The visa filing season for the fiscal year 2023-24 will officially begin on March 1, when the US immigration agency will begin accepting applications for skilled foreign worker visas.
The H-1B visa is in high demand among Indian IT professionals.
The H1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations requiring theoretical or technical expertise.
Technology companies hire thousands of employees annually from countries like India and China under this.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it would accept applications for H-1B visas between March 1 and March 17 for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2023.
This visa allows skilled foreign workers to live and work in the US for up to six years in specialized fields such as technology, engineering, and medicine.
After six years, it opens the way for permanent residency or a green card.
If we receive enough applications by March 17, USCIS said, we will randomly select applications and send notifications to beneficiaries through their My USCI online accounts.
If we do not receive enough applications, all adequately submitted registrations in the initial registration period will be selected.
We inform account holders as of March 31 that USCIS has said it will release additional information in the coming weeks, it said in a press release.
H1B visa allocation is capped at 85,000 visas per year, of which 20,000 tickets are set aside for workers with advanced degrees from US institutions.
The remaining 65,000 visas are awarded through a lottery system, making the competition for H1B visas high.
The high demand for H-1B visas has led to calls for reform of the H-1B program.
Many are advocating for increasing the number of available tickets and simplifying the application process.
Proponents argue that the program is critical to maintaining America’s position as the world leader in technology and innovation.
