The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2015 cap on April 1. Cases will be considered accepted on the date that USCIS receives a properly filed petition with the correct fee.
The congressionally mandated cap on H-1B visas for FY 2015 is 65,000. The first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of individuals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher are exempt from the 65,000 cap.
USCIS anticipates receiving more than enough petitions to reach both caps by April 7. The agency will use a random selection process to meet the limit.
Non-duplicate petitions that are not selected will be rejected and returned with the filing fees.
U.S. businesses use the H-1B program to employ foreign workers in occupations that require highly specialized knowledge in fields such as science, engineering, and computer programming. (end)
For more information, visit www.uscis.gov or call the National Customer Service Center at 800-375-5283 or 800-767-1833 (TDD for the hearing impaired).