General Nonimmigrant Visa

Release Date 

02/28/2022

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) 2022.

USCIS has completed sending non-selection notifications to registrants’ online accounts. The status for registrations properly submitted for the FY 2022 H-1B numerical allocations, but that were not selected, will now show:

For all H-1B and H-1B1 petitions received on or after April 1, 2022, USCIS will no longer accept a single, combined fee payment when Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status; Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization; or Form I-824, Application for Action on an Approved Application or Petition, is filed together with an H-1B or H-1B1 petition (Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker). Each of these forms received by USCIS on or after April 1 must have its own fee payment instrument or USCIS will reject the entire package.

We assisted in responding to an RFE questioning the employer’s educational requirements for an E-3 (Specialty Occupation Workers from Australia) Petition filed for a software developer position. USCIS sought clarification as to how the position could be a specialty occupation where the employer required a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in business, information systems, computer science or equivalent with related experience.

Release Date 

01/28/2022

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year 2023 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 1 and run through noon Eastern on March 18, 2022. During this period, prospective petitioners and representatives will be able to complete and submit their registrations using the online H-1B registration system.

Release Date 

01/13/2022

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced clarifying guidance on how USCIS determines whether an O-1B beneficiary will be evaluated as a person of extraordinary ability in the arts or as a person of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry when a case has elements of both.

USCIS recently updated the following form(s):

Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status

12/06/2021 01:32 PM EST

Starting Mar. 14, USCIS will only accept the 12/06/21 edition. Until then, you can use the 04/24/19 edition. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions.

Application for T Nonimmigrant Status

12/02/2021 03:05 PM EST