H-1B visas through lottery?
1 April 2013 7:21 AM IST
The much sought H-1B work visas could be decided through lottery this year, industry experts and officials feel, based on initialfeedback from companies, as the US starts accepting applications from Monday.
If it happens it would be for the first time since 2008 that the fate of thousands of applications for H-1B visas would be decided by a computerized draw of lots. Even Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it expects the cap for H-1B visas to be filled in the first five days itself.
According to Congressional approved mandate,USCIS can reward a maximum of 65,000 H-1B visas for the fiscal year 2014 beginning 1 October, 2013.
In addition, the USCIS can also reward 20,000 H-1B visas for those having masters or higher degree from US academic institutions. This limit on H-1B visas has been in place for more than two decades no For three years from 2001 to 2003, Congress had increased the cap to 195,000; which was not reached.
‘Based on feedback from a number of stakeholders, USCIS anticipates that it may receive more petitions than the H-1B cap between 1 April, 2013 and 5 April, 2013,’ USCIS said in a statement early this month. If USCIS receives more petitions than it can accept, it will use a lottery system to randomly select the number of petitions required to reach the numerical limit. USCIS will reject petitions that are subject to cap and are not selected, as well as petitions received after it has the necessary number of petitions.
If it happens it would be for the first time since 2008 that the fate of thousands of applications for H-1B visas would be decided by a computerized draw of lots. Even Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it expects the cap for H-1B visas to be filled in the first five days itself.
According to Congressional approved mandate,USCIS can reward a maximum of 65,000 H-1B visas for the fiscal year 2014 beginning 1 October, 2013.
In addition, the USCIS can also reward 20,000 H-1B visas for those having masters or higher degree from US academic institutions. This limit on H-1B visas has been in place for more than two decades no For three years from 2001 to 2003, Congress had increased the cap to 195,000; which was not reached.
‘Based on feedback from a number of stakeholders, USCIS anticipates that it may receive more petitions than the H-1B cap between 1 April, 2013 and 5 April, 2013,’ USCIS said in a statement early this month. If USCIS receives more petitions than it can accept, it will use a lottery system to randomly select the number of petitions required to reach the numerical limit. USCIS will reject petitions that are subject to cap and are not selected, as well as petitions received after it has the necessary number of petitions.
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