Attention employers: this is friendly reminder to give priority to your H-1B petitions! The H-1B cap has lasted several months in recent years (it was met in November last year). No one can predict how long the cap will last this year. However, with the economy recovering, it is entirely possible that the cap would be met sooner, perhaps much sooner, than it has been met in recent years. By filing sooner rather than later, you can increase the chances that your petition will be accepted by USCIS before the H-1B cap is met.

What is the H-1B cap? There is a limit of 65,000 H-1B petitions available every year, plus an additional 20,000 for U.S. master’s degree holders. In recent years, the U.S. master’s degree cap has been met before the “normal” 65,000 cap was met. If that happens, the U.S. master’s degree cases are included in the regular cap, until that cap is met.

For further information about H-1B petitions or other immigration matters, please contact attorney Emily Sumner at esumner@sumnerimmigration.com.