also, certain employers, such as universities, government-funded research organizations, and some nonprofit entities are exempt from the H-1B cap. All other employers should be aware of the H-1B cap.

I&F recommends that clients keep their I&F attorney apprised of all new hires needing H-1B status before October 1, 2014. Examples would include F-1 students hired with optional practical training that expires before April 1, 2014, or current L-1B nonimmigrants who will have spent five years in that status as of any date before October 1, 2014. 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it anticipates receiving more petitions than the H-1B cap between April 1 and April 5, 2013. If USCIS receives more petitions than it can accept, it will use a lottery system to randomly select the number of petitions filed during that period to reach the numerical limit. The agency will reject petitions that are subject to the cap but not selected, as well as petitions received after it has the necessary number of petitions needed to meet the cap. The lottery for the H-1B cap was last used in April 2008.

USCIS noted that filers of H-1B cap cases may continue to request premium processing concurrently. Due to “historic” premium processing levels, combined with the possibility that the H-1B cap will be met quickly, USCIS said it has temporarily adjusted its current premium processing practice. As noted above, to facilitate the prioritized data entry of cap-subject petitions requesting premium processing, USCIS will begin premium processing for H-1B cap cases on April 15, 2013, even if they are filed earlier. 

See also: USCIS Announcement, related announcement on Premium Process for H-1 cap-subject petitions