The H1B visa filing season, fiscal 2023-24, is highly anticipated. Officially, it will begin March 1, when the US immigration agency will accept applications for skilled foreign workers visas. These visas are the most sought-after visas by Indian IT professionals.
The H1B visa, which is non-immigrant visa, allows US companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations that require technical or theoretical expertise. It is used by technology companies to hire thousands of workers each year from China and India.
According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the USCIS will accept H-1B visa petitions between March 1 and March 17. This allows them to live and work in the US for up six years in specialized fields like medicine, engineering, and technology.
It opens doors to permanent residency after six years.
“If we receive sufficient registrations by March 17, the USCIS will randomly select registrations, and send notification via myUSCIS online accounts to selected registrations. The USCIS stated that if we don’t receive enough registrations, registrations submitted correctly in the initial registration period would be selected.
A media release stated that “We intend to notify account owners by March 31.” USCIS stated that it would release more information over the next few weeks.
The annual H1B visa allocations have a maximum of 85,000 visas. 20,000 visas are reserved for those with advanced degrees from US institutions. Due to the fierce competition for H1B visas, 65,000 additional visas will be awarded by lottery.
There has been a lot of demand for H1B visas. Many are calling for reforms to this programme. They advocate for more visas and a simplified application process. The H-1B program is essential for the United States to remain a world leader in innovation and technology, and it also supports the country’s economy.