Labor and Employment Law Blog

On April 1, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will start accepting H-1B visa petitions for the next fiscal year with a start date of October 1, 2019. The H-1B program allows companies in the United States to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s degree or higher in the specific specialty or its equivalent. There are 85,000 visas (the “H-1B Cap”) available each fiscal year with 20,000 of those reserved for individuals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher (the “Master’s exemption”). For more information, read on here.