What are the new rules for the H-1B process this year?
Each year there are only 65,000 numbers available for H-1B temporary workers. The H-1Bs are available for holders of Bachelor’s degrees. There are 20,000 additional H-1Bs available for individuals with a Master’s degree or higher earned at a U.S. university. On March 19, 2008, USCIS announced new rules for filing H-1B petitions this year. Petitions will now be accepted April 1 through April 4, 2008. The 20,000 Master’s Cap cases are being counted first and all others will be chosen in a random lottery. Employers may not file duplicate petitions for the same employee. It will be very interesting to see how many employers are left without an H-1B for their employee, which highlights the need for Congressional attention to this matter.
