<p>The US on Saturday announced that from April 3 it will temporarily suspend the “premium processing” of H-1B visas that allowed some companies to jump the queue, as part of its efforts to clear the backlog.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would start accepting H-1B visa applications for the fiscal year 2018, beginning October 1, 2017, from April 3. The H-1B visas are widely used by Indian IT majors. <br /><br />“This temporary suspension will help us reduce overall H-1B processing time,” USCIS said. By temporarily suspending fast processing, USCIS said it would be able to process long-pending petitions.<br /> <br />The pending petitions, which they have currently been unable to process due to the high volume of incoming petitions and the significant surge in premium-processing requests over the past few years will be processed. It would also be able to prioritise the adjudication of H-1B extension of status cases that are nearing the 240-day mark. The temporary suspension might last for six months, USCIS said. <br /><br />For Silicon Valley companies, many of which employ a large number of H-1B holders, this move could signal that the waiting time for approval may get much longer.<br /><br />Under the current system, a company that is sponsoring a potential employee or the current employee’s H-1B petition may fill out a form to expedite the processing of that petition, the Verge reported.<br /><br />After paying an additional fee of $1,225 (Rs 82,000) for this service, USCIS responds typically in 15 calendar days, whereas standard H-1B petitions may take anywhere between three to six months to receive a judgement, it said. <br /></p>
<p>The US on Saturday announced that from April 3 it will temporarily suspend the “premium processing” of H-1B visas that allowed some companies to jump the queue, as part of its efforts to clear the backlog.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would start accepting H-1B visa applications for the fiscal year 2018, beginning October 1, 2017, from April 3. The H-1B visas are widely used by Indian IT majors. <br /><br />“This temporary suspension will help us reduce overall H-1B processing time,” USCIS said. By temporarily suspending fast processing, USCIS said it would be able to process long-pending petitions.<br /> <br />The pending petitions, which they have currently been unable to process due to the high volume of incoming petitions and the significant surge in premium-processing requests over the past few years will be processed. It would also be able to prioritise the adjudication of H-1B extension of status cases that are nearing the 240-day mark. The temporary suspension might last for six months, USCIS said. <br /><br />For Silicon Valley companies, many of which employ a large number of H-1B holders, this move could signal that the waiting time for approval may get much longer.<br /><br />Under the current system, a company that is sponsoring a potential employee or the current employee’s H-1B petition may fill out a form to expedite the processing of that petition, the Verge reported.<br /><br />After paying an additional fee of $1,225 (Rs 82,000) for this service, USCIS responds typically in 15 calendar days, whereas standard H-1B petitions may take anywhere between three to six months to receive a judgement, it said. <br /></p>