VISA2US Blog

FY2024 was a landmark year in H-1B lottery registrations. USCIS received the most it has ever had in history during the initial registration period, including those who qualified for the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap). But there was a downside to this landslide: The number of fraudulent petitions also exceeded historical records, and USCIS has taken this year as a learning experience, implementing new measures to combat fraud in the future.

If you’ve paid attention to the immigration climate in the United States, you’ve heard about the massive layoffs in the tech sector. Many of these workers were H-1B visa holders who rely on steady employment to keep their legal status in the country. Per the H-1B visa’s terms, workers have 60 days to find another employer willing to sponsor their visa status, or they must return to their home country. But with so many people searching for work within similar industries, this is a challenging endeavor. However, a recent workaround may keep thousands of these laid-off tech workers in the US legally while they look for employment, even after their 60-day grace period ends by changing from an H-1B to a B-1 or B-2 visa.

If you're an H-1B employer, you already know that hiring foreign workers comes with a unique set of challenges. One of those challenges is navigating the complex world of immigration laws.  With the recent changes to the H-1B visa program and increased scrutiny of immigration policies, understanding the ins and outs of the visa process is more important than ever. In this article, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about E-Verify as an H-1B employer, including how it works and the government’s plan to roll out E-Verify NextGen.

The H-1B and certain other categories of visas are designed to bring skilled workers into the United States to fill specialty job positions. However, these workers must meet strict requirements, such as a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited university. Those applying for an advanced degree exemption typically have a bachelor’s and a master’s or beyond that must qualify as accredited. Hopeful H-1B petitioners need to verify that their institutions are from an accrediting agency, but recent changes in the US Department of Education have dropped an important one. The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) is no longer recognized, meaning substantial impacts for H-1B and certain F-1 student visa holders.

The 2023-2024 H-1B season is just beginning, and US employers are ramping up their efforts to get their registrations selected in the lottery. If you’re one of them or the hopeful foreign worker relying on the visa for your next career move, this time is crucial. With hundreds of thousands of applicants and a limited amount of visas, you need to do what you can to give your registration a leg up over the rest. One way to do that is to obtain a master’s degree or higher. We’ll give you the details here on how this advanced degree can increase your chances of an H-1B visa approval.

When it comes to American immigration, the H-1B visa is one of the most popular options for foreign-born workers looking to gain entry into the United States. Companies in the US can sponsor foreign nationals on an H-1B visa. The initial visa is good for three years, with an option to extend it for three more years. But what if you want to become a permanent resident in the US? There is a path from an H-1B visa to a green card. Read on to find out how it works and what to do if your PERM request is denied.

If you’re planning to (or already have) applied for an H-1B visa, you know the fiscal year cap seasons are more important than any other date on the horizon for you. If you miss the cutoff, you’re stuck waiting until the following year to submit your petition. 2023’s is in the past, but you still have time to get your registrations in for FY 2024 beginning March 1st. Here is everything you need to know to ensure you’re ready for the first opening days.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is the government agency responsible for processing visa applications for foreign nationals. It can be a challenging and time-consuming process. The process became even more difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The H-1B visa is a popular document coveted by millions of foreign workers yearly. Because it’s so sought after, the requirements to qualify are stringent, with only the most highly qualified specialty workers able to meet them. But even if you have a sponsoring US employer and meet the bar for the requirements, you still have to go through the random lottery system to begin petitioning for an H-1B visa. What happens if you aren’t one of the limited number chosen by USCIS’s lottery this year? Well, you don’t have to give up on your goal of entering the US for employment yet. Here, we’ll review your options for H-1B visa alternatives.

No other visa has been as challenging to secure in recent years as the H-1B visa. With every passing year, the competition gets tougher and tougher, leading many companies to start their filings months in advance. But 2021 saw a huge decline in applications to the program. What happened? This article will explore how COVID affected the H-1B visa landscape and the steps the government and other branches involved took to recover.