It's time for Silicon Valley employers to prepare their H-1B filings for fiscal year 2010/2011. April 1st is the first day that employers can submit H-1B applications for the 2010-11 fiscal year. The fiscal year begins on October 1st, and H-1B applications can be submitted up to six months ahead of time - on April 1st.
Congress sets the annual cap for new H-1B visas, and it is currently 65,000 plus an additional 20,000 H-1B visas for employees with a U.S. Master's degree or higher. Except for last year, the prior few years saw the cap reached within the first few days of April 1st. If the USCIS determines that the volume of applications the first few days of April shows that the cap will be reached, then they will conduct a lottery and include all the applications submitted within the first five days of April 1st.
H-1B visas are a work visa for foreign professionals. To qualify for an H-1B, the worker must, at a minimum: (1) Be coming to work for a U.S. employer; (2) Be coming to work in a specialty occupation position. A specialty occupation ordinarily requires the attainment of a bachelors degree or its equivalent, as a minimum for entry into the occupation, and (3) Have at least the requisite bachelors degree or equivalent.
To sponsor a prospective employee for an H-1B, an employer must first obtain a certified Labor Condition Application (LCA) from the Department of Labor. The main purpose of the LCA is to assure that employment of H-1B workers will not adversely affect U.S. workers in the same occupation. An employer must attest that they will pay the H-1B worker the higher of either the same wage that similarly employed workers are currently paid, or the "prevailing wage" for similarly employed workers across the metropolitan area.
Once an LCA is approved, the employer can file the H-1B petition with the USCIS. An H-1B can be granted for an initial three year period, and can be extended for an additional three years. After six years in H-1B status (or a combination of H-1B and L-1 status), an H-1B worker must leave the U.S. for at least one year before returning on another H-1B (or L-1).
Spouses and children can obtain H-4 visas that allow them to accompany the H-1B worker, but the H-4 does not allow them to work.