{"id":558,"date":"2017-03-15T15:58:13","date_gmt":"2017-03-15T15:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automationgrp.com\/immis\/?p=558"},"modified":"2020-04-28T15:58:37","modified_gmt":"2020-04-28T15:58:37","slug":"uscis-posts-h-1b-fy-2018-cap-filing-guidance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automationgrp.com\/immis\/uscis-posts-h-1b-fy-2018-cap-filing-guidance\/","title":{"rendered":"USCIS Posts H-1B FY 2018 Cap Filing Guidance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Today, USCIS has posted its updated guidance for proper filing of an H-1B petition in the cap this year. Here are the highlights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>USCIS will begin accepting H-1B petitions that are subject to the FY 2018&nbsp;cap&nbsp;<strong>on April 3, 2017&nbsp;<\/strong>(because April 1st falls on a Saturday). You may file an H-1B petition no more than six months before the employment start date requested for the beneficiary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you probably know, premium processing is suspended. If a petition is filed in premium processing, USCIS will reject the Form I-907. Further, if the employer submits one combined check for both the Form I-907 and Form I-129 H-1B fees,&nbsp;<strong>USCIS will reject the entire petition,<\/strong>&nbsp;not just the premium processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to Ensure You Properly File Your H-1B Cap-Subject Petition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/immigrationgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/H-1B_Cap_FY_2018_USCIS.png\"><img src=\"http:\/\/immigrationgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/H-1B_Cap_FY_2018_USCIS-1024x512.png\" alt=\"H-1B_Cap_FY_2018_USCIS\" class=\"wp-image-2422\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>USCIS provides the following&nbsp;steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Complete all sections of the Form I-129 petition, including the H Classification Supplement and the H-1B Data Collection and Filing Fee Exemption Supplement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Make sure each form has an original signature, preferably in black ink.<\/li><li>Include signed checks or money orders with the correct fee amount.<\/li><li>Submit all required documentation and evidence with the petition at the time of filing to ensure timely processing.<\/li><li>Ensure there is only one H-1B position for the beneficiary of each petition.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Be sure to&nbsp;file the petition to the correct USCIS service center.&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong>If you file your petition at the wrong location, USCIS may reject it. Rejected petitions will not retain a filing date and will not be counted toward the H-1B cap.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be sure to include a&nbsp;<strong>signed<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>certified<\/strong>&nbsp;Department of Labor LCA (ETA 9035). Keep Department of Labor LCA processing times in mind when preparing the H-1B petition and plan accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Include evidence of education credentials (with English translations when applicable) at the time you file your petition. If you have met all of the requirements for a degree, but the degree has not yet been awarded, you may submit the following alternate evidence:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>A copy of the beneficiary\u2019s final transcript; or<\/li><li>A letter from the registrar confirming that the beneficiary has met all of the degree requirements. If the educational institution does not have a registrar, then the letter must be signed by the person in charge of educational records where the degree will be awarded.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Our office files all petitions with a duplicate copy, failure to submit a copy may result in delays in visa processing abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Employers may not file multiple or duplicative H-1B petitions for the same employee. To ensure fair and orderly distribution of available H-1B visas, U<strong>SCIS will deny or revoke multiple or duplicative petitions filed by an employer for the same H-1B worker and will not refund the filing fees<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be sure Filing Fee Checks are filled out correctly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Payable to the Department of Homeland Security,<\/li><li>Dated within the last six months, and<\/li><li>Include the proper amount and signature.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Our office submits a separate check for each fee. If you only submit one check as combined payment for all applicable fees and&nbsp;<strong>if certain fees do not apply or are incorrect, USCIS will reject your H-1B petition.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>USCIS will reject all petitions submitted with the incorrect filing fee.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A few years ago, I put together a video of the common mistakes that cause an H-1B petition to be rejected and not included in the lottery. You can check it out here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/immigrationgirl.com\/dont-be-one-of-the-1400-h-1b-petitions-that-were-rejected-before-the-lottery\/embed\/#?secret=LESFYRuK0E\" width=\"600\" height=\"264\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can find the Fiscal Year 2018 H-1B Cap Filing Guidance at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscis.gov\/working-united-states\/temporary-workers\/h-1b-specialty-occupations-and-fashion-models\/h-1b-fiscal-year-fy-2018-cap-season#when\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.uscis.gov\/working-united-states\/temporary-workers\/h-1b-specialty-occupations-and-fashion-models\/h-1b-fiscal-year-fy-2018-cap-season#when<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Best of luck in this year\u2019s lottery!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"entry-content\" style=\"text-align:left;\"><b>Reference\/Source: (immigrationgirl.com)<\/b> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/immigrationgirl.com\/uscis-posts-h-1b-fy-2018-cap-filing-guidance\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">http:\/\/immigrationgirl.com\/uscis-posts-h-1b-fy-2018-cap-filing-guidance\/<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today, USCIS has posted its updated guidance for proper filing of an H-1B petition in the cap this year. Here are the highlights: USCIS will<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/automationgrp.com\/immis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/automationgrp.com\/immis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/automationgrp.com\/immis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automationgrp.com\/immis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automationgrp.com\/immis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=558"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/automationgrp.com\/immis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":559,"href":"https:\/\/automationgrp.com\/immis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558\/revisions\/559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/automationgrp.com\/immis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automationgrp.com\/immis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automationgrp.com\/immis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}