H-1B Visa News

USCIS Conducts Second Random Selection from Previously Submitted FY 2022 H-1B Cap Registrations

In March 2021, USCIS conducted an initial random selection on properly submitted electronic registrations for the fiscal year (FY) 2022 H-1B cap, including for beneficiaries eligible for the advanced degree exemption. Per regulation, USCIS uses historical data related to approvals, denials, revocations, and other relevant factors to calculate the number of registrations needed to meet the H-1B cap for a given fiscal year.

USCIS Will Allow Resubmission of Certain FY 2021 H-1B Petitions Rejected or Closed Due to Start Date

Release Date 

06/23/2021

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it will accept resubmitted fiscal year (FY) 2021 H-1B cap-subject petitions that were rejected or administratively closed solely because the requested start date was after Oct. 1, 2020.

Vermont Service Center Address Change

Release Date 

06/14/2021

Effective June 14, 2021, the Vermont Service Center will no longer receive any incoming mail at the St. Albans, VT facility, which is being decommissioned.

Mail sent to the previous addresses will be forwarded for one year, but any mail sent to the previous addresses after June 2022 may be returned to the sender by the United States Postal Service or the courier service used.

Please refer to the chart below for the updated addresses.

Mail

Previous Address

Rajiv's Comments in the News - H-1B visa extensions will be smoother as Trump-era memo is revoked

Published by: The Times of India  - Date: April 28, 2021

Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:

Rajiv S. Khanna, Managing Attorney at Immigration.com told TOI, “Business entities make plans based on consistency and predictability – not being able to rely on the availability of professional workers was not conducive to business nor to non-citizen workers.”

USCIS May Reopen H-1B Petitions Denied Under Three Rescinded Policy Memos

Release Date 03/12/2021

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced it may reopen and/or reconsider adverse decisions on Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, made based on three rescinded policy memos. USCIS will generally use its discretion to accept a motion to reopen filed more than 30 days after the decision, if filed before the end of the validity period requested on the petition or labor condition application, whichever is earlier, and the decision was based on one or more policies in the rescinded H-1B memoranda below.

Rajiv's Article - Decoder: Could multiple H-1B lottery petitions be filed for the same employee? - The Economic Times

Published by: The Economic Times - Date: March 03, 2021

Synopsis

Often, multiple employers are competing to hire the same employee. It is obviously in the best interest of an employee to have multiple filings because that increases their chances of being selected in the electronic selection system (lottery). And equally obviously, this could amount to an abuse of the system if there were no checks on multiple filings.

For more details please see the attachment below.

USCIS Reaches Fiscal Year 2021 H-1B Cap

USCIS has received a sufficient number of petitions needed to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year (FY) 2021.

USCIS has completed sending non-selection notifications to registrants’ online accounts. The status for registrations properly submitted for the FY 2021 H-1B numerical allocations, but that were not selected, will now show:

Rajiv's Article - Will the petition against H-1B visas harm you this year? - The Economic Times

Published by: The Economic Times - Date: February 15, 2021

Synopsis

Biden’s administration will do what is good for the USA. That is to be expected. It is obvious that the administration is inclined to take a hard look at the possible loopholes in the system that may be causing problems such as suppression of wages.

For more details please see the attachment below.