H-1B applications for US from April 1 2016 | H1B Visa 2016

US to start accepting H-1B applications

H-1B applications- BetterSocietyBlog

WSHINGTON: The US would start accepting applications for the much sought-after H-1B work visas for highly-skilled workers for the fiscal year 2017 from the beginning of next month, officials said.

H-1B visa, popular among Indian techies, is used by American companies to employ foreign workers in occupations that require highly specialized knowledge in fields such as science, engineering and computer programming.

There is no change in the congressionally-mandated cap of 65,000 on H-1B visas for the Financial Year 2017, beginning October 1.

H1B Visa 2016 – Lottery, Quota, Immigration Reform, News

When will the H1B season for fiscal 2016 begin ?

USCIS will accept petitions for H1B Visa 2016 season starting from April 1st, 2015.  USCIS did a press release on March 12th outlining the details. Read summary of press release by USCIS on H1B 2016 .

Will there be lottery again for H1B Visa 2016 ? Predictions ?

We had lottery for FY 2015 and FY 2014. The total number of petitions filed for FY 14 were about 125,000 and for  FY 2015, there were about 172,500 petitions… As H1B Quota did not increase for FY 2016, and the demand does not seem to decrease, we would very likely have lottery for FY 2016.  Read H1B Visa 2016 Lottery Predictions, Dates, Results

What is the H1B Visa quota Cap Count ? Would there be any changes to H1B 2016 count ?

H1B Visa quota cap count is the total number of petitions that USCIS will accept for a fiscal year to provide temporary work permit for highly skilled workers.  For the 2016 fiscal year, the cap count is as below :

• Regular H1B Quota : 65,000
• H1B Masters Degree Quota ( only US Degrees) : 20,000
• Out of the above, a total of 6,800 is usually set aside for Singapore and Chile citizens as part of the free trade agreement between them.

As per the press release in March 2015, the quota did not increase.  To give some background, as per the Obama executive action in Nov 2014, no changes were announced to the H1B Cap count. There was proposal in 2013 to increase H1B cap from 65,000 to 110,000 and Masters quota to increase from 20,000 to 25,000 did not go through as of March 2015. At least, for this FY 2016 season, the quota is fixed and it will be as above and no changes.

When should I start planning for H1B Visa 2016 ? What are the steps ?

It depends on your situation. Below are few scenarios and your plan.

• If you are a student on F1 Visa in USA, you need to plan for your internship/ CPT or OPT employment  at a company that can sponsor your H1B Visa for FY 2016. In my view, you should start now to find something for the fall 2014 and continue that for next spring so that you can file for FY 2016
• If you are in other country and planning for H1B, it is good to start your process around the end of this year 2014. It will give you enough time to find sponsors, search for job, etc.
• If you are on H4, L1 or other visa in USA and planning for H1B for FY 2016, you also should consider looking around end of this year i.e. December 2014.

H1B Visa  processing in April 1 2016

अमेरिका वित्तीय वर्ष 2017 के लिए एच-1बी वीजा के लिए अप्रैल की शुरुआत से आवेदन स्वीकार करना शुरू करेगा।

1 నుంచి హెచ్-1బీ దరఖాస్తులు
వాషింగ్టన్: 2017 సంవత్సరానికి ఏప్రిల్ 1 నుంచి హెచ్-1బీ వీసాల కోసం అమెరికా దరఖాస్తుల్ని స్వీకరించనుంది. సైన్స్, ఇంజనీరింగ్, కంప్యూటర్ ప్రోగ్రామింగ్ రంగాల్లో ఉన్నత స్థాయి విదేశీ ఉద్యోగుల కోసం అమెరికా సంస్థలు ఈ వీసాల్ని ఉపయోగిస్తున్నాయి. ఉద్యోగుల కోసం హెచ్-1బీ కింద ఏటా 65 వేల వీసాల్ని జారీచేస్తున్నారు.

ఈ ఏడాది కూడా  నిబంధనలో ఎలాంటి మార్పులుండవని అమెరికా అధికారులు తెలిపారు.  మొదటి విడత 20 వేల హెచ్-1బీ వీసాల కోసం యూఎస్ మాస్టర్ డిగ్రీతో వ్యక్తిగతంగా దరఖాస్తు చేసుకోవచ్చని అమెరికన్ సిటిజన్‌షిప్ అండ్ ఇమ్మిగ్రేషన్ సర్వీస్ అధికారులు తెలిపారు. హెచ్-1బి వీసాల కోసం మొదటి ఐదు రోజుల్లో 65 వేలకు పైగా దరఖాస్తులు రావచ్చని అంచనా వేస్తున్నారు. ఎక్కువ వస్తే కంప్యూటర్ ద్వారా లాటరీ తీసి అభ్యర్థులను ఎంపికచేస్తామని అధికారులు తెలిపారు.