Each year, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services accepts 65,000 H-1B visa applicants to come to the U.S. for employment. This particular program is to offer those with high levels of education and specialized skill with temporary employment with companies in the United States. Since these applications are capped at 65,000 per fiscal year, it is important that any potential applicants abide by the dates and deadlines associated with USCIS standards.
The applications are allowed to be submitted no sooner than April 3, 2017, for the next fiscal year. Any applications that are filed prior to that date will not be accepted. President Trump and his administration are making changes to the H-1B visa process that may make it more difficult for people to obtain these visas. The Trump administration is suspending the “premium processing” expedition option for H-1B applicants. This program allowed applications to be reviewed within 15 days.
With the new ruling, there will be no expedited processing and it will take a minimum of six months for any H-1B applications to be reviewed. The purpose of this change in legislation was to reduce long processing delays but many skeptics worry that this will only create further delays. According to CNN, the processing department is only just reviewing applications that were submitted 8 months ago in July 2016.
Foreign workers and international students studying in the U.S. are those who will face the harshest implications of this change. We understand how confusing these changing laws can be and will do our best to post the latest updates on any change in immigration legislation that may impact you. If you have any questions about your status as an H-1B visa holder or applicant, contact an experienced immigration attorney today.
John Sesini is an experienced immigration attorney with offices in Green Bay and Milwaukee Wisconsin. If you have any questions regarding these matters, please contact the Sesini Law Group, S.C. and obtain your initial consultation.