USCIS Will Accept H-1B Petitions for FY 2017 Beginning April 1, 2016
On April 1, 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2017 cap. U.S. businesses use the H-1B program to employ foreign workers in occupations that require highly specialized knowledge in fields such as science, engineering, and computer programming.
The congressionally mandated cap on H-1B visas for FY 2017 is 65,000. The first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed for individuals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher are exempt from the 65,000 cap.
USCIS expects to receive more petitions than the H-1B cap during the first five business days of this year’s program. The agency will monitor the number of petitions received and notify the public when the H-1B cap has been met. If USCIS receives an excess of petitions during the first five business days, the agency will use a lottery system to randomly select the number of petitions required to meet the cap. USCIS will reject all unselected petitions that are subject to the cap as well as any petitions received after the cap has closed. USCIS has used the lottery for the H-1B program for the last several years.
Premium processing for cap-subject petitions. H-1B petitioners may still continue to request premium processing together with their H-1B petitions. However, USCIS may temporarily adjust its current premium processing practice based on historic premium processing receipt levels and the possibility that the H-1B cap will be met in the first five business days of the filing season.
Filing. USCIS reminds H-1B petitioners that when the temporary employment or training will be in different locations, the state where the company or organization’s primary office is located will determine the appropriate Service Center to which petitioners should send the Form I-129 package, regardless of where in the United States the various worksites are located. When temporary employment or training will be in different locations, the address on page 1, Part 1 of Form I-129 is for the organization’s primary office. When listing a “home office” as a work site location on Part 5, question 3, USCIS will consider this a separate and distinct work site location.
Cases will be considered accepted on the date USCIS “takes possession of a properly filed petition with the correct fee.”
The Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers (ABIL) recommends filing during the first five business days in April. Contact your ABIL member for help with H-1B applications.
