Sophie Alcorn, lawyerits author and founder Alcorn Immigration Law in Silicon Valley, California, is an award-winning Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law from the State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. Sophie is passionate about overcoming borders, expanding opportunities and connecting the world by practicing compassionate, visionary and experienced immigration law. Connect with Sophia on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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Dear Sophia,
I’m the co-founder of a startup that has done H-1B transfers (including mine), but has yet to enroll anyone in the H-1B lottery. This year we want to enroll an F-1 student who was working with us on OPT and a new engineer who is currently outside the US, I have heard there are changes in the lottery. Any information you can share?
— Looking for the Lottery
Dear Look,
Great to hear that you are enrolling potential new and existing employees in the H-1B lottery! As one of the few dual-purpose work visas, the H-1B offers employers a valuable strategy to attract and retain top global talent in the United States. There are many recent updates: The draw will now be “1 person, 1 chance”, there are new filing fees, forms, software updates and more. Now is the time to speak with an immigration attorney to advocate for your team!
One main thing to keep in mind is that the filing fees for all visa and green card applications, including H-1B special occupation visa, will increase on April 1st. The H-1B filing fee will increase from $460 to $780 for employers with 26 or more full-time employees. Also, on April 1, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will issue a revised Form I-129 (Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker), which must be used. Watch this coming February 9th free AMA training webinar and read on for more.
First, let me explain what is called the cap-subject H-1B process, also known as the lottery, which will be accepting submissions from 12 noon (ET) on March 6, 2024 until 12 noon (ET) on the 22 March 2024.
Learn the basics of H-1B!
