Some folks are predicting that H-1 quota may last a lot longer than just April.
Remember also, if there is a lottery, ALL cases received by and including 5 April will be included in the lottery. As the regulation 8 CFR 214.2(h)(8)(ii)(B) states:
Premium Processing for Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions to Begin April 15, 2013
Released: March 15, 2013
WASHINGTON: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 cap on Monday, April 1, 2013. Cases will be considered accepted on the date that USCIS receives a properly filed petition for which the correct fee has been submitted; not the date that the petition is postmarked.
I encourage you to sign a petition I have drafted at the request of our community urging the Obama Administration to reinstate reissuance of nonimmigrant visas (including work visas like H-1, student visas like F-1, and family visas) within the USA, a practice that was discontinued in 2004. If the petition receives 100,000 on-line signatures by February 23, the Administration will review it, send it to the appropriate policy experts in the administration, and issue an official response. Signing the petition takes only a few minutes.
Here is a recent visa stamping experience narrated by one of our team members.
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I went for an H-1B visa stamping at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto, Canada, in November 2012. This was my first H-1B visa stamping. I wanted to share my experience with you and hope that it will be helpful in providing some insight into the entire process.
Scheduling the Interview
As of 27 April 2012 count, USCIS has received 29,200 regular cap H-1 B petitions and 12,300 advanced degree H-1B petitions. These numbers are considerably higher than the ones we saw at this time in the fiscal years 2011 and 2012 (we are now in FY 2013).
I am currently on H-1. I have a series of questions for you. This topic should be of interest to many people in the community. Could you please address these:
1. Can I start my own business while on H-1?
2. Can I be employed in my own business on my company's H-1?
3. Does it help to have partners from USA?
4. Can I get green card through a company I own?
5. What if my business is in Europe, but I work on it from USA? Is that legal?
6. Can I start business when I get my EAD on 485?
USCIS estimates that as as of 9 April 2012, approximately 25,600 H-B cases had been receipted. Out of these petitions, 17,400 are for bachelor's degree and 8,200 for for people with advanced degrees. These numbers are considerable hire than the last year's at this time.