Processing Delays In H-1B Due To Pandemic: USCIS

Due to Coronavirus pandemic, sponsoring employers of H-1B cap beneficiaries will have to wait to hear from the USCIS.

Post completion of the lottery process, USCIS had begun to inform sponsoring employers that they need to start with the filing of detailed H-1B cap visa applications of those employees selected in the lottery process.

The window for such filing would be open for 90 days until June end. 2.75 lakh H-1B cap registrations received from sponsoring employers out of that1.86 lakh (67.7%) were for those from India.

USCIS does a random selection of the annual quota of 85K new H-1B cap visas each year. USCIS also informed that due to the COVID-19, data entry and generation of receipt notices would be delayed until at least May 1. Each application will be stamped with the date it was received at the service center and will be processed in this order.

Due to non-availability of premium processing any delay hits hard international students who are waiting for their H-1B visa.

International students who completed their degrees in STEM are eligible for a 12-month optional practical training (OPT) under which they can work in the US and can apply for a further OPT extension of 2-years.