H-1B visa process from April 2; premium processing suspended

​Washington: Petitions for H1-B visas, popular among Indian IT professionals, will be accepted from April 2. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has also announced the suspension of premium processing of all H-1B petitions which are subject to the annual caps.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The H-1B petition filing is for the fiscal year 2019 beginning October 1, 2018.

The suspension of premium processing of all H-1B petitions which are subject to the annual caps is expected to last until September 10, 2018. During this time, the USCIS said it will continue to accept premium processing requests for H-1B petitions that are not subject to the fiscal 2019 cap.

"We will notify the public before resuming premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petitions or making any other premium processing updates," it said.