Articles Posted in start-up companies

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The H-1B cap season for FY 2023 is almost here!

USCIS has just announced that the H-1B initial registration period for the FY 2023 cap is scheduled to open at noon ET on March 1, 2022 and will remain open until noon ET on March 18, 2022.

As our readers are aware, in 2020 USCIS implemented a mandatory H-1B electronic registration system for the H-1B cap.

Under this new electronic registration process, prospective petitioners (also known as registrants), and their authorized representatives, who are seeking authorization to employ H-1B workers subject to the cap, must complete an electronic registration process on the USCIS website to receive a chance at selection. The registration process is simple and easy asking basic information about the prospective petitioner and each requested worker.

The H-1B selection process will be based off properly submitted electronic registrations. Only those with selected registrations will be eligible to file H-1B cap-subject petitions.

That means that in order to have a chance of being selected, all prospective petitioners and their authorized representatives seeking to file H-1B cap-subject petitions for FY 2023, including for beneficiaries eligible for the advanced degree exemption, must first register during the registration period (March 1, 2022, to March 18, 2022) and pay the associated $10 registration fee for each beneficiary.

Registrants will be able to create new accounts beginning at noon ET on February 21, 2022.

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We are extremely excited to report that USCIS has received enough electronic registrations during the H-1B initial registration period to reach the mandated numerical cap for fiscal year 2022, including for the advanced degree exemption (also known as the master’s cap), and has now selected all registrations eligible to participate in the H-1B visa program.

The H-1B initial electronic registration period came to an end on March 25, 2021, at which time USCIS began the process of randomly selecting from eligible registrations to fill the H-1B cap, including for the advanced degree exemption.

USCIS has now selected those registrations that will move forward and file a paper application with USCIS.

All those who were selected have received a notification of their selection in their myUSCIS online account. Selections in the myUSCIS portal will indicate that the petitioner is eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for the beneficiary that was named in the applicable selected registration.

On behalf of our law office, we extend our congratulations to all those who were selected to move forward with the filing of their petitions.


What happens next?


Now that you have overcome this obstacle, you may be asking yourself, what’s next? Sadly, getting selected in the H-1B visa lottery is just the first step in obtaining an H-1B visa. The second step requires the petitioner to demonstrate the beneficiary’s eligibility for the H-1B visa by filing Form I-129 with USCIS and obtaining approval.

USCIS has announced that all petitioners who have been properly selected in the visa lottery for fiscal year 2022, may file an H-1B cap-subject petition with USCIS, including petitions eligible for the advanced degree exemption, starting today April 1, 2021. Only filings that are based on a valid, selected registration will be accepted by USCIS for FY 2022, and only for beneficiaries named in the selected registration notice.

Those who were not selected must wait to apply again next year.

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President Signs New Bill Authorizing Additional Funding for PPP


Last week President Trump signed a new bill into law that provides an additional $310 billion in aid to small business owners that will be funneled into the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program (EIDL) administered by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA).

As a recap, the PPP and EIDL was first introduced by the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) to help small businesses keep workers on their payroll.

Out of the $310 additional funding, $60 billion will go toward the EIDL program, $250 billion will go toward PPP loans, and $60 billion will be set aside for community banks and community development financial institutions (CDFIs).

Additional funding was required because the first round of $349 billion in aid ran out after just a few weeks of the program being put into effect.

Small business owners who are still need of funds to help pay their company’s payroll costs should take advantage of the additional funding as soon as possible. Intense demand remains high for these forgivable-low interest loans, and funding will dry up quickly.

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For many small businesses struggling to survive in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, receiving a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan was the only option to stay afloat.

Unfortunately, the $350 billion in aid set aside by the CARES Act has run out. While it is believed that Congress will approve a second round of appropriations to fund the Paycheck Protection Program throughout the pandemic, there is no guarantee that this will occur.


What will happen to those who applied for a loan but did not receive any funds before the money ran out?


Those who submitted a PPP application through their lenders still have a good chance of getting funded as financial institutions continue to process loan applications that were submitted. Many lenders have not gotten around to notifying borrowers that they have been approved and will be funded. Borrowers should contact their lenders to follow up with the process.

Furthermore, according to recent information provided to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) by SBA expert Chris Chan, small business owners should keep the following things in mind when considering their next steps:

  • Businesses that applied up until a few days ago still have a real shot at hearing good news from their banks. Those that have already been approved by their bank should all get money within the 10 days required by law.
  • If the loan has an SBA number attached to it, that means it made it through the initial phase of processing and will likely be part of the loan amount that’s been approved. It doesn’t mean the loan could not be denied for other reasons, but there is hope in this scenario.
  • Other loans submitted under PPP may be declined, which would free up cash under the $349 billion for other loans in the queue to be processed.
  • There is bipartisan support of adding an additional $250 to $300 billion to the program in CARES Act 2. Congress is hung up over other provisions and adaptations that they want in the program, but there was news coverage this weekend that indicated they are close to an agreement.

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Are you a small business owner feeling the pinch of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic? Have no fear, the newly passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) provides emergency financial relief for small to mid-sized businesses in the United States, to help business owners keep employees on their payroll.

This federal relief package allocates nearly $350 billion in emergency aid for businesses through a small business loan program called the Paycheck Protection Program. This program is separate from existing federal loan programs, including existing Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster relief loans which you may also decide to pursue.

Paycheck Protection Program

What is it about? 

The Paycheck Protection Program is a loan forgiveness program (available through June 30, 2020) designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep workers on their payroll.

For small business owners who participate, loans obtained through this program will be fully forgiven if (1) all employees are kept on the payroll for 8 weeks and (2) the money is used for payroll costs, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities (at least 75% of the forgiven amount must have been used for payroll). As an additional incentive, loan payments will be deferred for six months. No collateral or personal guarantees are required to obtain a loan.

According to the SBA, loan forgiveness is based on the employer maintaining or quickly rehiring employees and maintaining salary levels. Forgiveness is reduced if full-time headcount declines, or if salaries and wages decrease.

Please note: PPP loans are not grants, instead they are loans—the majority of which can be forgiven if used for payroll costs as outlined above.

Who is Eligible?

Any small business with less than 500 employees (including sole proprietorships, independent contractors, self-employed persons, private non-profits, and 501(c)(19) veteran’s organizations) affected by the coronavirus pandemic can apply.

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H-1B season has officially kicked off!

The new mandatory H-1B electronic registration system for fiscal year 2021 opened yesterday at noon ET on March 1, 2020 and will remain open until noon ET on March 20, 2020.

In order to have a chance of being selected, from now on all prospective petitioners and their authorized representatives seeking to file H-1B cap-subject petitions for FY 2021, including for beneficiaries eligible for the advanced degree exemption, must first register during the registration period (March 1, 2020 to March 20, 2020) and pay the associated $10 registration fee for each beneficiary.

Only petitioners with a selected registration may participate in the H-1B filing process.

Registering is Easy

Petitioners and their authorized representatives must create a myUSCIS online account and submit registrations for each beneficiary via their online account during the registration period.

Per USCIS:

Prospective H-1B cap-subject petitioners or their representatives are required to use a myUSCIS online account to: 1) register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and 2) pay the associated $10 H-1B registration fee for each registration submitted on behalf of each beneficiary. Prospective petitioners or their representatives will be able to submit registrations for multiple beneficiaries in a single online session. Through the account, they will be able to prepare, edit and store draft registrations prior to final payment and submission of each registration.

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It’s official. Yesterday, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a notice in the Federal Register formally implementing the mandatory registration requirement for H1B petitioners seeking to file a cap-subject petition for Fiscal Year 2021. The notice went into effect on January 9, 2019, the date of publication.

Beginning March 1, 2020, before a petitioner can file an H-1B cap-subject petition, including petitions eligible for the advanced degree exemption, the petitioner must first electronically register with USCIS. Only petitioners with a valid registration selection will be eligible to file an H-1B petition with USCIS.

The initial registration period for FY 2021 will open on March 1, 2020 and is expected to close on March 20, 2020. The actual end date will be provided on the USCIS website.

Who must register?

H-1B cap-subject petitioners, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption, seeking to file a FY 2021 H-1B cap petition will be required to first register electronically with USCIS and pay the associated $10 H-1B registration fee for each submission

Prospective petitioners or their authorized representatives must electronically submit a separate registration naming each alien for whom they seek to file an H-1B cap-subject petition. Duplicate registrations are prohibited.

What happens after the registration period closes?

Once the registration period closes, USCIS will conduct the initial selection process.

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Exciting news H-1B FY 2020 Filers!

Yesterday USCIS announced that on April 10, 2019, the computer-generated lottery was conducted to select enough petitions to meet the H-1B regular cap and the U.S. advanced degree exemption for fiscal year 2020.

In accordance with the new H-1B regulation, USCIS first conducted the selection process for H-1B cap-subject petitions submitted on behalf of all beneficiaries, including those that may have been eligible for the advanced degree exemption. USCIS then selected a number projected to reach the advanced degree exemption from the remaining eligible petitions.

In total, USCIS has announced that the agency received 201,011 H-1B petitions during the filing period that began on April 1st, including petitions filed for the advanced degree exemption.

On April 5th, USCIS announced that the agency had received enough petitions to reach the regular cap of 65,000 visas.

What happens next?

Our office will begin to receive the receipt notices for petitions that were selected in the lottery within the coming weeks. Petitioners should keep a close eye on their bank accounts to see whether USCIS has charged the filing fees to the account. If the fees were charged, then your petition was selected in the lottery.

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Today, USCIS will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the FY 2020 cap. Any FY 2020 cap-subject H-1B petitions filed before April 1st will be rejected.

Beginning today, 65,000 H-1B visas will be available for the regular cap, and 20,000 H-1B visas for advanced degree holders.

Selection

Important changes will be implemented for the H-1B cap selection process.

In January, the Department of Homeland Security announced a final rule amending regulations governing cap-subject H-1B petitions, including those that may be eligible for the advanced degree exemption.

The final rule reverses the order by which USCIS selects H-1B petitions under the H-1B regular cap and the advanced degree exemption, which will be in effect for the FY 2020 cap season.

USCIS will first select H-1B petitions submitted on behalf of all beneficiaries, including those that may be eligible for the advanced degree exemption. USCIS will then select from the remaining eligible petitions, a number projected to reach the advanced degree exemption.

Premium Processing Available for COS Cap Subject H-1B Petitions Only

Starting April 1, FY 2020 cap-subject H-1B petitioners requesting a change of status on their Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, may request premium processing by concurrently filing Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service.

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The start of the FY 2020 H-1B cap season begins on April 1, 2019. This year, USCIS will offer premium processing services in a two-phased approach to avoid temporary suspension of the service.

Change of Status H-1B Cap Petitions

Starting April 1, FY 2020 cap-subject H-1B petitioners requesting a change of status on their Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, may request premium processing by concurrently filing Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service.

However, to prioritize data entry for cap-subject H-1B petitions, USCIS will not begin premium processing for these petitions immediately.

USCIS will begin premium processing for these petitions no later than May 20, 2019 and will notify the public before premium processing begins for these petitions.

If a petitioner does not file Form I-907 concurrently with an FY 2020 H-1B cap-subject petition requesting a change of status, the petitioner must wait until premium processing begins to submit Form I-907.

All Other FY 2020 Cap-Subject Petitions

Premium processing services for all other FY 2020 cap-subject H-1B petitions will not begin until at least June 19, 2019. Cap-subject petitioners who are not requesting a change of status may not submit their premium processing request concurrently with their H-1B petition. These petitioners will be eligible to upgrade to premium processing once premium processing begins for this group. USCIS will notify the public with a confirmed date for premium processing for cap-subject petitioners not requesting a change of status. Continue reading