The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has confirmed that it has received enough petitions to reach the mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap, as well as the 20,000 H-1B visa US advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year 2024.
The agency has stressed that it will send non-selection notices to registrants online in the next few days, VisaGuide.World reports.
When we finish sending these non-selection notifications, the status for properly submitted registrations that we did not select for the FY 2024 H-1B numerical allocations will show: Not Selected: Not selected – not eligible to file an H-1B cap petition based on this registration.
USCIS confirmed that it will continue to accept and process requests that are otherwise exempt from the cap, stressing that requests filed for the current H-1B workers who have been counted previously against the cap and who continue to retain their cap number are exempt from the fiscal year 2024 H-1B cap.
In addition, it said that it will continue to receive petitions for:
- Extending the duration of stay for current H-1B workers in the US.
- Modifying the terms of employment for H-1B workers.
- Permit current H-1B workers to change employers.
- Permit t H-1B workers to concurrently engage in additional H-1B positions.
The H-1B visa is a temporary work visa permitting US employers to bring international workers engaged in specific fields to temporary work in the US, provided they do not find employees in the US.
The H-1B visa, also known as the Person in Specialty Occupation Visa, aims to help US employers fill in labour shortage gaps.
Recently, the State Department initiated a pilot program to renew H-1B visas in the US, which excludes dependents of H-1B professionals.
However, the new changes will not impact H-1B professionals who have families in the US.
As for the potential incorporation of dependents into this program, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Julie Stufft commented to reporters about the announcement of this scheme, according to Bloomberg.
We must establish its effectiveness before considering expansion to a wider audience. This represents a significant shift for individuals residing here who would have previously been obliged to depart the United States.
The recent proposal led organisations, as well as their constituents, to urge the US authorities to also include the dependents of the H-4.
The renewal program was proposed for over 20,000 persons, permitting the qualified for the H-1B visa scheme to mail their visas to the State Department without being required to travel outside the US.