H-1B visa is reserved for "specialty occupations." Those that require a at least a bachelor's degree in a specific subject or closely related subjects.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year (FY) 2010. USCIS is hereby notifying the public that Dec. 21, 2009 is the “final receipt date” for new H-1B specialty occupation petitions requesting an employment start date in FY 2010.
As of December 15, 2009, approximately 64,200 H-1B cap-subject petitions had been filed. USCIS has approved sufficient H-1B petitions for aliens with advanced degrees to meet the exemption of 20,000 from the fiscal year 2010 cap. Any H-1B petitions filed on behalf of an alien with an advanced degree will now count toward the general H-1B cap of 65,000.
Please see the attached memorandum released by the USCIS on Dec 10,09.
My company filed my perm application in march 2009 and We did`nt heard any thing from uscis. My H1 is expiring(Max-6 years) in March 2010. My question is when I can file for H1 extension?
You can apply for H-1 extension 6 months ahead. But the start date cannot be earlier than March 2010 (when the one year pendency/filing of PERM is reached). You can also get an H-1 extension when your I-140 is approved (if your priority date is not current).
I took consultation with Rajiv Sir twice. In few words, I would say he is excellent in his knowledge and he really reads your case, tries to understand it before he talk to you over the phone. My case is very much complicated ( labor substitution, EB2, concurrent filing, previous comp filed chapter 7, new comp filed another GC with different salary and job duties...etc).
During my first consultation, I asked same set of questions (10 - 15) from both Rajiv Sir and Sheela Murthy but I got all my queries answered with satisfaction and piece of mind only from Rajiv Sir.
During my 2nd consultation, due to dynamic nature of my queries, discussion needed more time than scheduled and Rajiv Sir gave me another slot free of charge to give me right direction before closing discussion thread with him.
Finally, I would say his fees is highest amoung all lawyers I have met but is worth paying as it gives you piece of mind at the end.
I came on H4, got H1b, worked for few months, again changed to H4.Could somebody tell me how much would it cost to amend from H4 to H1.
I am not sure what you mean by "cost," but I can refer you to what we charge. See if this answers your question: http://www.immigration.com/services-fees/h-visa/h-visa-services-and-fees
Regarding USCIS Updates H-1B Cap Count 10/30/09, if the employer files my H1B petition immediately, (1)how long the H-1B approval takes and (2)when is the starting date to work on H-1B? As far as I'm concerned, the H-1B petition quota had usually been reached on APR 1 and the starting work date is Oct 1. But this year is different since the quota has not yet been reached. My employer would like me to work ASAP, so I would like to know if they file my H-1B petition now, can I get approved and work before Oct 1, 2010? (I have a Master's Degree from USA.)
I believe the quota for this year is still available. If so, you can start work as soon as as the H-1 approval says you can (usually immediately upon approval). You need not wait till 2010. File through premium processing if you are in a hurry.
As of November 20, 2009, approximately 56,900 H-1B cap-subject petitions had been filed. USCIS has approved sufficient H-1B petitions for aliens with advanced degrees to meet the exemption of 20,000 from the fiscal year 2010 cap. Any H-1B petitions filed on behalf of an alien with an advanced degree will now count toward the general H-1B cap of 65,000.
Work: H-1B Visa Petitions Can you contact me as a Reference: YES! Comments: Anna Baker and Fran Fisher have helped a number of my employees obtain H-1B Visas as well as file for extensions of existing H-1B Visas, with a 100% success rate! I believe we've now succesfully filed 10(at least) Visa petitions and extensions with them, and they've made the process incredibly easy for me. Even during the stressfull times of having to respond to RFE's, they always manage to successfully guide me through the process and ensure approvals. And while my knowledge of the immigration and H-1B petitioning process is minimal, to say the least, they always thoroughly explain everything to me, no matter how silly my questions are. They promptly respond to my emails on a daily basis and are incredibly professional from start to finish. No matter how many curveballs I throw their way; whether it's telling them someone's Visa expires in 3 weeks and we need to file for an extension immediately, or if we're missing a critical document requested by USCIS, they ALWAYS have a solution that ultimately results in an approval. I cannot recommend their team highly enough, and my employees cannot thank them enough for all of their hard work in ensuring their ability to live and work here in the US. I just hope Rajiv gives them plenty of vacation time, because they deserve it :-)