VISA2US Blog

By now, you’ve heard of the unusual circumstances surrounding the H-1B lottery for FY 2024. The H-1B visa program is a vital part of the labor force in the United States and foreign countries. It was designed to ensure businesses in industries like science, technology, engineering, mathematics, healthcare, and education could fill essential positions requiring skilled workers. However, the program runs under a “cap” imposed decades ago by Congress, resulting in the creation of a random lottery that is intended to give every registrant an equal chance at selection. But the past two years have increasingly shown more attempts at fraud and a need for an overhaul of the H-1B policy. Let’s take a look at 2022 versus 2023’s H-1B petition analysis here.

If you’ve paid attention to the immigration scene in the United States recently, you’ve heard about the mass layoffs in the tech industry over the past year. As mega-corporations dealt with the long-term fallout of the pandemic, a somewhat unexpected result was the need to reduce jobs significantly, to the tune of tens of thousands of H-1B visa beneficiaries. These visa holders faced the serious threat of losing their status if they didn’t find a new job before the end of their grace period. Against the odds, 90% of visa holders were able to successfully navigate this challenge. How did they make this happen, and what can you learn from it as an H-1B visa employer or employee? Read on to find out.

USCIS already expected to see a record number of applications for FY 2024 due to various factors, such as lifted pandemic restrictions and massive layoffs in the tech industry. But what wasn’t as predictable was the significant amount of attempted fraud that has been uncovered already. USCIS has caught almost half of the currently submitted applications as multiple registrants. Still, the government branch’s lack of action thus far leaves many questioning how this will affect legitimate applicants, as discussed here.

The H-1B visa program has been around for decades, helping American employers fill vacancies in professional fields with skilled foreign labor. By hiring the top talents overseas, these employers help boost the US economy and prevent supply chain issues due to gaps caused by open positions. But there are holes in the system that can be abused, and studies show this may be happening right now in tech industries and companies outsourcing labor. What’s going on in these industries, and how is it affecting the H-1B visa? Read on to find out.

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.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of specialty workers enter the US or apply for new documents to stay in the country. These applications always have fees attached to them, but the government agency processing the documents, USCIS, is working outside of its budget. To offset rising costs and enhance the working conditions of each processing center, the US Department of State agreed to increase fees for specific nonimmigrant visa applications. 

If you’re searching for a way to get into the United States from another country, you’ve come across an H-1B visa. This document is one of the most popular legal methods to live and work in the US, but it’s not for everyone. Congress established the initial program to attract skilled foreign labor to the country and boost the overall American economy. Since its inception, this visa category has evolved, but in general, it is used by US employers to hire skilled workers with specific traits and a bachelor’s or advanced degree. This coveted visa is always highly sought after, but Fiscal Year 2024 has the makings of a record-breaking number of petitions. What’s the scoop behind the demand? We’ll break down the background of FY 2024 here.

The filing window for Fiscal Year 2024’s H-1B visas may have closed, but the results are still in progress. This year projects that the number of submitted petitions will surpass all expectations. With the backlog of previous years’ applications from countries like India, where H-1B requests far outweigh the available visas, it gets more difficult to obtain this coveted document. What does this next fiscal year look like, and what does that mean for H-1B applicants? Read on to find out.

In mid-2022, foreign workers in the tech industry were hit with an unpleasant surprise. Many who had planned for their employers to sponsor a green card transfer were put on hold as mega-corporations like Google halted the process. The massive layoffs across the IT sector meant thousands of skilled American workers were actively searching for jobs, a fact that negated that part of a sponsor’s required attestation. But this green card hold created a backlog of processing with a ripple effect: the US could no longer compete with other countries for some of the top global talents. Something had to be done, and the government and IT industries were working behind the scene to fix this issue. What are the results? Here, we have the latest “Google” green card backlog updates.

By now, you’ve heard about the tech layoffs in the US, and how they’ve impacted thousands of H-1B holders. This massive technological industry shift has created a domino effect felt by everyone else trying to obtain or renew their work visas. One of the ways it could impact you is through the H-1B lottery. How does the tech layoff problem change your lottery chances? Read on to find out.