The H-1B Cap Crunch is Upon Us, Here are Your Key Dates

The Fiscal Year 2018 H-1B season is about to enter its "crunch time" – a perennial tradition where cap-subject employers must timely file their petitions in order to be afforded a chance at securing an October 1 start date for their employees. We are reaching out to all of our clients to advise on the key dates for this year. If your organization seeks H-1B cap-subject workers this cycle, we urge you to contact us immediately to discuss plans and timing.

Each fiscal year USCIS is afforded 85,000 H-1B petitions that can be approved under its congressionally-mandated cap. Petitions may only be filed as early as 180 days prior to October 1. A total of 20,000 of such visas are awarded to beneficiaries who have graduated a U.S. institution of higher education with a Master's Degree or higher. The remainder are available for all other qualifying cases. In recent years as the economy has rebounded from the 2008 financial crisis, demand has far exceeded the supply. This