April 1, 2012 – US EMPLOYERS MAY START APPLYING FOR H-1B VISAS (Worker Visas)

Urgent:  US employers may begin applying for the H1B visa for nonimmigrant workers six months before the actual employment start date.  FY 2013 starts on October 1, 2012, however, employers can apply as soon as April 1, 2012 for the FY 2013 cap, but beware that the employee cannot start work until October 1st.

Please contact my office immediately if you plan on hiring an employee with a start work date of October 1, 2012 or later.  There is a limited amount of visas that may be issued and a lot of employers are already in line to receive them for their employees.  Act now and act fast so your company does not lose out on a high quality employee.  For more information on H1B visas and other options please check out “What are my options” page of this website.

IMPORTANT: Some employees are not subject to the cap and can apply immediately and start work before October 1, 2012.  If en employee has ever had an H-1b visa and has not left the country for more than 1 year may apply for another H1b visa without being subject to the annual cap.