Although the H-1B US visa cap for the 2018 fiscal year does not kick off until 1 October 2017, it is already an excellent time for employers to begin preparing for it. There has been a steady rise in demand for the H-1B US visa over the past few years, and last year just 36 percent of the number of petitions for the visa were chosen in the lottery.
With this trend likely to continue for some time, employers are being encouraged to be ready to file their H-1B US visa petitions as soon as they are legally able. The earliest date for this is 3 April 2017.
The H-1B US visa category is significant because it allows qualified professionals to be able to come to the US to be employed within a specialty field. A limited number of the visas are granted every fiscal year, which runs from 31 October through to 30 September. There are just 65,000 petitions able to be granted per year under current immigration law, with a further 20,000 for petitioners who have gained advanced degrees from an academic institution in the US.
Almost 236,000 petitions for H-1B US visas were received by US Citizenship and Immigration Services in the 2016 fiscal year. This is an increase on the 233,000 received in the 2015 fiscal year and it is expected that 2017 will see a further rise in numbers.