Prepare Early for H-1B Lottery

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Every year, there is a mad scramble for available H-1B visa numbers. As many companies are aware, often they are gone in a single day following a random “lottery” run by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in early April. There are many more applicants than available numbers.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reportedly plans to issue a rule in the spring or summer of 2009 to streamline the H-1B paperwork required to participate in the fiscal year 2010 lottery. The rule would propose a “pre-registration” system with a shorter application required for the lottery, and the full H-1B petition required for lottery winners. That system will not be in place for this April’s H-1B rush, however.

Mark A. Ivener, A Law Corporation recommends contacting your ABIL member now to begin preparing your H-1B strategy and paperwork.