U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a new rule in Jan 2019 called the H-1B Registration Rule, to streamline the H-1B Lottery Process more efficient and effective. On September 4th, 2019, USCIS published a proposed rule amendment for comments, adding an H-1B visa filing fee of $10 per each H-1B registration submitted by the employer. The 30-day public comment period on the proposed new fee is open until October 4. H-1B visas allow employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations.
H-1B visas are in high demand to recruit top skilled global talent for many industries, including tech. Every year on the first business day of April, USCIS makes a limited number of H-1B nonimmigrant visas available for U.S. employers to hire experienced foreign professionals. Over the past few years the demand for H-1B visas has far exceeded the number available. Most years, the cap is reached within 5 business days.
U.S. employers have paid $5 billion in H-1B visa fees since 1999 to sponsor high-skilled foreign nationals:
“Employers have paid nearly $5 billion in mandated H-1B fees (currently $1,500 per a new or extended H-1B petition) that primarily fund scholarships for U.S. students and training for U.S. workers, a figure that rises to over $7 billion if one includes $1.6 billion in mandated anti-fraud fees and other government fees.”
The new H-1B visa filing fee will apply to the filing period likely to take place in March or April 2020 for petitions with an effective date of October 1, 2020. With an anticipated fiscal year 2021 cap of 85,000, there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of H-1B visas by the Trump administration.
Immigration law is U.S. federal law. A visa attorney may also work with individuals from around the world to help them obtain work visas or green cards. If you have a question about an H-1B visa, contact the Mario Godoy and the immigration attorneys at Godoy Law Office in Chicago, Illinois.
