A Post-season Summary of the FY2013 H-1B Cap

Posted on June 15, 2012 by VISANOW

by Erick Hernandez, Enterprise Account Executive

This year’s H-1B season may have seemed surprisingly short to some.  On June 12^th, USCIS released a statement indicating that the numerical cap on H-1Bs was reached on 6/11/2012 (the advanced degree cap was met on 6/7/2012) — a big change from the past few years when the cap has remained open until winter.

Some see this as an indicator of economic recovery.  Companies are hiring again, especially in the IT field, and they anticipate that business will be good enough to continue to employ an H-1B worker for the typical 3-year duration of the visa.  Before the recent economic recession, the H-1B cap was closing in a matter of days rather than weeks.  This is the first time since 2008 that the cap has closed so quickly.

Here at VISANOW, we see many clients poised for growth and in need of guidance regarding work authorization for their foreign workers.  In order to ensure that our clients obtained the necessary H-1B visas for their workforce, we advised them to initiate H-1B visa cases well in advance of the first day of filing, April 2^nd.  (This year the 1^st fell on a Sunday.)  We filed many applications that day and over the past 10 weeks.  It was a busy season and the cap filled steadily, with an expected uptick in filings received toward the closing week.  Always working against the clock, we worked diligently to prepare numerous petitions and provide our clients with extremely fast responses to all questions or concerns.

Of course, not all cases can make the cap.  For these few, VISANOW can advise on the best course of action.  If an H-1B petition did not make the cap, the employee may be eligible for one of a number of H-1B alternatives.  For more information, call us at 1-855-VISANOW (1-855-847-2669) or see our slideshow here:

H-1B Alternatives

It’s never too early to start planning for next year’s cap!  Now is a great time to start formulating a plan of action for the FY2014 cap.  If you need help organizing your company’s immigration process and making sure your employees gets the visas they need, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

 

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