USCIS RUNS RANDOM SELECTION PROCESS FOR H-1Bs

Revised Business Procedures Expedite Processing
FROM 04/13/2007
USCIS PRESS RELEASE

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. 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.