Citizenship petitions for specialized workers to be accepted beginning April 3

WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year 2018 cap on April 3. All cap-subject H-1B petitions filed before April 3 for the 2018 fiscal year cap will be rejected, according to a news release from the agency.

The H-1B program allows companies in the United States to temporarily employ foreign workers in occupations that require the application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s degree or higher in the specific specialty, or its equivalent, the release said. H-1B specialty occupations may include fields such as science, engineering and information technology.

Congress set a cap of 65,000 H-1B visas per fiscal year. An advanced degree exemption from the H-1B cap is available for 20,000 beneficiaries who have earned a U.S. master’s degree or higher. The agency will monitor the number of petitions received and notify the public when the H-1B cap has been met.

USCIS recently announced a temporary suspension of premium processing for all H-1B petitions starting April 3 for up to six months. While H-1B premium processing is suspended, petitioners will not be able to file the form that requests it, the I-907. To avoid delays and possible requests for evidence, all those filing H-1B petitioners must follow all statutory and regulatory requirements.

For more information, find the Form M-735, Optional Checklist for Form I-129 H-1B Filings, visit uscis.gov, or the H-1B FY 2018 Cap Season web page or call the National Customer Service Center at 800-375-5283 or 800-767-1833 (TDD for the hearing impaired). To subscribe to the H-1B Cap Season email updates go to the H‑1B FY 2018 Cap Season web page.