Revised Business Procedures Expedite Processing
WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced
today that on April 12 it conducted the computer-generated random
selection process to determine which H-1B petitions, subject to the
congressionally mandated H-1B cap for fiscal year 2008 (FY 2008), would
continue to final processing. USCIS completed this determination ahead
of the preliminary schedule noted on April 3, when it announced it had
received enough petitions to meet the cap for FY 2008.
The 123,480 cap-subject petitions received on April 2 and 3 were labeled
with unique numerical identifiers and selected randomly by computer. The
chosen numerical identifiers were then transmitted to the appropriate
service center for further processing.
Applicants who submitted properly filed petitions that are accepted for
adjudication will receive a receipt notice dated on or after April 12,
2007. All petitions not chosen will be returned with the fee(s) to the
petitioner or their authorized representative. The total process is
expected to take approximately four weeks.
For the cases initially filed for premium processing, the 15-day premium
processing period begins on April 12, the day petitions were selected
through the random selection process.
USCIS will provide additional updates as the processing of FY 2008 H-1B
cap cases continues.
H-1B in General: U.S. businesses use the H-1B program to employ foreign
workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical
expertise in specialized fields, such as scientists, engineers, or
computer programmers. As part of the H-1B program, the Department of
Homeland Security and the Department of Labor require U.S. employers to
meet specific labor conditions to ensure that American workers are not
adversely impacted. The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division
safeguards the treatment and compensation of H-1B workers.
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Taken From: http://www.uscis.gov/files/pressrelease/H1Bfy08CapUpdate041307.pdf
Rm 8 : 28; Is 55 : 8-13