USCIS Will Accept H-1B Petitions for Fiscal Year 2017 Beginning April 1, 2016
On April 1, 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2017 cap. U.S. businesses use the H-1B program to employ foreign workers in occupations that require highly specialized knowledge in fields such as science, engineering and computer programming.
The congressionally mandated cap on H-1B visas for FY 2017 is 65,000. The first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed for individuals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher are exempt from the 65,000 cap.
I worked with Rajiv and Diane for my EB1-B greencard petition. The initial consultations with Rajiv were a big help in understanding my eligibility (I have a PhD and work as a scientist at a Biotech company) and the paperwork required for the petition. Diane’s amazing organizational skills made the daunting process of preparing the I-140 petition very manageable. The I-140 was approved within a week of submission which is a testament to how thoroughly prepared it was. Due to the dates for EB1 India being retrogressed, the I-485 (adjustment of status) process took 3 years during which the office helped me with switching jobs via AC21 portability, renewing three EAD/AP cards and answering any questions that I may have had. The sense of urgency and empathy from both Diane and Rajiv at every step is what makes them the best at what they do. They are of course also incredibly knowledgeable and in step with all the various changes that have rapidly occurred in immigration. My husband and I finally have our green cards and we can’t thank the team at the Law offices of Rajiv S. Khanna enough for everything they do.