>
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 09:17:46 +0100
Status: RO
Hello everybody,
This mail was forwarded to me this morning, I thought it might be of
interest for some of you.
Brigitte
>RE: Probable government-freeze from June to October on petitions
>for employees acquiring first-time H-status. Urge immediate
>submission of first-time H-1B applications with start dates prior to
>October 1, 1998.
>
>
>Federal law limits the numbers of new H-1B beneficiaries to 65,000
>per year. Recent news suggests that this "cap" may be reached as
>early as June, 1998. Once the cap is reached, the Immigration and
>Naturalization Service will freeze the processing of petitions for
>employees who would be acquiring H-1B status for the first time
>prior to the end of the federal fiscal year on September 30, 1998.
>Processing of these petitions will resume on October 1, 1998.
>
>This processing freeze will not affect:
>
>(1) petitions for first-time H-1B status for programs beginning after
>October 1, 1998; or
>(2) extensions of H-1B status, even for new employment.
>
>While no one in the federal government is certain as to when the cap
>will be reached, we strongly urge the immediate submission to our
>office of all eligible applications for new H-1B status with
>employment beginning dates prior to October 1, 1998. While the
>Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) will accept petitions
>as much as six months in advance of the requested start-date, the
>H-1B application-process is lengthy and involves submissions in
>sequence to the California Labor Management Information Division and
>to the federal Department of Labor prior to the filing of a petition
>with the INS.
>
>There are alternatives to the H-1 such as the J-1 (in non-faculty
>cases), O-1 and F-1 practical training authorization. Each
>classification has different eligibility criteria.
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Received on Mon Feb 23 1998 - 09:08:17 PST
